This forum deals with ponds which have been built mainly for koi similar to those featured on the KOI Cymru website. Even if you have not built your pond yet then your views are welcome. This is a chance to discuss your ideas and views with other koi-keepers. Please mention the country,and state or county,as in different parts of the World we have different methods and climate. If you are responding to a message already posted then please use the response button on the bottom of the message, and it will then appear as a subsiduary of that message and so easier for others to find.
A good site for health is KOIVET by Dr Erich L Johnson and it can be found at www.koivet.com
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Skimmer
by Allan
Hi
I have purchased a wide mouth skimmer for my new pond. I am looking for advice on how best to fit this to a liner. I have a white flange that has two sides both joined , does the liner go in between the flange? The skimmer was bought from coastal koi. Also i will be happy for any hints and tips, especially those who have a pond with a liner.
I've looked at the construction element on this site.
Thx Allan
Posted on Aug 17, 2005, 12:43 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
yes they will but i wouldnt recommend it same for earth worms they come from god knows what is in the ground and you could be feeding them on all sorts
Posted on Aug 16, 2005, 8:20 PM from IP address 84.69.2.235
I garden organically, that why there's so many of them!!! If I had pelletted them then I would certainly not put them in. These are still alive and sliming when they go in. The pond is 1 foot above ground and I'm finding that the slugs and snails are finding their own way in anyway. Will certainly be mineful of the situation!!!
Posted on Aug 17, 2005, 10:07 AM from IP address 80.176.91.232
Disaster is imminent, I have found white spot on one of my Koi. A lice (Argulus) Which I am keeping alive in a glass to see what will kill it and now one of my Ochiba Ogon has an ulcer type hole in its tail.
I have tried treating the whole pond for flukes, lice and chilondea (spelling?) to no avail. I have salt bathed and applied anti-fungal and septic lotions to affetced fish but Should I just leave them alone and hope they survive?
It takes hours to try and net the pond so I will be causing more stress by catching them to inspect, and I cannot isolate any as I do not have a sufficient facility.
Ideas please
Thanks
Posted on Aug 15, 2005, 1:08 PM from IP address 193.35.126.98
It sounds like something is way off base and any resident pathogoens are taking advantage of weakened Koi.
First, what are your water parameters? PH, KH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate etc and what is your normal maintenance regime? Has there been any recent changes or additions to the pond that may have upset the natural balance of the pond eco system? Have you introduced new fish from one or more sources?
Try and provide as much information as you can and I will take it from there.
Alan.
Posted on Aug 15, 2005, 6:47 PM from IP address 213.120.101.21
My Pond has only been up and running for 6 weeks, I have no amonia and nitrite
and nitrate levels are very low. I have a slightly high PH 8.00 and no plants are present in the pond. All fish are from one dealer and are all new stock 5 weeks old.I have 4 Ghost 2-3", 2 Tench 4", 2 Grass Carp 4-5", 6 Koi 4-5" and 2 King Carp 14"
The filters were matured for 6 weeks and I have blood worms and larvae in all bays.
I purge my vortex daily and once a week clean the brushes in a bucket of pond water. I have done 2-3 partial water changes with only as much as 20% in one go. But with over 4500 gallons including the filter and a hosepipe ban this is very difficult.
I feed little and often and no food is ever left for more than a miute
Thanks
Posted on Aug 16, 2005, 11:02 AM from IP address 193.35.126.98
with regards to your filter maintenance and feedng habits that sounds ok . the only thing i can say to you is get the sick ones down to the koi warehouse in cardiff with a water sample they will testyour water and treat your fish give you what ever you need to treat your water as well as good advise he helped me with 2 koi with holes in of about 1 1/2" (ulsa's) in diamiter and they healed lovely leaving just a slight scar if untreated ulsa will kill your koi but you have to find out what is cuasing it main culprit is water conditions and stress which is also caused by bad water
Posted on Aug 16, 2005, 8:34 PM from IP address 84.69.2.235
Hi friends I,ve just filled the pond today for the first time and I,ve discovered a couple of leaks on the filter pipes and at pipe/valve joints. Could anyone please suggest a product to fix this, I think the pond has to be drained anyway so if need be it could be dry.IF you know of anyone, pond supplies etc, that advertises and trades on the net that would be a big help, again thanks for your support.
