Alright then! You are Basically the Best pond builder/ Video making people EVER! Man do you really get down to the details! If only i had a $10,000 Stashed away, if only... Oh well but for the moment my pond will do. PATIENTLY WAITING. Expecting something great, wait i don't have too, cause i know it will be informative and great! Hope to see all the following videos. Thanks, Arteom
I have a decent sized pond in my back yard, but as my koi have grown, spawned lots of new fish and well, my tendency to pick up new koi when I come across one that is gorgeous, I am planning on expanding my pond, using a lot of what I have learned from your videos. While I am not able to spend a ton of money, I do plan on doing in as right as I can. A friend's grandpa has several hundred acres of wooded land sitting idle and I am going to ask to go rock hunting.
You could write books and have some very interesting photos and down to earth info. I am a sucker for it. They keep me very happy and the seasons are always a challenge and all is timeconsuming on top of it there must be time to have a drink with all that water flowing next to you. Good job you do. I admire it every time!
We use a wide variety of aquatic plants. The kind we recommend is frequently determined by the pond, the owner and the environment around the pond depending on the amount of sun. We are based in Southern California so we have a huge selection of plants available to us. Some of my favorites include, Japanese Acorus, Taro, Taro and Taro, Black Stem Taro, Black Magic Taro, Elephant Ear Taro, Macro Sword, Golden Creeping jenny, and forget me not just to name a few.
I am so exited to build my first one. We bought a house on the hill. The previous owners left an old pond system that is completely overgrown and needs a spruce-up. The water comes from a spring from higher up the hill and we suspect that they have utilized the ponds as catch pits for all the water that comes down. I might use the hill-side situation to create a stepping pond system. My hubby is a plumber and he will be able to help with all the drainage and filtration systems. Can't wait to start. Thank you for all your videos and greetings from New Zealand. Rita
Glad to hear the tips you are picking up from our videos! We're just trying to share the knowledge! Pass us around and share our videos with all your pond buddies!
We do have at least one video in our library that is completed ponds. More to come in the future. Our main focus is to teach pond design construction and tips and tricks along the way. The Pond Digger
thanks for sharing all your knowledge when i built my first pond it was a garden center pond was a fail lol. When i saw your videos i rebuilt it right with bottom drain jets and better filtration. Now my nieborghs want me to help them lol. thanks again
Yes we used liner in this pond. It was 45 mil EPDM rubber. We then stacked the verticals with granite rock and used mortar to secure everything because the pond walls are three to four foot deep.
Thanks for the compliment. The rock work in this pond was important because of the depth of the pond. The video in this pond is 4 feet deep and the walls are almost vertical. We needed the rock and mortar work to provide support to the walls. How deep do you plan on going? If you excavate the pond walls a little differently you can go without the stone in the pond.
Yes your bottom drains will be powered by a water pump. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this but ultimately the drain is ran by the suction from a pump. We are planning a bottom drain presentation in the near future. The Pond Digger
@Hajakram The expanding foam is fish friendly. When we use mortar, we rinse everything in acid to pull the lime out of the cement. Smaller ponds we would fill with water and pour 1 gallon of vinegar per 500 gallons. Let is run for a day and then drain and rinse. Larger ponds we spray with acid from a spray bottle, let sit for a few minutes and then rinse. Repeat two or three times. Rinse thoroughly and you're good to go.
The Pond Digger Rocks is our Motto on our next T Shirt. My daughter inspired the idea! Glad you agree! Yes we have rubber liner (45mil) behind all of the rock work you see in this Koi Pond Design video. There are thousands of ponds installed across American without bottom drains. Your pond will have pros and cons but I have no doubt it will be amazing and a major focal point in your life. If you're in the contiguous United States I will gladly send you out some free samples! The Pond Digger
We do have plans to shoot a video presentation to help everyone understand bottom drains for koi ponds. I can't give you any time line we have established for this video but know we are in the planning stage for it. We are currently editing 4 new videos as I type this reply. Stay tuned but PATIENT. We are aiming for quality videos before quantity. Thanks for your passion. The Pond Digger
The landscape should look amazing next spring. We will be sure to get some glamor video footage of this koi pond when the time is right. The Pond Digger
In some states we have fencing requirements. Each state has their own codes. Some States the code is 18" and others have no code at all. There seems to be a gray area between a backyard pond, irrigation ponds, and large ponds at parks.
