Hot tub pond in progress

What's that on the other side of the yard? I see you framed the tub in with dirt.

 

The other half of the yard is full of two flower beds a rock wall a black walnut tree an a birch. Then there is my four raised garden beds and a good sized patch of lawn Not bad for being smack dab in the middle of town.

The tub had to be framed with dirt to add an extra bit of an insulation layer, because somehow the hole didn't end up deep enough. If I had just left it framed with say stone or wood I can almost guarentee that it would freeze come winter.

 

Here's a small update. I'm on the process of adding slate around the top so that it looks a little more natural, but it is rather slow going.
I did receive a new pump in the mail the other day so that will help a LOT with keeping the water clearer. There's a big difference between a 200gph pump and a 700gph mag-drive in a 500 gal piond. ^_^
I'm only having one issue right now and that is with the filter. I have a per-filter with sponge on the intake but for biological filtration I've always used a sand/gravel bed with plenty of bog plants. With the larger pump I wanted to use a larger/heavier base in the filter of lava rock but I can't seem to find any locally. Everyone is out of stock for the season.
Can anyone advise me to an alternative? I was thinking maybe some terracotta shards but that might not be as effective. I'm trying to find material that with involve the least amount of maintenance possible.

What about somewhere that carried supplies for grills using lava rock - I assume you have checked Lowes/Home improvement stores?

 

Have you tried landscape companys? Or garden stores?

 

I literally checked every store in a 20 mile radius of me. Not one had or could get anymore lava rock this season.
I came up with an alternative though that will hopefully workout all right. I picked up a pool noodle, cut it up into 1" rings and currently have it soaking in some dechlorinator. I'll throw a piece of screen over it and top with the sand/gravel mix. I'll use that for the biomedia instead this season if it dosen't work out I'll switch it next year.

 

Well first off this is what the pool noodle looks like when used as media.



And then complete with sand/gravel. I'll need to rinse some more sand and gather a good number of more plants to get it running properly again.





And here it is in motion. . . mostly.

I hit one rather large snag while plumping in my new pump and getting the water fall operational. It seems either during shipping or while I was monkeying with the fittings, the seal on the pump started leaking. Bummer. . . It seems to be working alright and I didn't feel like tearing the pump apart to fix it. So instead of having the pump in-line outside the pond it sits now inside. It was running fine before I made the switch. the waterfall worked it pumped the expected amount of gph. and so on. . .
After the switch however. No pressure? ????? The pump was drawing water but nothing was coming out the other end of the line. I thought perhaps a goldie or a stick was simply blocking the flow. No such luck. .

My drain hose, through which I was pumping the water, somewhere underneath 3 feet of soil the hose or a fitting sprung a leak. 100gals pumped into the surrounding dirt bed. Joy......

I've rigged it at the moment as you can see with the hose coming over the side to the filter, and that will function for the time being. The intake for the drain is plugged up so no more water is being lost. The next free day I have is going to be spent digging out one whole side of the pond hopefully with no issues to fix the leak or re-plumb the piece. It looks to be another all day project.

On a positive not my goldies seem to enjoy swimming around me and nibbling at my fingers. Cute little buggers that they be.

 

I can only suggest adding lava rock that is well rinsed for the bb. But if you have the funds and space add a fluidized bed, but why do that? Just asking[h=3] [/h]

 

When I can get my hands on some lava rock I will most likely switch out the pool noodle.
Funds have always been an issue for this project so cheap and dirty is the way of the game. What works works and what dosen't will be tinkered with until it does.

 

Both the sponge and lava rock do a great job. They have been used for years and I still use a sponge filter in all my tanks since the evidence will suggest they work better if you give them proper maintenance and cleaning even though others may disagree Just my HO though, show me the facts!

 

A broken terra cotta pot works well. What's the sand do in the filter?

 

It traps fine particles, helps create a biobed and acts as a media for the plants to root in. I've used coco fiber before for the same purpose but they tend to disintigrate to quickly. With the way I have it set up now there's a basket that all the media sits in I'll be able the pull the whole thing free do a quick swish rinse and keep on going.

 

A broken terra cotta pot works well. What's the sand do in the filter?

Who came up with this one ? You need surface area for bb and a terra doesn't fit that bill. Guess it depends if you have 1 fish or over 100. Just saying

 

Terra cotta is an excellent cheap everyday media. It is very porus and works great. It's essentially the same principal as ceramic rings or bioglass balls. I would have used them as media instead if there were any in stock locally that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg

 

terra may look nice, but for not for bb

 

The idea is cool! Wish I would have seen this before we sold our old broken down hot tub!

 

I agree with tetra cotta being a media capable of growing beneficial bacteria due to its porous nature, but also think this medias life span would be shorter and less efficient than other media on the market.