Posted on Aug 14, 2005, 9:24 PM from IP address 213.116.42.140
You should be able to get hold of expanding pipe plugs, like those on the following web page, easily enough. http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/0-2636
B&Q sell at least the 110mm one, I have seen them.
Re repairing a leaky joint, the following may work WHEN THE PIPE AND JOINT ARE DRY, it's from a similar thread, if you want to read the whole thread search "sleeve" and then go back in the archive.
"I found a way to seal leaky joints that may be of help. The pipe needs to be empty and dry for this to work, use a hair drier NOT a blow torch etc to dry the pipe if needs be.
Cut a socket off a spare union to form a sleeve, cut this sleeve axially using the THINNEST saw you have so that it fits as a clip around the existing pipe. Depending on the size of the pipe one cut may do or you may have to cut the sleeve into 2 pieces. Plaster the inside of the sleeve with solvent and put it onto the pipe against the leaky joint, it should be placed so that the squarer end face of the sleeve butts up against the face of the existing socket. Cable tie or string tie the sleeve in place and leave to set.
I was told solvent on its own was unlikely to seal a leaky joint."
Posted on Aug 15, 2005, 10:32 AM from IP address 81.77.114.220
Hi guys, here in sunny England we've just had the most horrendous torrential rain ! With a pond under construction with all the block work done, would you expect to see some water making it's way through the pond walls in these circustances ?
any views or thoughts most welcome.
many thanks,
GARRY HB
Posted on Aug 13, 2005, 3:46 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
Hi again, just an extra note, the pond is well covered so no rain falls into it and the water is coming from outside to the inside below ground level ?! hopefully that makes sense ?
many thanks again,
GARRY HB
Posted on Aug 13, 2005, 3:49 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
Completely normal, blocks arent water tight. The 'problem' arises if you have dug into the normal water table, then the site may flood when not pumped out. If it does flood that in its self isnt a problem or a disaster however it may complicate lining.
The bottom of my pond is 2ft below the average water table and flooded every night during the build, I ended up building a sump in the stie so that I could pump the site out.
If you are below the water table then:-
If you are going to glass fibre line, check with the glasser whether or not they will be able to glass it, some may say no. I thought that was the rule but Matt Williams, who can be found on Yorkshire koi, said he could have glassed mine, ho hum.
If you are using sheet liner anchored to a bottom drain etc, you need to ensure that, for the odd occasion that you might just want to empty the pond, you can lower the local water table to below the water level in the pond and or below the bottom of the pond. If you cannot do this and attempt to empty the pond too below the water table then the sheet liner will "balloon" and may tear around the BD.
In my case I have no BD, its a goldfish pond but I now wish I had put a BD in, BUT I use polystyrene underlay and would be in deep deep deep doodoo if the liner ever lifted/ballooned and the polystyrene shifted, I twigged this just before I lined the pond and was able to add a suction line running from the now lidded site sump which sits under the pond liner to the outside world. Using a black and decker drill pump connected to this suction line I can, if needs be, drain/lower the local water table and keep ahead of seepage for a short period. I have used it twice in three years, once whilst actually seating the deep section of the liner and the 2nd time whilst shifting the liner a bit.
The above also implies that, in a sheet liner pond, the pond level should always be above the water table. My highest water table in the area of the pond is a surface flood so my pond is semi raised. I have never had a liner balloon.
