Pond building album one

In this, my pond building album one, you can see pictures of how we built the pond, starting with an idea from my talented gardener sister, some notions about manmade ecosystems in my head and a hole in the ground, and with the help of some friends with a powerful skill sets, we build on the raw materials and inspiration for the project and create the concrete shell of the pond, and are one step closer to a beautiful dream.

Inspiring, my sister's natural pond in Californiamy sister's eco pond in California
My raw material was a hole in the ground with a brick wall around itMy canvas was a hole in the ground with a brick wall around it, left over from a previous four pond system
and my husband's skill at fish breeding, which is worth creating a canvas forMy husband's skill at fish breeding, producing living jewels, makes creating a good canvas worthwhile
He ntegrated plants, biofiltration and fish in the top pondplants, fish and biofilter work in the top pond
so I built up the circular brick wall in the ground. It adds depth, water storage capacity, and stops dustso I built up the circular brick wall in the ground. It adds depth, water storage capacity, and stops dust
I measured and plotted the pond dimensions and took it to a company who makes PVC liners for damsI plotted the pond dimensions and took them to a company who makes PVC liners for dams

We ordered 1 cube each of sand and stone.

Then with a little help from our friend Marc Niehaus, who is also a master builder at anything he tries, and loves to build aqua systems, the bottom drain was installed. Every good fish pond must have a bottom drain. It removes the fish feces and the toxic products of anaerobic decomposition.

Marc Niehaus connects the bottom drainMarc Niehaus connects the bottom drain
and sets its position with cast concreteand sets its position with cast concrete

The next day we hired a concrete mixer, and with some major help from Marc, and from our other friend, his son Ethan....we cast the bottom 

Ethan helped out with water dutyEthan helped out with water duty
wire mesh is raised on small stonesmesh raised on small stones
Marc checks depthMarc checks depth of concrete
laying wire mesh, raised on stones, on the pond bottomlaying wire mesh, on pond bottom
pouring wet concretepouring out the wet concrete
before moving the restbefore moving the last pile
carting stone and sand from street to pondcarting stone and sand from street
Marc moves the wet concreteMarc flattens wet concrete
finishes sitting on boardboard protects wet cement for finish
Marc sponges away the concrete splatter from the pond buildingMarc sponges away the concrete splatter from the pond building
Screws in the dome shaped lid of the bottom rain and contemplates his work of artScrews in the dome shaped lid of the drain and checks his beautiful work

Then the concrete was left to dry out for over a month, and after that with more help from Marc...we inserted the liner... see pond building album two

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home page for tons of info on natural gardening

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linking page with useful info on saving water

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