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The American Pond

Agree with martin it will just move it around and stay in there. Unless you put a bottom drain in the system. How I use my system for the skimmer to work at maximum. Is to have an air dome on my bottom drain and the circulates the water
With mid water returns. Pushing water to the outer of the pond so skimmer can suck it in

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The most successful ponds I have ever built have large planted gravel beds, some are 30 years old and still going strong without the gravel ever being completely dug out replaced.

My best advice would to to get as much open space and volume of water as possible but with 50% gravel bed, the easy way to do this in a restricted space would be to make the swimming area deep and shear sided.

However you must do as your heart desires, you may have more maintenance with your design but it’s your garden and your pond.
In the most basic terms the method I have found to be most successful it to draw water from the lowest point , remove the solids and pour it back over a planted gravel bed.
EA2EDBCE-AC82-4FEF-8AE9-CB5CEAED0071.jpeg
 
How will that work? skimmer takes stuff from the surface

Correct - Upflow

Agree with martin it will just move it around and stay in there. Unless you put a bottom drain in the system. How I use my system for the skimmer to work at maximum. Is to have an air dome on my bottom drain and the circulates the water
With mid water returns. Pushing water to the outer of the pond so skimmer can suck it in

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Fred - I agree a bottom drain is a more efficient idea however the original idea was to have this as an "ecosystem pond; which means gravel base.
Additional flow will help direct suspension up into the moving water column and towards the skimmer.
 
Correct - Upflow


Fred - I agree a bottom drain is a more efficient idea however the original idea was to have this as an "ecosystem pond; which means gravel base.
Additional flow will help direct suspension up into the moving water column and towards the skimmer.
I misunderstood about bottom of pond being gravel.
Apologies

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Kadoxu

The Aquascape team are visiting the UK next week running seminars and Ive booked onto one of them - anything you want to know?

Looking forward to it

Ian
Sorry, I didn't see this until today...
As you already know, I was aware of it! It was very nice to meet you there Ian!

Just a thought on this but have you considered running some flow along the bottom of the deep section to help move debris off the floor and towards the skimmer?
I have one of those Aquascape's Pond Powerheads to put on the bottom.



Thank you everyone for your advice and experience!
 
So, not much progress so far, but I have almost everything I need to build the pond.

20200323_164627.jpg
20200323_164650.jpg



I still need to get the rock and gravel, but at this point I'm not even sure how I'm gonna do it, because of the poor road access and lack of space to store it. I'll find a way...

One good thing about all of this stay at home in isolation thing is that I finally have some time during the weekends to do some yard work (I still work remotely during the week).

Phase 1 was to clear some space out because it looked like this:
20200108_163553.jpg


Phase 2 was to remove the tiles from the floor
20200323_165111.png


The next thing on my list is to remove the concrete planters and to find some bamboo rhizome protection, so I can start adding some bamboo around the garden.
 
So, not much progress so far, but I have almost everything I need to build the pond.

View attachment 132713 View attachment 132714


I still need to get the rock and gravel, but at this point I'm not even sure how I'm gonna do it, because of the poor road access and lack of space to store it. I'll find a way...

One good thing about all of this stay at home in isolation thing is that I finally have some time during the weekends to do some yard work (I still work remotely during the week).

Phase 1 was to clear some space out because it looked like this:
View attachment 132711

Phase 2 was to remove the tiles from the floor
View attachment 132712

The next thing on my list is to remove the concrete planters and to find some bamboo rhizome protection, so I can start adding some bamboo around the garden.
Nice one mate. Keep it up.
Looking good. And lots of photos. As you progress.
We all love photos
Fred

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Thats a nice courtyard space. Should sound great with gently running water echoing off the walls.

I can recommend fargesia rufa as a good clump forming bamboo that doesn't send out runners. It's not the most impressive but it's nice when the wind blows and doesnt dominate. I have black stem and the golden phyllostachys as well but they are in massive above ground pallet planters because they are so thuggish.
 
Nice one mate. Keep it up.
Looking good. And lots of photos. As you progress.
We all love photos
Fred
Thank you Fred, I will try to take as many pics as possible.

I can recommend fargesia rufa as a good clump forming bamboo that doesn't send out runners. It's not the most impressive but it's nice when the wind blows and doesnt dominate. I have black stem and the golden phyllostachys as well but they are in massive above ground pallet planters because they are so thuggish.
Fargesia rufa looks nice. I'm more inclined to one of the Fargesia nitida varieties (probably 'Winter Joy'), as it still looks nice and plump and will grow at least a few more inches high to give me a bit more privacy in the garden.
 
I still don't know how I'm going to deal with the rock and gravel issue... specially now that we have to stay home as much as possible, but have been keeping myself busy drawing some other projects for the garden.

So, this is my "mini raised pond" project.
goldfish pond.png


Initial frame
20200426_200741.jpg


With the giant tub inside and filling with water
20200426_203358.jpg


The "almost final" product
20200502_192431.jpg


20200502_192449.jpg


I ran out of wood, so couldn't finish the entire cover, and also need to hide the screws and stain the entire thing. I also want to add some plants in the corners and some kind of filter/waterfall/planter on top of this... it's going to be a never ending beautification process from here.

In the mean time, I already have some floating plants, a solar powered air pump connected to a sponge filter, and some White Cloud Mountain Minnows in there.

Now the next project on my list: Build a wooden pergola.
 
Would some cheap skimmers work as well? Im asking cause I was suggested to look for these, but now im not quite shure they are a good match
thx
 
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