Posted on Aug 13, 2005, 5:20 PM from IP address 84.67.34.97
. . . thanks for your reply, what you say makes sense and calms me down a bit ! This is the first time there has been any real evidence of water leaching through the pond wall, and the rain was quite heavy and persistant. The water amounts to a puddle really and seems to be coming in where the 2 bottom drain pipes leave and rise up out of the pond. The filter house floor is still open to the elements so water could well be finding it's way into the pond that way.
I intend to render and fibreglass the pond and from what you say this is still possible. I guess a good layer of fibreglass should certainly waterproof the walls.
thanks for your advise.
GARRY HB
Posted on Aug 13, 2005, 7:19 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
The text books tell you fibreglass and water don't mix. To the greater extent this is true. Thye rules however can be bent in the glassers favour.
ANY pond with any ammount of water ingress can be sealed with the right application of skills, tools and determination.
Just don't use flame throwers and blowtorches or any other kind of naked flame near the grp materials to force dry wet areas or it could be bye bye pond, eyebrows and garden!
Best to try the traditional sump hole outside pond method first, if that does not work you need a major rethink to ensure a 100% seal.
Don't place loads of concrete outside the walls in the hope this will seal water out, it won't. Nor will waterproofing additives in the render. Water will track to the weakest point straight through the walls somewhere else.
Good luck
Posted on Aug 13, 2005, 10:50 PM from IP address 82.3.32.75
If you dont want to render yourself have a think about foam lining your blocks instead. I wish I did, you will get a much smoother surface and can have it done easily in a few hours together with adding insulation for those colder months
You can also get insualtion firms who specialise in this and spray it on then sand back to your required depth
Good luck
PS
Have a look at GEEGRP fibreglassing was very quick and cheaper than the rest
I am very impressed with the job they gave me
Posted on Aug 15, 2005, 1:15 PM from IP address 193.35.126.98
My neighbour has recently had the same problem.
He left a sump hole down below the base and put in a submersible pump.
This kept everything dry and he was able to render and get it fibreglassed without any problem.
Posted on Aug 13, 2005, 8:18 PM from IP address 86.128.124.147
once built the (presumably) above ground pressure defeats the water table - temp sump is the answer! and as prev posted matt at grp services will advise and has a 100% record as i believe also on yks site you could try davea and one i cant remember they all have a good track record good luck
Posted on Aug 14, 2005, 12:06 AM from IP address 195.93.21.38
Because of the cost benefit I am considering using a liner instead of gunnite. Does anyone know of problem I might have with a liner in a 6ft. deep large pond?
I recall Peter Waddingtons book saying that eventually it will leak around the bottom drains.
Posted on Aug 12, 2005, 10:45 PM from IP address 170.109.248.2
I don't see why depth should be a problem as long as your ground/base is structuraly sound. As long as no movement occurs between your liner & bottom drain and you seal the drain with a good polyurethane mastic then it should last for years.
Just make sure you use disposable plastic gloves when handling the mastic as it sticks to everything and you can't get it off your hands.
Polyflex-LM by Den Braven is good stuff.
Posted on Aug 15, 2005, 9:11 AM from IP address 135.196.99.93
We have one large Koi (18") that lost some of its scales when we moved him into a larger pond. Will these scales grow back. Really felt bad since the scales he lost were real bright colored blue now there just white spots.
Posted on Aug 13, 2005, 2:26 PM from IP address 67.139.105.135
Having built a pond with a 6 inch thick concrete base, concrete blocks for the walls which were then rendered (with "black knight" glass fibre included) . The pond is dug about 3 foot deep into the ground, with a wall section 18 inches above ground. Total water depth is 54 inches, giving a total volume of around 3200 litre (700 gallons).
I had given it 3 coats with G4 pond sealer(2 clear, 1 black). Total area of pond walls and floor is approx 15 square metres and I used 6 litres clear, 2.5 litres black. During the 4 days since painting, the pond has remained dry (no rain or ingress of water from the "water table")
I filled it up today and left the filter pump running.