@HospitalWaste The bottom of the pond is left as blank liner. The brown color is from our mortar work in the pond walls. The is pond is 4' deep at the bottom. The bottom of a pond starts to disappear visually after 36". Your focus becomes the fish and not the bottom of the pond. Once a fine layer of algae and biofilm coats the liner it is visually inconsequential.
One ton of 12" granite rocks will typically cover a 12" step for approximately 20' long. So depending on how many shelves you have and how tall they are will determine the quantity of rock you will need. Keep in mind if you are using 18" or 24" rocks your run will be shorter. Hope that helps.
The Pond Digger ROCKS ! Great pond and video ! Did you still put liner in behind the Rock walls ? I am building a pond next year and I don't plan on having a bottom drain , I hope that is OK. I also like free Pond Digger stuff ! LOL..
@ThePondDigger First off that is an absolutely beautiful pond. My question is looking at the design aspect did you put down the pond liner first , then mortar the rocks in the pond liner? And why did you not do the pond out of concrete? Just curious because im from Canada and if we did that: winter/ feeze thaw cycle would destroy the pond in two winters max. Honest questions and some curiosity.
Hello Erick Hope i have your name right but first and foremost i really want to say how much i enjoy watching your videos. I am in the middle of remodeling my koi pond and i have always wanted to have rock walls but was afraid to use the mortar to keep them in place for the simple fact that the risk of alkali and phosphorescence will poison my pond and put my koi at risk. If i am not mistakend i think you mentioned something about an acid rinse?
out of the the ponds I've seen on youtube this one is the one i like the most, when i build my pond it will be like this one with some of( Aquascape - The Unique Outdoor Living Space of Designer Brian Helfrich.m4v ) integrated into it. it a shame we moved to Green Bay WI. but hopefully the snow will give us a uniqe looking pond.
Okay Flattery will get you everywhere. Send me your mailing address via a message and I'll send you out some Free Pond Digger stuff! Thanks again for the great feedback. The Pond Digger
Though i dont know exactly what that means can you please discuss in more depth on how to do this? I will be using the EPDM rubber liner because i prefer it that way. I am so excited on the current project for my koi pond because i will have an excellent filtration system and if i can use the mortar instead of dry building with my rocks that will be even better! Your time is much appreciated! Best Regards, Leif
Excellent tutorial. I have a few questions i wwant to ask you. what kind of bottom drain are you using? do i need to run a drain line and a airline for this type of bottom drain? where does the backflush line go to? Thanks
Awesome! But one thing, can you do a video on everything to know about bottom drains, like how to install it to the liner, how to add the plumbing, how to install the filters how to attach it to the pump. I just don't get how the bottom drain filters work, i mean how does the pump intake exactly the same amount of the water flowing in? Please help me, i want to install one but i just don't know all there is to know. Oh and i want to have gravel in the pond is it possible to have both in one?
@tGFiLTeRFresH Thanks for the compliment. The cost of building the pond out of concrete is approximately triple here in California. In Southern California here we have extremely mild winters and do not have to worry about the freeze thaw heave that the colder climates experience.
Hi pond digger! (i love your videos!) I was wondering your opinion. Should i put sand, pea gravel, or nothing on the bottom of my koi pond? I plan on putting rocks on the edges, and so far i plan on putting nothing on the bottom but i just wanted your opinion.
i am think of 2.5 feet in the waterfall end and stepping it down to aroung 4 feet. the ground is frozen solid up here in canada right now. so i am just trying to design something right now...getting rid of the preformed pond that i have now and going bigger
I live in the great white north , Canada so I guess I'm out of luck for the free t-shirt. I plan on having half of my pond 2'deep and the other half 5' deep. I will have an aerator running so the top doesn't freeze right over. Do you think I need to go that deep for the Koi ? Also , koi should be able to live through tough Canadian winters if the water doesn't freeze right over , eh?
We have plans of the correct installation process of bottom drains in the near future. If you visit our website we do have a page called Understanding Bottom Drains that may help you wrap your arms around the bottom drain. theponddigger(DOT)com
Awesome videos!!!!! Im trying to price out my pond build and if you could guess about how may tons of rock did you use on the walls? thank you just a guess
I decided to "jump into" a pond of my own and I am getting a real education here. Thanks for all the good information. One question I have , what do you recommend for overflow after a major rainfall? I have a 20' diameter x 3' deep hole dug and one rainfall filled that more than half with no runoff from the surrounding yard !
