Emily's Pond Build Log
- Thread starter rainbowcharmer
- Start date
What do you need to re-do on yours? Anything that I should be aware of ahead of time to prevent down the road??
The people @ pondplants.com are pretty nice. They have excellent shipping and products.
Any of the plants from these sections will work well:
http://pondplants.com/aisle33.html
http://www.pondplants.com/aisle50.html
http://www.pondplants.com/aisle3.html
Any of the plants from these sections will work well:
http://pondplants.com/aisle33.html
http://www.pondplants.com/aisle50.html
http://www.pondplants.com/aisle3.html
Cool. I will check out those plants once we're ready to get to that point. 
I also have an arrowhead plant that came from one of the planters at my grandpa's funeral last year. It's been doing OK in my bathroom (south-facing window), but I'm wondering if it might do better outdoors. So I may take a cutting from that and root it to see how it does outside without killing the whole plant in the event that it doesn't work out.
I also have an arrowhead plant that came from one of the planters at my grandpa's funeral last year. It's been doing OK in my bathroom (south-facing window), but I'm wondering if it might do better outdoors. So I may take a cutting from that and root it to see how it does outside without killing the whole plant in the event that it doesn't work out.
OK new question - feeding off the other thread I had posted about the filtration question - you mentioned hydroton as a growing medium for the plants. If I were to use this, any idea how I'd keep it elevated so that it was just in the top of the 100 gal stock tank? I'll be using eggcrate to hold the filter sponges above the pvc intake pipes, but obviously the hydroton would fall through that if I put that overtop of the sponges. Would something like window-screen material overtop of the eggcrate work? If so, any thoughts on the best way to attach it? If not, any suggestions on what might work? Ideally I'd like something that the plants could grow though if they decide the current isn't too strong. I would think window-screen might be too tight of a weave for that though... but I can't think of anything else that might work at the moment. Suggestions?
I emailed the guys at Skippy's to ask them what they thought about using hydroton as a planting medium and putting it in the filter as a "top layer". They seemed confused about the concept. Maybe it's not a realistic option. But I still want to try it.
Anyhow, we may have found a stock tank on craigslist - there's someone selling a 100 gal stock tank for $50 (it's $70+ tax at the store) that they used to house turtles in. Apparently they've upgraded and no longer need the 100 gal tank, so I am hoping to snag that. The listing was posted today and I emailed her a little bit ago. We'll see. That would shave a few bucks off our budget.
I'm still in limbo on the pump. I really don't know what to get there. Anybody have brand preferences or anything? I'm going to go back and read through some of the older pond posts and see what I can find there.
Good news is I am getting the electric done cheap. Running a new wire on it's own breaker for $100. The maintenance guy at work (who is certified in electrical work) offered to do it at cost. He worked up the numbers for all the items and it came out around $75. I'm paying him $100 though whether he likes it or not. So that helps too. Not sure when we'll actually do that, but that helps ease the budget a bit as well. Had budgeted around $500 for it after talking to a couple of electricians and getting ballpark figures.
More digging will be going on tomorrow. I'll post pics again to show the progress tomorrow night (or if I'm too tired sometime during the week).
Anyhow, we may have found a stock tank on craigslist - there's someone selling a 100 gal stock tank for $50 (it's $70+ tax at the store) that they used to house turtles in. Apparently they've upgraded and no longer need the 100 gal tank, so I am hoping to snag that. The listing was posted today and I emailed her a little bit ago. We'll see. That would shave a few bucks off our budget.
I'm still in limbo on the pump. I really don't know what to get there. Anybody have brand preferences or anything? I'm going to go back and read through some of the older pond posts and see what I can find there.
Good news is I am getting the electric done cheap. Running a new wire on it's own breaker for $100. The maintenance guy at work (who is certified in electrical work) offered to do it at cost. He worked up the numbers for all the items and it came out around $75. I'm paying him $100 though whether he likes it or not. So that helps too.
Not sure when we'll actually do that, but that helps ease the budget a bit as well. Had budgeted around $500 for it after talking to a couple of electricians and getting ballpark figures. More digging will be going on tomorrow. I'll post pics again to show the progress tomorrow night (or if I'm too tired sometime during the week).
I would use 2 layers of egg crate and offset the layers a lil bit to make smaller openings.
As far as pumps go check out Harbor Freight. They have pretty inexpensive pumps. I'd look for a dirty water pump so if anything got sucked up it would get ground up and spit out. If you buy the protection plan you can exchange it if it craps out.
Something like this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-hp-dirty-water-pump-with-float-94649.html
As far as pumps go check out Harbor Freight. They have pretty inexpensive pumps. I'd look for a dirty water pump so if anything got sucked up it would get ground up and spit out. If you buy the protection plan you can exchange it if it craps out.
Something like this:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-hp-dirty-water-pump-with-float-94649.html
Ok I'm a little nervous about how cheap that pump is. How can it be that cheap and be a good pump?? The pond pumps I've been researching are between $200-300 for one that pushes between 3000-3600 gph. And the max height on those is half of what this is as well. It just makes me wonder... Also, I don't see amp usage on there. Any idea how to find out what amps it will pull? I need to be sure that the electrical work I'm having done will support it. The pumps I was looking at on pond pump websites were rated at about 5 amps. I would assume this is similar, but want to verify before I do anything.
I've used this pump goin on 2 years now. If it craps out I'll just replace it for the same. Just buy the protection warranty. I just put it in a skimmer box.
Name 3/4 HP Dirty Water Pump with Float
SKU 94649
Max Suction Lift 16 ft.
Max Total Head Lift 16.6 ft.
Brand Pacific Hydrostar
Color Black
Material Stainless Steel
Shipping Volume 0.550
Item Type 3/4 HP Dirtywater Pump W/ Float
Certifications/Approvals UL
Output, Gallons Per Minute 55
Voltage 120
Max Output Watts 550
Current (Amps): 4.58333333333
Piece Count 1
Horsepower 3/4
Manufacturer Warranty Detail 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! If for ANY reason you are not satisfied with this item, you may return it within 30 days for a full refund or replacement.
Name 3/4 HP Dirty Water Pump with Float
SKU 94649
Max Suction Lift 16 ft.
Max Total Head Lift 16.6 ft.
Brand Pacific Hydrostar
Color Black
Material Stainless Steel
Shipping Volume 0.550
Item Type 3/4 HP Dirtywater Pump W/ Float
Certifications/Approvals UL
Output, Gallons Per Minute 55
Voltage 120
Max Output Watts 550
Current (Amps): 4.58333333333
Piece Count 1
Horsepower 3/4
Manufacturer Warranty Detail 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! If for ANY reason you are not satisfied with this item, you may return it within 30 days for a full refund or replacement.