After about 3 hours, the level had dropped about 4 inches (which equates to around 240 litres). This means a leakage rate of 80 litres per hour.
The level continued to drop, but there is no sign of leakage around the pond walls and the soil/clay around the poil is firm and there is no leakage at all from the pump / filter box / filter box drain / hoses.
I did not want to risk 3000 litres draining out to find the level of have now fully drained the pond, sponged out all remaining water to leave dry walls and floor. There is no sign of any water ingress (as I would expect as I have lost a total of about 400 litres of water into the surrounding clay soil).
CLose inspection of the G4 reveals no holes, blisters or other obvious damage.
Considering the amound of water loss (over 1 litre a minute), Either there should be a few visible cracks or holes, or water is leeching everywhere.
I suppose I can add another couple of coats of G4, but the instructions on the can say DO NOT leave more than 4 hours between coats.
Can I paint more G4 on top?
Any ideas? Comments??
Posted on Aug 7, 2005, 10:58 PM from IP address 80.46.150.231
I did consider havign the pond fibre glassed as it is obviously the best choice, but reading in the Koi magazines, many people have sucessfully used G4 or similar paints. The pond is relatively small and of course, I am trying to do this bit of land scaping on a budget ( typically think of how much it will cost, double it and add a bit more!!).
I rang around for a few glass fibre quotes, all around £25 a square metre, but a small pond like mine would be around £450 for approx 15 square metres (probably not worth the firbreglassers' time quoting less than £400 for a days work).
The G4 works out to be around £100. (£35 a coat)
Using a pond liner would have been difficult as the pond is not a simple shape, and even a box welded liner would have been messy.
Posted on Aug 7, 2005, 11:51 PM from IP address 80.46.150.231
The pond is approx 220cm long x 130cm wide x 140cm deep. That would result in 4000 litres, but the pond is not square but more "boat shape", plus I have built in safety steps (to get out) plus a ledge for a water feature/fountain. I reckon on around 3200 litres, but without getting the slide rule out or filling via a meter, I cannot be more accurate at this time.
I used 2 layers of render, the second containing "wizard" fibre. This was followed by 3 coats of G4. I do admit that the surface quality of the render was by no means "professional standard".
I have today sanded the existing G4 in order to "key" it for repainting. I have inspected but found no cracks or splits. There were a few fibres proud, so the sanding down has eradicted these. (I wonder if the fibres made the whole surface porous, causing numerous leaks rather than one or two holes)
I have added another 2 coats of G4 today and must now wait until the weekend before washing and filling again.
Posted on Aug 10, 2005, 5:52 PM from IP address 80.46.187.5
"There were a few fibres proud, so the sanding down has eradicted these. (I wonder if the fibres made the whole surface porous, causing numerous leaks rather than one or two holes)"
Hi Steve,
You have answered your own question here. Any fibres should have been sanded or burnt off prior to painting with G4. They act like a wick and water will indeed seep out as you have described. However, you seem to be on the right track now. Good luck.
Rick
Posted on Aug 11, 2005, 2:12 PM from IP address 193.60.159.61
my pond has been running about 6 weeks i have started getting green algae on the sides and bottom the colour of the water is getting green also. Can i vac the walls to get rid of the algae .my uv been running since i started the pond i am running 10000 litres an hour through my uv is this to fast for my pro clear 55 watt uv any advice would be helpful alfie
Posted on Aug 8, 2005, 11:17 PM from IP address 82.36.135.220
Alfie,
TMC reccomend a max flow rate for the pro-Clear UV55 of 18000LPH.
Green algae on the walls & bottom is quite normal and if your UV is rated for your pond size then in time it should help clear the green water.
However, your pond is very, very young and your filter may take quite a while to mature depending upon your set up, fish-loading etc etc. Make sure you are testing the water for ammonia, nitrite, pH etc & carrying out small dechlorinated water changes as required.