Well, i am no expert like ThePondDigger but why not get a quality pool heater, i got one in my pond! You can still feed your fish in winter and take a swim with them too! They grow really really fast too! You should get one!
Well, shipping out of American can get a bit spendy. I'll gladly ship you free some water treatment and fish food samples if you pay for the shipping to the Great White North. 5' deep is a great depth for a koi pond but not absolutely necessary. If your winters are harsh like that of Michigan and Minnesota, I can tell you there are many ponds that do fine and there are many that are not fine over winter. It's a detailed topic and subjective to many variables. The Pond Digger
Do you have video of construction of the rock walls? I just had one side of my pond collapse about half way down. Looking at this pond I think would solve my problem. Its basically just a hole in the ground because I couldn't build shelves. I had to dig into the side of a hill.
what is the name of the mortar you used to cement them together? Quickcrete? is there anything specail to mix with it to keep the alkalynity from comming out, or other chemicals, How long before fish can be put in?
Think it over. Care on going overboard. It is addictive once you start, leave time to recover from heavy work. The end result should not be years away! Good luck with it. Think on others in your hobby. I am in Australia and am happy just with goldfish and a waterfall und rocks from my own place but other rocks always look so much better!
Really nice! I am reviewing all of your posted videos...getting a lot of inspiration. My first/current pond is very nice, but your videos show how to do things properly...thanks! I'll be ordering some bacteria from you. One thing bugs me though...I am curious about safety. The pond in this video is quite deep, located at the front of the house ...with no fence around it, near a walkway, and it seems there are no "stairs" out- should someone fall in. Seems dangerous.
The jets that are through the mortar and rock, did you fasten the liner to them and then, did you have to put extensions on them afterwards? I can't figure out how you don't lose water if it's not fastened to the liner?
Alright then! You are Basically the Best pond builder/ Video making people EVER! Man do you really get down to the details! If only i had a $10,000 Stashed away, if only... Oh well but for the moment my pond will do.
PATIENTLY WAITING. Expecting something great, wait i don't have too, cause i know it will be informative and great! Hope to see all the following videos.
Thanks, Arteom
I have a decent sized pond in my back yard, but as my koi have grown, spawned lots of new fish and well, my tendency to pick up new koi when I come across one that is gorgeous, I am planning on expanding my pond, using a lot of what I have learned from your videos.
While I am not able to spend a ton of money, I do plan on doing in as right as I can. A friend's grandpa has several hundred acres of wooded land sitting idle and I am going to ask to go rock hunting.
You could write books and have some very interesting photos and down to earth info. I am a sucker for it. They keep me very happy and the seasons are always a challenge and all is timeconsuming on top of it there must be time to have a drink with all that water flowing next to you. Good job you do. I admire it every time!
Rock On, that's what we like to hear!
The Pond Digger
Thanks for the feedback. Great to know our viewers are happy with our videos.
The Pond Digger
I love your channel. Yall are professional and I feel it truly is about customer satisfaction. Impeccable quality
Thanks for the great feedback! Brian is a great pond builder! I've spent a little time in the trenches with him slinging dirt and rock!
We use a wide variety of aquatic plants. The kind we recommend is frequently determined by the pond, the owner and the environment around the pond depending on the amount of sun. We are based in Southern California so we have a huge selection of plants available to us.
Some of my favorites include, Japanese Acorus, Taro, Taro and Taro, Black Stem Taro, Black Magic Taro, Elephant Ear Taro, Macro Sword, Golden Creeping jenny, and forget me not just to name a few.
I wish we had the same informative and professional information here in Canada. Well done. Thanks for the info.
I am so exited to build my first one. We bought a house on the hill. The previous owners left an old pond system that is completely overgrown and needs a spruce-up. The water comes from a spring from higher up the hill and we suspect that they have utilized the ponds as catch pits for all the water that comes down. I might use the hill-side situation to create a stepping pond system. My hubby is a plumber and he will be able to help with all the drainage and filtration systems. Can't wait to start. Thank you for all your videos and greetings from New Zealand. Rita
Glad to hear the tips you are picking up from our videos! We're just trying to share the knowledge! Pass us around and share our videos with all your pond buddies!
