Lost_in_the_HTTP
Lifer
- Nov 17, 2019
- 12,054
- 7,243
- 136
I have one. OK two.
Holes and liners won't cut it. At all. Too many uneven places, wrinkles and what not for stuff to hide in. Tried it, scrapped it.
Went with two preformed poly shells. One is about 50 gallons, the other closer to 100 gallons. Bigger one is the upper, flowing over a lip into the smaller, lower one. Built a small 'cliff' with random rocks and hydraulic cement to prevent leaks. 1/2 pipe runs from pump in lower pond to the tops of the rocks, over a small split waterfall into the upper, larger pond.
Flow is decent, but there are still some leaks somewhere and water level will drop several inches in a week or so.
But even with constant flow, algae still develops. Goldfish will eat some of it, but not all. Frogs are an issue to an extent, but they co-exist with the fish and the fish eat the eggs and tadpoles. They also eat mosquito larvae.
Pump sucks though ... power. A 500 GPM pump with a UV light (supposed to help keep water clear) burns 50-75 watts or more, which adds up quick when running 24 hours a day.
Got 50 or more goldfish guppies several years back. Through predators , cannibalism and disease I was down to six a few weeks back. Those six were probably 3-4 inches long. Then I tried a chemical to clear the water (instead of draining and refilling) that was supposed to be fish safe. It wasn't. And now there are none.
Holes and liners won't cut it. At all. Too many uneven places, wrinkles and what not for stuff to hide in. Tried it, scrapped it.
Went with two preformed poly shells. One is about 50 gallons, the other closer to 100 gallons. Bigger one is the upper, flowing over a lip into the smaller, lower one. Built a small 'cliff' with random rocks and hydraulic cement to prevent leaks. 1/2 pipe runs from pump in lower pond to the tops of the rocks, over a small split waterfall into the upper, larger pond.
Flow is decent, but there are still some leaks somewhere and water level will drop several inches in a week or so.
But even with constant flow, algae still develops. Goldfish will eat some of it, but not all. Frogs are an issue to an extent, but they co-exist with the fish and the fish eat the eggs and tadpoles. They also eat mosquito larvae.
Pump sucks though ... power. A 500 GPM pump with a UV light (supposed to help keep water clear) burns 50-75 watts or more, which adds up quick when running 24 hours a day.
Got 50 or more goldfish guppies several years back. Through predators , cannibalism and disease I was down to six a few weeks back. Those six were probably 3-4 inches long. Then I tried a chemical to clear the water (instead of draining and refilling) that was supposed to be fish safe. It wasn't. And now there are none.