I expect it will all come good in time even if you have to wait quite a few months. Look at it as a long term plan, perhaps for summer 2006.
Posted on Aug 9, 2005, 9:37 AM from IP address 135.196.99.93
thanks for the advice Paul checking ph 7.3 ammonia 0.05mg nitrate 0.1mg all seems ok. I will just have to wait for the filter to mature. thanks again for the advice Alfie.
PS how big is your pond and Which filter set up have you got.
Posted on Aug 10, 2005, 11:56 AM from IP address 82.36.135.220
Alfie, I have a "puddle" of a pond with a home made filter which is 6 years old now & overstocked as most probably are. I have a 15W UV & loads of air going into the filter & pond via a Secoh SLL-40 air pump.
I test regularly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, kH & TDS just out of interest.
Don't foget, the fish are happy in green water, it's only us that don't like it as we can't see them !
Posted on Aug 11, 2005, 9:13 AM from IP address 135.196.99.93
We're in the process of constructing a koi pond...approx 3500 gallons, blockwork, 5'0" deep, fibreglass finish.Could someone advise me what diameter pipework would be best for the returns from the filter to the pond please? I was thinking 11/2" or 2". Also, would it be advisable to use high pressure pipe for the returns? (I've been told poly pipe will be ok for this but am prepared to use high pressure pipe if necessary). We've used 100mm high pressure pipework fom the bottom turbo drain to the filter. The water will be returned to the pond via a Nexus 200 Eazy (gravity fed), then pumped through a 24" diameter sand filter and UV filter. It might be of use to know that the filters will be sited in a greenhouse which is 30ft away from the pond, so it's quite a long run of pipework. Just one other thing...does anyone know if floating skimmers are effective. I'm not keen on installing a skimmer in the side wall as I've been told by a number of people that their fish have been damaged after being caught in the skimmer.
Thanks, Clive
Posted on Aug 8, 2005, 3:03 PM from IP address 213.105.224.14
What will drive tehe return flow, gravity or a pump?
What is the expected flowrate?
If gravity what head is available to drive the flow, ie how far will the water 'drop' from the surface of whatever holds the water to the surface of the pond?
Posted on Aug 9, 2005, 10:15 AM from IP address 81.79.133.130
Thanks for your reply Sea. The water will be returned to the pond via a pump. Haven't decided on the actual pump as yet, but have in mind a Badu Top 6-1/4hp (2200gph). The reason I'm uncertain about high pressure pipework is that I'm on a fairly tight budget and feel that if I get all the basics right I can always upgrade or add other things later as funds allow.
Posted on Aug 9, 2005, 11:18 AM from IP address 213.105.224.14
Sea is me without the n, whoops.
Since the return is pumped the size isnt so critical, the overall flow rate will just be reduced if the plumbing is constrictive. That said if these will be handling all your return you would be better using as a big size as is possible, I would rule out 1.5".
Have a look at http://www.mdminc.com/Friction_Loss_Chart.htm and divide the flowrates there by 1.2, they are US gallons, that chart will give you an idea of the losses of the various sizes of pipe but will not be exact, it's for US pipe.
I just used std plumbing and sewage pipe by Brett Martin but I have no high pressure applications, check with tha pipe makers to see what their pipes will hold.
Posted on Aug 9, 2005, 2:02 PM from IP address 84.68.168.54
have you considered the poleeurythanbe foam. if you are in a hurry, this might work out well for you and is diy according to GRP. seen a few done with it and looks easy
Posted on Aug 3, 2005, 8:38 PM from IP address 82.3.32.72
Hi , Ive just done my pond with this method, and I am very pleased with it, if you are considering it I will be happy to send you some Photos via email and recommend a fibreglasser , I lined the pond myself and had it fibreglassed,
Posted on Aug 3, 2005, 10:55 PM from IP address 80.5.160.6
Ah! I had dealings with this company when looking for a fibreglasser.
