Front Pond built in 2002

I originally bought this tank for a swimming pool but decided in the long run to make a pond out of it.

I buried it mostly in the ground and used the dirt from the hole to raise the outer level of the edges and for the waterfall. The waterfall is still in planning stages in the following pictures. I put small retaining wall blocks around it and have already moved them once after lowering them so the second tier would cover the blue edges of the tank. We are going to have the pump on the outside of this pond. We have 1" pvc pipe with holes drilled around it and a cap on the end is on the inside of the pond for the water to be sucked through at the bottom of the tank. There is then a hose on the outside to another sunken pipe where the gravity will fill it for the pump to take the water from there to the filter. This new filter is an upflow filter. The water will then go out of the filter and along the top of the brick wall that is around the trailer and to the water fall. I will hide the pipe along there after we get it working. I can look down and watch my fish from the bedroom window. We used to have our original horse trough under this window and I really missed it! This pond will have only assorted fantails and of course, mosquito fish.

This first picture is after I got it in the ground and where the dirt was placed for the waterfall

This photo shows the walls with rock and mortar filled with dirt.

The view from the right.

The view from the left.

This picture was taken from my bedroom window, now this is exactly why I put it there, I can see inside it very well. The waterfall drowns out any street/neighborhood noise around.

This is a close-up of the spitter with lilies close to it that are open. These lilies are Colorado.

2004 Pond Building

I wanted a larger and deeper pond; the old ponds were 600 gallons in ground with a stock tank holding 400 gallons above ground with a waterfall going down into the lower one. The way I had them wasn't convenient for mowing the lawn around it and all the leaves from the trees next door always blew in to the lower one. I have built a block wall two 8"x8"x16" blocks high and the deepest spot is 30" and it will take a 20' x 25' liner to fill it. Here are some photo's of the work in progress. I have done all the footers and block work myself. There is rebar in every block so whether my blockwork looks good or not it will hold water in the end. Steve did the plumbing for me. We put in a bottom drain and the pipe goes to the outside of the pond under the block and put a shut off valve at the end of the pipe. We have a pump out of the pond.

This photo is of blockwork all done, rebar is in every other block and the block sections with the rebar are filled with concrete. My blockwork isn't pretty, but I can say I did it all by myself.

This next picture is the inside where the hose was ready for the bottom drain to show up.

This pond took a 20' x 25' liner and it holds 2500 gallons, we used an old water meter to measure the gallonage. This still puts the water level about 1" from the top of the pond.

This picture is of the liner in and beginning to fill it up.

I let the liner sit for a couple of weeks to settle before I cut it off and glued it to the bricks with rubber silicone. I've put a layer of paver bricks all around the top of the pond to finish it off. The waterfall is almost finished as of 9/06.

I am so happy with the new pond, I love the way it looks now and like I told Steve, this is the last one, I've had several over the years that I've put in and taken out. This photo is before the edging and waterfall.

Sept. 2006- I've got the waterfall almost done. Right now the water is still split between the old filter and the pipe we have set over the side of the waterfall. We have the new filter but need to plumb it in and over the top of the fall. Here is the most current photo.

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© Webmaster: Robin Cramer 2006