We do have at least one video in our library that is completed ponds. More to come in the future. Our main focus is to teach pond design construction and tips and tricks along the way.
The Pond Digger
thanks for sharing all your knowledge when i built my first pond it was a garden center pond was a fail lol. When i saw your videos i rebuilt it right with bottom drain jets and better filtration. Now my nieborghs want me to help them lol. thanks again
+Jlaudiomustangs10 Now you're ready to start a Pond Building Company! Sweet! let me know if there is anything we can do to help you!
We really need to get back to this pond for a glamor video. Thanks for the feedback
Wonderful videos! I not once got bored.. in fact I was disappointed when they ended. :[
Excellent knowledge right here. Loved the way you get the water circulation to facilitate the skimmer and bottom drain. Nice work.
Yes we used liner in this pond. It was 45 mil EPDM rubber. We then stacked the verticals with granite rock and used mortar to secure everything because the pond walls are three to four foot deep.
We are planning to have our fifteen-year old pond redesigned. I got your Three Fundamentals. Thanks.
Thanks for the compliment. The rock work in this pond was important because of the depth of the pond. The video in this pond is 4 feet deep and the walls are almost vertical. We needed the rock and mortar work to provide support to the walls. How deep do you plan on going? If you excavate the pond walls a little differently you can go without the stone in the pond.
As long as we continue to educate and inspire we will continue to shoot video! Thanks for the feedback on our Koi Pond Design video.
The Pond Digger
Hey Katie, Thats a good question. The walls are nearly vertical. They are slightly leaned back.
Yes your bottom drains will be powered by a water pump. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this but ultimately the drain is ran by the suction from a pump. We are planning a bottom drain presentation in the near future.
The Pond Digger
@Hajakram The expanding foam is fish friendly. When we use mortar, we rinse everything in acid to pull the lime out of the cement. Smaller ponds we would fill with water and pour 1 gallon of vinegar per 500 gallons. Let is run for a day and then drain and rinse. Larger ponds we spray with acid from a spray bottle, let sit for a few minutes and then rinse. Repeat two or three times. Rinse thoroughly and you're good to go.
The Pond Digger Rocks is our Motto on our next T Shirt. My daughter inspired the idea! Glad you agree! Yes we have rubber liner (45mil) behind all of the rock work you see in this Koi Pond Design video. There are thousands of ponds installed across American without bottom drains. Your pond will have pros and cons but I have no doubt it will be amazing and a major focal point in your life. If you're in the contiguous United States I will gladly send you out some free samples!
The Pond Digger
@cutixiu We used the KoiToilet bottom drain. The backflush line goes to his hillside and waters his trees.
Yeah that's great advice. We use that technique frequently.
We do have plans to shoot a video presentation to help everyone understand bottom drains for koi ponds. I can't give you any time line we have established for this video but know we are in the planning stage for it.
We are currently editing 4 new videos as I type this reply. Stay tuned but PATIENT. We are aiming for quality videos before quantity. Thanks for your passion.
The Pond Digger
The landscape should look amazing next spring. We will be sure to get some glamor video footage of this koi pond when the time is right.
The Pond Digger
In some states we have fencing requirements. Each state has their own codes. Some States the code is 18" and others have no code at all. There seems to be a gray area between a backyard pond, irrigation ponds, and large ponds at parks.
We used fittings similar to that of a bulkhead that you might be familiar with to punch our current jets through the pond liner.
The Pond Digger
@HospitalWaste The bottom of the pond is left as blank liner. The brown color is from our mortar work in the pond walls. The is pond is 4' deep at the bottom. The bottom of a pond starts to disappear visually after 36". Your focus becomes the fish and not the bottom of the pond. Once a fine layer of algae and biofilm coats the liner it is visually inconsequential.
@lucienRed Thanks for the feedback. Ya Brian's pond is super amazing. You can still have an amazing pond with hard winters so go for it!
I agree you need to support the excavation. Have you considered dry stack retaining wall block available at most hardware stores?
@Roninlord25a The construction of the pond was approximately 35 to 40 thousand for this pond.
I love to see the ponds when there finished :D
Yes we acid washed the mortar and rinsed the pond thoroughly before adding koi to the pond.