After my initial enquiry I had a telephone call at 9:00pm on General Election night and we were out voting. I responded to their subsequent message by email, giving details of our pond build and asking for a quote. That was the last I heard from them!
They seem to have a decent following in the North. Maybe the distance to Bristol put them off but a reply would have been good manners, even if they didn't want the business.
Adrian
Posted on Aug 5, 2005, 4:53 PM from IP address 82.32.152.125
Sorry not to have responded to your email but I think I showed willing to ring you at 9pm and leave a message.
Your email must have been lost amongst the great many enquiries and it would not have been a question of you being too far away or us not wanting the work.
Apologies again and thanks for your input. Hope you got sorted out. Email me and I'll try finding your original message to see what went wrong so I can improve our service.
Matt, GRP.
Posted on Aug 5, 2005, 5:21 PM from IP address 82.3.32.72
Maybe they was busy until 9pm, ever thought of that!!!!!!
Maybe he was glassing a pond down the road from you, evey thought off that!!!!!!
Shouldnt' jump the gun because you didn't get a call straight away, think yourself lucky that you did get a call. I'm stiull waiting for a call from a supplier after 3 months, but they are busy - so i wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
No pleasing some people
Posted on Aug 5, 2005, 10:28 PM from IP address 217.161.105.5
plus i live in Swindon and Matt visited from BRISTOL to view the pond weeks before he arrived. Didn't ask for that but he "was in the area" even if it's 30 miles the wrong way!!!!!!!
Posted on Aug 5, 2005, 10:31 PM from IP address 217.161.105.5
Plastic water containers for filter building - Where?
by
Hi,
This is my 1st post on here. I'm Dan and I'm 16. Im from the UK and I am a bit of a mad ponder.
Im in the planning stage of a new pond. Im afraid I cant stick koi as it isnt big enough but could really do with your help. I need to find a plastic container to use as part of my filtration system. It needs to be about half the height of a wheelie bin but as wide and be able to fit tank connectors to without splitting or cracking easily.
I cannot seem to find any on the net and was wondering if any of you on here know where I could get one from/ anyone selling one.
Thanks,
Daniel
Posted on Aug 9, 2005, 5:54 PM from IP address 80.41.40.255
B&Q ware house has a number of central heating water tanks whick may be suitable.
I am in the process of setting up a pond (3200 litres) nad am very limited on space so I have bought an all in one filter box from a local Koi dealer. How good it is, I do not know, but only one way to find out !!
The unit is a flowclear 10000 made by sperfish of the Netherlands (www.superfish.nl - but this unit is currently not listed on their site). COst is around £150. Try ebay for a photo
The unit is quite small (about 55 36 45 cm high). Water is pump in at a max rate of 4000 litres per hour, initially past a 11w UV lamp. after this, there are 3 sets of Matala mats (various grades). and a final "zeolite" rock section which is claimed to reduce nitrates etc.
The box claims to be able to manage a 10,000 litre pond (or 5000 litres if used for Koi). SInce my pond is 3200 litres, I hope that is will be able to manage a few koi plus shubunkins etc.
Posted on Aug 10, 2005, 6:10 PM from IP address 80.46.187.5
I have a client who has obtained 2No 230000BTU stainless steel heat exchangers for his "pond" (more like a swimming pool actually) but says he only needs a boiler having 100,000 BTUs capacity to heat his pond. Some information on this site suggests heaters be related to pool capacity when, in fact, the heat requirement of any uncovered pool is a factor of surface area and hence its evaporation and conduction heat losses (as has been the case with swimming pools) The rate of eveporation is governed by a number of factors, not the least of which are the velocity, temperature and humidity of ambient air passing over the pond. Since the pool is required to maintain 50deg F year round and we experience temperatures in our vicinity of -10deg C in the winter I have calculated a heat requirement of approximately 220000BTUs for a pool having a pool area of 400square feet.
