Jon_s's Summer project! Update 1

[jon_s]

When we moved house, we had a load of fish but no pond! So this summer I had to build a pond. It is nearly finished, just some finisheing touches e.t.c

Excuse the quality of the pics, but they were taken from a video camera, and I cannot work out how to get larger pics from it :? Anyway here we go:

The initial "where shall we put the pond"
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/280/Pond12.jpg
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/302/Pond11.jpg

After some digging and leveling, I had to make sure things were all straight and true:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/6002/POnd14.jpg

Then all the wood got treated:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/5532/Pond15.jpg

Things are taking shape:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/6606/Pond1.jpg

Old carpet was put down to make sure the liner did not get destroyed by sharp bits:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/7692/Pond2.jpg

Liner going down:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/9348/Pond3.jpg
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/7820/Pond4.jpg
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/5639/Pond5.jpg

Add some water:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/1539/Pond6.jpg

Have a speep:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/5742/Pond7.jpg

http://img36.exs.cx/img36/5147/Pond8.jpg

Wow, that was quick!
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/3559/Pond9.jpg

This is the container with all out poor fish in:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/5362/Pond10.jpg

First Fish in:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/8446/Pond13.jpg

Some more:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/7971/Pond14.jpg
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/7991/Pond16.jpg
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/8177/Pond17.jpg
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/1082/Pond18.jpg

This is it tonight, still needs the topping:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/4470/Pond19.jpg

The tops will be this wood, which is being treated and painted now:
http://img36.exs.cx/img36/9228/Pond.jpg

When it is 100% finished, I will steal a proper digi camera, as some of those pics are, quite frankly shit.

In spring the filters and pumps will arrive, along with some Koi.

[SilviaEvo]

the fish are like FREEDOM!!!!! hahaha i could never build something like that

[jon_s]

Hell yeah, the poor things. They are all happy now. Unfortunately we lost one of our large fish this winter :(

[gis]

nice work jon,you should take them round to coombsies when he finishes his pool,giv the fish a treat,LOL

anyway looks good,bet the fish are happy to have a nice home back :D

[jon_s]

Holy crap, I found the fish for my pond!

Have a gander at the first one on the list:
http://www.koikeeping.com/cwkfs25.htm

[666fast]

LOL, 18000GBP!

Nice job dude, I wish I could have a pond. I have a feeling the apartment managers would be angry if I dug a big hole in the yard.

[gis]

lol,ok maybe im readin it wrong,that doesnt say £18.000 for it does it? please tell em im readin it wrong and its either £180 or £18,lol

[Nik^XeN]

Nice job.. very nice :), GJ :P

[jon_s]

Nope, that is £18,000, eighteen thousand pounds. Put it another way, more than my car!

[coombsie66]

Great work mate!! Was i any inspiration for your summer project, or is it just coincidence that we have both been partaking in water feature based summer activities!?!!? :wink:
GIS: I dont think those fish would last long in the nice chlorinated pool water!! lol :wink: :P

[666fast]

who the fuck pays that for a fish to put in your garden pond....lol.....silly if you ask me..... :lol:

Ever heard of Asian Arrowanas? :lol:

[gis]

coombsie - ahh yeah true,ah well :lol:

and man so it was 18k for that fish,thats crazy,LOL id expect it to be a sharkf or that money,LOL

[jon_s]

By pure chance mate! I have had people nagging me about building a pond for about a year, so I finally got it done. We were quoted a staggering £4,000 to have it put in by a 'pro'. So I laughed and did it myself. The grand total is £980, so not a bad saving.

I think my fishes eyes would pop out in your 'pool' lol

[BADMIHAI]

Holy crap, I found the fish for my pond!

Have a gander at the first one on the list:
http://www.koikeeping.com/cwkfs25.htm


You could build a damn nice pool for that kind of money (olympic size if you do it yourself :wink: ).

The pond is really nice. But what are you going to do with the fish in the winter?

[jon_s]

They are getting fattened up for winter, little food but often. The pond is over 4ft deep, and they go down to the bottom as it is warmer down there. They become very inactive.

[gis]

im curious about that.doesnt it matter if it gets really cold and the water freezes on top?

