Forthcoming Pond in Dayton, OH! - [PROJECT HAPPY FISH]

Orful Octopus · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:00 pm

Greetings and thanks for this web site!
I have what I think is a really cool design for my pond.
At 23' X 20' X 4', it takes up a huge chunk of the back yard.
It's kind shaped like a Pepperidge Farms Goldfish snack cracker, although that was unintentional.
My waterfall features will be 3-fold:
In the middle I want a 1/2-1" thick sheet of water falling over a large flat rock in a 2-3' weir dropping directly into the pond at 4-5' high.
To the left of that, I want pools (kind of like bowls) of water cascading down from the top into each pool (4-5 of them) circling around the edge until it spills into the pond on one side of the peninsula.
The the right of the main weir, I want a river (or stream) flowing along the perimeter (with room for a bog garden in between) until it spills into the other side of the pond.
Somewhere in the middle of the pond, I'm considering a fountain made of rocks--or even one boulder--over which the water will bubble over and into the water.
One section of the pond will have little movement and is reserved for lilies and other plants that don't tolerate splashing.
If all goes well, I will also have a moat (or stream of some kind) nearby that completely encircles my gazebo. No one seems to have anything like this, and I can't find anything on the 'Net to help with this part.
The sidewalk leading from the house & deck will take the person past a picnic/pergola area (possibly past a forthcoming water feature) between the pond and the gazebo across a bridge and finally to the patio area. By putting the patio at the back of the yard, it makes full use of the yard.
I'll take and post the pix once I'm done (provided they still make cameras then)!

The Pond Digger · **Posted:** Thu Jul 23, 2009 5:04 am

Sound like you have your work cut out for you. Since you are in OHIO I'm wondering if this is a project that will run you into the winter months? Even though we are in the middle of summer here in Southern California, I know winter comes quick in OH. Tell us your production plans.

Post a rough sketch or drawing of your project so we can wrap our arms around your Happy Fish Project.

The Pond Digger

Orful Octopus · **Posted:** Mon Aug 03, 2009 5:30 pm

Thanks for your response. Attached is my sketch of my pond and back yard. I have plans to put in a patio area at the back (forcing me to make full use of my yard) and to add additional water features (e.g. geiser), where one of the flower beds currently is, after I get Project Happy Fish done. I drew this as best I could to scale. On the left in the center will be a weir. I'd like it to be approximately 2.5-3' wide and about 1/2-1" thick. To its left (bottom of picture) will be a series (4-5?) of cascading pools. I'd like some small lights hidden at the bottom of each pool to emit a very low glow. The pools will wrap around the pond until it lets out on the left side of the peninsula (like where the isthmus is). To the right of the weir (top of picture), I want a stream to follow along the perimeter with a little room in between for bog plants. The stream will flow along the edge (strange sounding, I know!) and let out at the "tail end" of the pond just after it enters the smaller half of the pond. I may have a natural rock oddly placed in the large half of the pond with a small amount of water bubbling over it (1-2" at most) and flowing down the sides of the rock. 2-3 small boulders converging together may also work. The lily area is in the quiet part of the pond, which is the lower right part of the picture. The skimmer/pump/UV filter will be located along the right side close to the gazebo-provided all of that does not make a lot of noise! The stream and cascading pools appear to be farther from the pond than I intend them to be. I drew them this way so I could make the bog areas more defined for easier viewing on here. The bog areas are actually a recent idea based on what I've seen on this site, from pond books, and from pix of local ponds around Dayton, OH. Something I have picked up on is to integrate plants with the pond and not to keep them 2 separate entities. I plan to have smaller bogs than are shown in the sketch. I also want shelves around most of the pond for marginal plants. I can't say whether or not I've seen adjacent bog gardens with in-water marginal plants, but it should work OK. If not, this at least gives me some more options to mix it up a bit from season-to-season.
I think I have enough water features splashing into the pond to provide some oxygenation--especially the wide weir/curtain/sheet I want to have in the middle. I also have a splashless area designated for lilies. If there are other fairly still parts in the center of the larger half (the left side), I will put lilies and lotus plants there too.
I don't know what I want to do on top of the peninsula. Suggestions anyone?
There is a stream sketched around the gazebo. My original plan was to have a moat, which would be Phase 2; however, I could see the water becoming stagnant very quickly. I think that the moat will now be a stream, but I believe that it will now be part of the pond itself. Due to the narrow width of the path between the pond and gazebo, I think it's a certainty to make them 1. The stream may have to split with some water going into the pond and the rest feeding the stream. The gazebo is 11' X '11, and I'm really only looking for a fairly narrow stream to circulate the water around it with room to plant a few things between the stream and gazebo. I will make it as deep as necessary--possibly in hopes that the fish would swim around it too--but, I don't really care as long as my gazebo is surrounded by water. I'm open to suggestions. I would like a giant stone (or slab-type of stone) to be a bridge on the path in that area. I'd appreciate any advice anyone can give me.

The Pond Digger · **Posted:** Sat Aug 08, 2009 3:12 pm

I love your passion and fun concept. I'll catch up with you in the other forums for suggestions.

The Pond Digger

The Pond Digger · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:34 am

You have quite a lot going on in your sketch. I do have some concerns and want to note some of the challenges in your design.

The stream areas will need an elevation change of approximately 6" to 12". Keep the elevation changes in mind especially around the gazebo. Streams can create a bit of maintenance for you as they tend to collect sediment and can be prone to algae growth because the fish can't get to the section and root around.

In my early pond construction design days I built a few ponds with streams running next to the ponds edge for 10 feet or more similar to the top of your drawing. They can be challenging to build and sometimes takes away from the edge treatment of the pond itself. From the top of the pond's water level to the top of the grade change to keep the water in the stream can be a challenge visually. I will try and find some photos to explain what I'm talking about. I'm not sure I have any.

You have a lot of water movement in cascades, waterfalls and streams. We will need to determine the proper pump or pumps for you. You mentioned 14,000 gallons of water. You will want to double and triple check that calculation as it is how we determine how much water we need to circulate in the pond. Then we need to determine how many gallons per hour we are sending to each water feature. The fountain, the cascade, the streams, bog, etc.

Talk to you soon.

The Pond Digger

Orful Octopus · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 10:22 am

Quote:

The stream areas will need an elevation change of approximately 6" to 12". Keep the elevation changes in mind especially around the gazebo. Streams can create a bit of maintenance for you as they tend to collect sediment and can be prone to algae growth because the fish can't get to the section and root around.

You said an elevation change of 6" - 12". U mean from top to bottom, or a change every so many feet? I need clarification please.

Quote:

They [streams] can be challenging to build and sometimes takes away from the edge treatment of the pond itself.

I need clarification on this statement too please. The stream is a way to give me another unique water feature as well as provide a nice LQQKING division between the patio area and the pond. It will start at the top of the collecting pool (or near it somewhere) and flow down until it reaches the pond.

Quote:

From the top of the pond's water level to the top of the grade change to keep the water in the stream can be a challenge visually.

Yes, please see if you can find photos of what you're talking about. I need clarification on this. (I'm a VISUAL learner!)

Thanks, Octo

The Pond Digger · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:14 pm

I will look for photos to express (worth a 1000 words) what I am trying to convey. :wink:

The Pond Digger

Forthcoming Pond in Dayton, OH! - [PROJECT HAPPY FISH]

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