Has anyone out there got relevant experience that could verify or challenge my calculation.
Posted on Aug 10, 2005, 5:26 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
Eric is there a way that recently replied to queries can be pushed to the top, so that we can see at an instance what queries are still be discussed. I have seen this done on some other chat forums and I have found it helpful.
Shazz
Posted on Aug 9, 2005, 4:40 PM from IP address 80.176.91.232
Would it be worth thinking about an upgrade. As this is such a successful site and you have so many topics coming through. Now that Coronation Street has a story line on Koi, you may now be doubling your hits!!!!
Posted on Aug 10, 2005, 11:08 AM from IP address 80.176.91.232
hi i am buliding a 12 foot by 8foot and 4 foot deep .i have a 3500 gallon votex chamber with japanese matting .a uv filter will this be enough .or should i use more thanks.
Posted on Aug 8, 2005, 7:51 PM from IP address 212.159.111.131
Do you mean a primary vortex and seperate vortex with japanese matting? If this is the case then it would probably be adviseable to add anther vortex or chamber to increase the biological filtration. Or just keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite levels to see if the filter is able to handle the load for the first few months. If you do increse filtration possibly use flocor or even better use K1. And think about adding air to the jap matting and if you use K1 you will need to add air to this aswell. If you only have a vortex with jap matting then your filtration will definately need increasing or just splitting the jap matting into a sperate chamber with plenty of air. A UV is a must and for a pond your size 30W should be ample.
Posted on Aug 8, 2005, 9:22 PM from IP address 82.38.196.144
Is the Crocosmia flower poisonous to Koi. I have a small pond with some young Koi and this morning one of them was floating on the top. The only new condition I can see is Crocosmia flowers which are at the pond edge and have flowered recently and some flowers have fallen into the water
Posted on Aug 8, 2005, 10:52 AM from IP address 82.37.90.30
in a koi magazine it has a suggested running cost (utillity bill) for a 2000 gls unheated koi pond of £600-£700 a year, but in a previous edition it had the running cost to £157 for a 2500 gls pond. Which of these figure represents the truer cost?
As i am planning to build a 2000/2500 gls unheated pond this needs to be taken into account, i realise electricity is not free, but £600-£700 seems excessive.
Thx Allan
Posted on Aug 6, 2005, 11:11 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
The cost of gunite seems to be prohibitive (for me). I'm considering Block wall. What is the down side of block wall? Can it be just as resistant to cracking as gunnite? Is it just a matter of time before the foundation and wall separate on a block wall?
Posted on Aug 5, 2005, 8:34 PM from IP address 170.109.248.2
Gunite is very popular in places like the USA or South Africa, but in the UK we have very few private swimming pools and so gunite is not used.
I know of ponds that have been in use for over 15 years using concrete block construction and never known the foundation and wall to seperate.
It is normal to backfill the first couple of rows with concrete to strengthen it. If you are worried about it you can put vertical reinforcing rods in the concrete base,and use hollow concrete blocks for the first one or two rows. Both these methods are shown in http://www.koicymru.co.uk/const2a.htm
If properly rendered using glass fibres (Fibromix) in the top coat it should not crack as long as you have a good concrete base for the pond.
Posted on Aug 7, 2005, 6:49 AM from IP address 86.128.124.147
Hi, as Eric says, gunite is used a lot in the USA for koi ponds. The guys I know that have used this method in the USA have no problems with it. Here in the UK we have companies that can apply gunite but if you compare the price with the traditional block and render method there is no competition, block and render is the cheapest, and as Eric says, if done properly block and render won't let you down.
As you are probably aware, gunite is sprayed on and so it has it's uses in many situations and the one that springs to mind is train tunnels.
Check out the pond construction pages on this web site and you won't go wrong.
GARRY HB
Posted on Aug 7, 2005, 8:12 PM from IP address 195.93.21.38
