Hi all, My neighbor got a new tractor with all the goodies a few weeks ago. Anyway he dug me a pond 25 feet by 40 feet and 3 to 4 feet deep. $90.00 great price and looks good! This is sandy soil so I'll need to line it with something. Looking for suggestions-pretty much blew our budget- so el cheapo is the way I'll have to go. Any and all ideas welcome. Thanks,Daryll

-- Daryll in NW FLA (twincrk@hotmail.com), March 21, 2002

Answers

Normally You would put down a felt liner as underlayment and then put down a 40 mil rubber butyl pond liner but I think it can be done on the cheap. Used carpet pads or even used carpets can be used for the underlayment. As far as the liner goes try contacting an above ground pool company for a source of used pool liners. Use these on top of the underlayment. Overlap the seams about a foot, making sure these overlaps are clean and dry. Run three or four heavy beads of silicon caulk between the seams to seal them. Carefully cover the liner with rocks to help hide it and protect it from UV rays and debris. I suggest forming a 6 inch high soil bank around the perimeter of the pond to keep surface rain water from flowing in. A pond the size is going to be over 300,000 gallons, a recirculation pump will help aerate it and keep it healthy.

-- JJ Grandits (JJGBDF@aol.com), March 21, 2002.

What can you put in a pond such as this? Does it depend on temp in your area? Any other requirements?

-- Hank (hsnrs@att.net), March 22, 2002.

I was going to use pond liner for waterproofing of my earth sheltered home, but the cost was way out there. I ended up using three or four (don't remember any more) layers of six mil visqueen.

Use of scraps of carpet backing, as suggested, would be smart, to keep roots, rocks, etc. from puncturing the visqueen.

-- joj (jump@off.c), March 22, 2002.

I t hink you missed a decimal, JJ. Shouldn't that be 30,000 gallons?

-- joj (jump@off.c), March 22, 2002.

One natural way to seal it is with duck poop, this might take some time, so putting down a cheap liner till you can get a poop liner/sealer down might be the way to go. Along the natural root, might plant the bottom with a grass to develop an bottom biomass for feeding whatever you eventually plan to do with your pond. Something I plan to have one of these days.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 22, 2002.

Bentonite clay. MUCH cheaper, organic. Can't imagine putting a man made liner in a pond that size. Doesn't compute.

Talk to the county extension agent and get info.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), March 22, 2002.

http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/manag/leaks/index.shtml

EXCELLENT website about ponds

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), March 22, 2002.

OK, never do your math late at night. That would be a 30,000 gallon pond. Lining it with clay would also seal it however with sandy base material and a depth of only 3-4 ft. the clay liner thick enough to prevent seepage might reduce the pond to a puddle. There is also the problem of water clarity due to suspended clay particles. It's not unusual to use liners on ponds many times this size. Yes, it does cost a fortune, but some people have the bucks. A pond this size can support a number of fish and aquatic plants. From what I understand from the size, this pond will be more of the ornamental type as opposed to the functional farm pond. In this situation you are creating a micro evironment which will take time to establish. Besides aesthics the stone over the liner assists in the biology of the pond increasing surface area for bacteria and algae needed to handle wastes and debris and also provides the shelter for small water organisms. Spring fed ponds have a fairly constant supply of new water entering them to compensate for the water lost through seepage and evaporation. It also helps stabilize water temperatures so that there is a more or less adequate supply of dissolved oxygen. That is why I suggested a pump to reciculate the water. You still have to keep an eye on the water level just like in a swimming pool. Once the biology of the pond stabilizes it should pretty much take care of itself with little effort on your part.

-- JJ Grandits (JJGBDF@aol.com), March 22, 2002.

Maybe my rural background just has trouble understanding a purely ornamental pond that size that depends on mega bucks to line and then ongoing expense for a pump, electricity, etc. I'm not criticizing here, just making an observation, and it is everyone's perogative to spend their income as they see fit. Where I come from (rural Texas), a pond is a pond. You dig a hole, God fills it with water as he sees fit. You put in some fish and stand back while they grow.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), March 22, 2002.

I understand you, Rose. :)

On several of these pond threads, people have suggested duck poop, sheep poop, etc. Even straw or other bio-mass, wich degrades down to poop.

How can you do this?

In many other threads here, we read about how bad farmers are for too much fertilizer in the enviornment, too much run-off, polluting all the waterways.

However, us farmers - anyhow here in Minnesota - are highly regulated, and can't do half of this stuff. National laws are being formulated as we speak to regulate this all across the country.

How can it be bad for farmers to spread manure on their fields to raise a crop, but it is good for someone to dig a hole in sandy ground, fill it with duck poop, and add water?

That seems like a double standard to me. I realize it is different groups of people talking about the different issues, but still - something to think about.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), March 22, 2002.

Hi all, Thanks for the answers-think I'll go for a used pool liner. Rose and Paul it is not an ornamental pond,I plan on raising crawfish in it.Right now I'm raising them in a kiddie pool. Already have an areator and filter set up from raising talapia(sp) a few years ago in a different place,hope it still works. Thanks again, Daryll

-- Daryll in NW FLA (twincrk@hotmail.com), March 22, 2002.

Be sure to know where the runoff will go when God overfills your pond. Many people in my area found out the hard way this week.

-- Emil in TN (eprisco@usit.net), March 22, 2002.

Have you looked into rubber roofing material? Sometimes you can get pieces from a company then glue the seems together. I used it for my front pond and it came out great. If the rocks move, you can't tell because it is black.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), March 22, 2002.

Daryll, Please do not use the rubber roofing material as someone suggested. My friend has a small pond business and I asked her the same question one time. My husband is a contractor by trade and he suggested the rubber roofing material. When I asked my friend about it she said definately NO, because the rubber roofing material has some kind of chemicals in it and it will cause growths and cancer in your fish.

-- Kathy (Indiana) (Philli@Peoplepc.com), March 22, 2002.

concrett the pond in

-- Bart levi (bassmaster11_7@yahoo.com), March 26, 2002.