[jon_s]

In our old pond (which was really well established..around 9years) the air bubbles kept a part of the pond free from ice. We have had over an inch of ice on the pond before now and not lost any fish. Unfortunately, our pond is really new, and has yet to establish its self -(i.e the water still has too much chlorine in it, not enough plants e.t.c)- so there is a possibility we may lose some thins year if it is particularly cold. We are doing everything we can to get things up and running. The winter is another reason why we are leaving the 'expensive' (NOT £18,000) fish untill spring.

Things to do for winter:

1) a net needs to go across the pond to prevent all the leaves going in. Lots of dead leaves in a pond upset the water balance.

2)Fish food needs to be high in carbs and low in protein. This fattens them uip for winter. The fish don't hibernate during winter, their metabolism falls with the water temperature. Therefore they need enough fat to feed on during winter.

3)Heron protection, as the plant have died away. fishing wire around six inches above the water, and criss crossed will help. We are going to put drainage pipes in the pond as there are so few plants for the fish to hide in at the moment.

4) Fish only need 18inches of water to live in during winter...so in theory, as long as there is a break in the ice, the pond can freeze all the way down!

[PaulGT2164]

hrmm i have no yard, ill just have to convert my bathtub to a fish pond...who needs persoanl hygene anyhows =) lol

one of my neighbors has a large yard pond surrounded by rocks, and its done really poorly so all there is in it is alot of mosquito larvae lol

yours looks much better

[jon_s]

Well, I feel a little deflated today. The Heron has visited our pond, and cleared out £400 worth of fish. What takes the piss, is the fact that it was done while we were out getting nets to protect the pond.

On a slightly brighter not, the finishing touches are coming on nicely. I will get pics when I get over the fact I have no fish in my pond.

[No.1]

Well, I feel a little deflated today. The Heron has visited our pond, and cleared out £400 worth of fish. What takes the piss, is the fact that it was done while we were out getting nets to protect the pond.

On a slightly brighter not, the finishing touches are coming on nicely. I will get pics when I get over the fact I have no fish in my pond.


That sucks :( Fucking bastard Heron... £400 is a lot of money. I hope they tasted good :wink:

I hope you can get some more nice fish, and tht the nets go up before they are released into the pond... you must be gutted.

On another note, the pond looks just splendid :D

BTW - will it require much cleaning/maintenance, or will it look after itself?

[jon_s]

Appart from filters, it should look after itself. Just have to keep the leaves out, that is it.

Not all is lost!!! I have one fish left! Still can't quite believe it. I have had these fish since they were tiny. They have survived 6-7 years in one pond, then managed to survive a move to our new house. They lived in a temporary tank for a year. Christ. What a lot of effort in making the pond for them just to be eaten.

[ZfrkS62]

i just converted the cost of your big koi into USD and DAMN :shock: I could buy a new car for that! what is so special about these fish that they are that much money?

on the other hand it would look pretty good in your pond...nice job on that btw :D

[jon_s]

Luckily the fish you talk of are not mine lol however I did lose around $717 USD for the fish I did own.


In terms of the expensive Koi, it all comes down a few factors. Mainly the breeder. Then the colour definition, how old/large the fish is. Some types of Koi are worth more than others: Combine the best breeder, with a fish that is 4/5 years old that has bright, well defined markings, then you are talking big money. Not quite sure why they get to nearly 20k though :?

[No.1]

i just converted the cost of your big koi into USD and DAMN :shock: I could buy a new car for that! what is so special about these fish that they are that much money?


LOL... i don't think Jon owns any of those 18k fish :wink:

Not all is lost!!! I have one fish left! Still can't quite believe it. I have had these fish since they were tiny. They have survived 6-7 years in one pond, then managed to survive a move to our new house. They lived in a temporary tank for a year. Christ. What a lot of effort in making the pond for them just to be eaten.

I suppose it's similar to losing a dog, or cat. It's a shame that after all of the care you gave them, all of the expense that you went to, that a single Heron ate them :(

Good luck with the final parts of the build, and i hope you get some real nice new fish :D

[jon_s]

Yeah, the fish will be replaced, but not untill Spring. It is the wrong time of year to introduce them to a new pond. Imagine replacing them all and then not making it through the winter!! I think I would cry lol.

It will be a few years before they grow to a nice size though. The new fish will have over 6 years of growth to catch up on.