Thanks!
Thank you for the feedback, McCormack!
One ton of 12" granite rocks will typically cover a 12" step for approximately 20' long. So depending on how many shelves you have and how tall they are will determine the quantity of rock you will need. Keep in mind if you are using 18" or 24" rocks your run will be shorter. Hope that helps.
@Arteolike There is a seam in this pond under the bridge. Three pieces of liner total including the piece of liner for the waterfall.
Big Ponds RULE! Hope we can help when your ground thaws out! Shoot your questions at us, we'd love to be involved in your pond upgrade.
The Pond Digger ROCKS !
Great pond and video !
Did you still put liner in behind the Rock walls ? I am building a pond next year and I don't plan on having a bottom drain , I hope that is OK.
I also like free Pond Digger stuff ! LOL..
@ThePondDigger First off that is an absolutely beautiful pond. My question is looking at the design aspect did you put down the pond liner first , then mortar the rocks in the pond liner? And why did you not do the pond out of concrete? Just curious because im from Canada and if we did that: winter/ feeze thaw cycle would destroy the pond in two winters max. Honest questions and some curiosity.
Hello Erick
Hope i have your name right but first and foremost i really want to say how much i enjoy watching your videos. I am in the middle of remodeling my koi pond and i have always wanted to have rock walls but was afraid to use the mortar to keep them in place for the simple fact that the risk of alkali and phosphorescence will poison my pond and put my koi at risk. If i am not mistakend i think you mentioned something about an acid rinse?
out of the the ponds I've seen on youtube this one is the one i like the most, when i build my pond it will be like this one with some of( Aquascape - The Unique Outdoor Living Space of Designer Brian Helfrich.m4v ) integrated into it. it a shame we moved to Green Bay WI. but hopefully the snow will give us a uniqe looking pond.
Your videos are AWESOME!!!
@AznxXxDreamz I would recommend a 3' minimum depth for a dedicated koi pond.
Great videos. Please keep making them!!
Awesome work once again. Keep it up.
Okay Flattery will get you everywhere. Send me your mailing address via a message and I'll send you out some Free Pond Digger stuff!
Thanks again for the great feedback.
The Pond Digger
wow awesome pond
Though i dont know exactly what that means can you please discuss in more depth on how to do this? I will be using the EPDM rubber liner because i prefer it that way. I am so excited on the current project for my koi pond because i will have an excellent filtration system and if i can use the mortar instead of dry building with my rocks that will be even better! Your time is much appreciated!
Best Regards,
Leif
Excellent tutorial. I have a few questions i wwant to ask you. what kind of bottom drain are you using? do i need to run a drain line and a airline for this type of bottom drain? where does the backflush line go to? Thanks
Awesome! But one thing, can you do a video on everything to know about bottom drains, like how to install it to the liner, how to add the plumbing, how to install the filters how to attach it to the pump. I just don't get how the bottom drain filters work, i mean how does the pump intake exactly the same amount of the water flowing in? Please help me, i want to install one but i just don't know all there is to know. Oh and i want to have gravel in the pond is it possible to have both in one?
thanks for this video!.
When I built my pond, I didn't think of the separate planter area so the koi can't destroy the plants.
@tGFiLTeRFresH Thanks for the compliment. The cost of building the pond out of concrete is approximately triple here in California. In Southern California here we have extremely mild winters and do not have to worry about the freeze thaw heave that the colder climates experience.
You teaching me alot :D ima make my new pond next year :D
Beautiful work. How much does a pond like this cost to build nowadays?
Hi pond digger! (i love your videos!) I was wondering your opinion. Should i put sand, pea gravel, or nothing on the bottom of my koi pond? I plan on putting rocks on the edges, and so far i plan on putting nothing on the bottom but i just wanted your opinion.
Thank you!
Not sure of the song name. We got it from an editing program.
Your the man, love your vids
INCREDIBLE thank you !!
THANK YOU!!
very nice, but only about 7 seconds of finished pond with water, will search for more . . .
@Lodoss3800 I would agree!
i am think of 2.5 feet in the waterfall end and stepping it down to aroung 4 feet. the ground is frozen solid up here in canada right now. so i am just trying to design something right now...getting rid of the preformed pond that i have now and going bigger
I live in the great white north , Canada so I guess I'm out of luck for the free t-shirt. I plan on having half of my pond 2'deep and the other half 5' deep. I will have an aerator running so the top doesn't freeze right over. Do you think I need to go that deep for the Koi ? Also , koi should be able to live through tough Canadian winters if the water doesn't freeze right over , eh?
I got another question, is the liner for this pond a continuous piece, or a few glued pieces?
@oliviabodycomb I can appreciate a heated pond! There are so many cool fish that you can raise in a heated pond! Send us a video!
We have plans of the correct installation process of bottom drains in the near future. If you visit our website we do have a page called Understanding Bottom Drains that may help you wrap your arms around the bottom drain. theponddigger(DOT)com
Awesome videos!!!!! Im trying to price out my pond build and if you could guess about how may tons of rock did you use on the walls? thank you just a guess
beautiful pond AND DESIGN. what was the cost of that?
@ThePondDigger If you make your own mortar with sand and cement, can you NOT add lime and not use any acid? Will it be safe?
I decided to "jump into" a pond of my own and I am getting a real education here. Thanks for all the good information.
One question I have , what do you recommend for overflow after a major rainfall? I have a 20' diameter x 3' deep hole dug and
one rainfall filled that more than half with no runoff from the surrounding yard !
Well, i am no expert like ThePondDigger but why not get a quality pool heater, i got one in my pond! You can still feed your fish in winter and take a swim with them too! They grow really really fast too! You should get one!
One more thing... how does the pipe to the jets go through the liner with a water tight seal.
ooooo.....i most to work very hard...thanks
Well, shipping out of American can get a bit spendy. I'll gladly ship you free some water treatment and fish food samples if you pay for the shipping to the Great White North.
5' deep is a great depth for a koi pond but not absolutely necessary. If your winters are harsh like that of Michigan and Minnesota, I can tell you there are many ponds that do fine and there are many that are not fine over winter. It's a detailed topic and subjective to many variables.
The Pond Digger
WOW
The pond is beautiful! Awesome job! I want a koi fish pond in my back yard one day. What is minimum height required for a koi pond?
@TehKoiBoi There is absolutely a chance of injury during spawning. Koi can be very brutal to each other during a mating frenzy.........
How much does the construction of the pond?.....is amazing
A good hobby
Do you have video of construction of the rock walls? I just had one side of my pond collapse about half way down. Looking at this pond I think would solve my problem. Its basically just a hole in the ground because I couldn't build shelves. I had to dig into the side of a hill.
what is the name of the mortar you used to cement them together? Quickcrete? is there anything specail to mix with it to keep the alkalynity from comming out, or other chemicals, How long before fish can be put in?
Think it over. Care on going overboard. It is addictive once you start, leave time to recover from heavy work. The end result should not be years away! Good luck with it. Think on others in your hobby. I am in Australia and am happy just with goldfish and a waterfall und rocks from my own place but other rocks always look so much better!
is there a specific type of mortar that you guys used? also is mortar safe to use for fish, and will it crack if it freezes? please respond....
I don't know the song.... It's part of our editing program....
hey, love your videos and i am a fan of pond too. just wish to find out the safe list of the rock to put in the pond?
Really nice! I am reviewing all of your posted videos...getting a lot of inspiration. My first/current pond is very nice, but your videos show how to do things properly...thanks! I'll be ordering some bacteria from you.
One thing bugs me though...I am curious about safety. The pond in this video is quite deep, located at the front of the house ...with no fence around it, near a walkway, and it seems there are no "stairs" out- should someone fall in. Seems dangerous.
@kennycody135 YES.
@DAMIRFIELDS THANKS!
I have just put stones inside my pond, and it's gone all cloudy. Will this clean itself with the filter or will i have to empty and refill.
Did you not wash the stones off first?????
Will dirt not wash into the pond with heavy rain. How would you deal with this.
Can you please explain more about this bottom drain system. I m quite not familiar with the working mechanism of it.
Hello sir, do you have an update of this pond?
@ThePondDigger May you please do a liner seaming video? There are no good video's on You-Tube.
how much did it all cost at the end
The jets that are through the mortar and rock, did you fasten the liner to them and then, did you have to put extensions on them afterwards? I can't figure out how you don't lose water if it's not fastened to the liner?