Shea Loner, I'll try to find the video of why not to use lava rock as media in a pond an acquaintance who sells koi and maintains pond posted. It works well, just very difficult to clean and eventually, organic matter builds up where anaerobic bacteria begin to form and eventually take over out competing your beneficial aerobic bacteria.

 

Thanks Rivieraneo, that would be appreciated. I actually like the foam noodle. It will be very easy to replaces when/if need be and it makes the filter significantly ighter to handle.

 

Neat filter idea. I'm working on 3 filters right now for different pond setups, I want to do one similar to yours for the small container pond in the front, and for the ponds in the back I am going to go with 30 gallon drums most likely, skippy style filter with rocks and sand media.

 

Who came up with this one ? You need surface area for bb and a terra doesn't fit that bill. Guess it depends if you have 1 fish or over 100. Just saying

Sure it does, broken in pieces. I've used in filters myself.

 

Thanks Rivieraneo, that would be appreciated. I actually like the foam noodle. It will be very easy to replaces when/if need be and it makes the filter significantly ighter to handle.

lol - I use those noodles cut into O's as filler/drain material in the bottom of large potted plants. I've also used those foam packing peanuts☺

 

To clarify or not to clarify?

So I may have knocked a fair bit of clay into the pond while adding the slate. . . Joy. The pond is now a muddy cloudy mess.
It's been a few days now and the clay is not settleing nor is the filter fine enough to remove said particulates.
Does anyone have a recomendation? I may try a 50-100 micron pad but it would take some time to acquire. Or I can pick up a flocculant from the store.
I have heard that some flocculants do not work properly in hard water, while my water may not be liquid rock it is pretty close. Should I try some reguardless?

 

Shea Loner, I'll try to find the video of why not to use lava rock as media in a pond an acquaintance who sells koi and maintains pond posted. It works well, just very difficult to clean and eventually, organic matter builds up where anaerobic bacteria begin to form and eventually take over out competing your beneficial aerobic bacteria.

Ok, for the life of me, I can't find out how to link a video from facebook. Sorry.

 

So I may have knocked a fair bit of clay into the pond while adding the slate. . . Joy. The pond is now a muddy cloudy mess.
It's been a few days now and the clay is not settleing nor is the filter fine enough to remove said particulates.
Does anyone have a recomendation? I may try a 50-100 micron pad but it would take some time to acquire. Or I can pick up a flocculant from the store.
I have heard that some flocculants do not work properly in hard water, while my water may not be liquid rock it is pretty close. Should I try some reguardless?

Line a large fishing net (like for fish not in an aquarium) with cheese cloth. You could probably fold the ends over the frame of the net & safety pin it - that way you could rinse it out & use it again & again. A wire net on the end of a pole (for crabbing) may be easier come to think of it. Same thing with the cheese cloth.

 

If it was actual clay chunks I'ld do just that. This was the fine fine clay from the slate itself and my surrounding soil. I've actually taken a scoop of said soil and mixed it up in a jar before to determine its composition. The water never completely settled. It stayed cloudy for 2 weeks undisturbed.

I'm really thinking my only options are the micron filer pad or a bottle of Accu-clear or other such product. Has anyone used one before?

 

Ive used seachem clarity without any problem.

 

I'm very curious how it goes with your pond! Any updates?

 

It's going well. Or as well as can be with a layer of ice over it at the moment. I'll post a few pics of my sudden freeze over, waterfall included, tomorrow.

I ended up using a 50 micron sock and some Microbe lift to clear up all the particles and algae in the water. It was a nice clear tea stained color for the rest of the summer.

I had a few issues arise when the leaves started to fall. My waterfall ended up plugged and the whole basin was level instead of tilted towards the pond, so over a 2-3 day period It drained almost completely by running over the backside.

I did end up with a surprise a few weeks ago though. While pulling the hyacinths out I discovered a large berried Cherry shrimp! She must have come in with the plants. She managed to survive in near freezing water with a dozen hungry goldfish!



Oh would anyone happen to know if you can overwinter water hyacinths? I'd like to avoid having to buy them year after year if possible.

 

Sorry I can't help you with the water hyacinths.

Wow that Shrimp, if she was carrying eggs, there must be male too, right?

Good to hear things are going well but oh boy, that waterfall that almost drained your tub sounds scary.
I hope the rest of the winter goes well, all that ice on top would freak me out.

 

I can't exactly find out if it's an annual or perennial, but I read it doesn't do well in temperatures below 35oF. Most websites will talk more about it being invasive than the plants features. They're native to the Amazon and it drops to 50oF at night there, plus there is no such thing as winter there. I would take them inside, just to be safe. Nice find with the cherry shrimp though! Good luck!

 

Could you just get a tub (whatever size) and put it somewhere inside with some natural light? This way they won't die, plus you can save anything else as well, like the shrimp. Just an idea that hopefully someone can expand on

 

One frozen pond! I melted a hole through it today the ice was over 2" thick. :shock:
It did make for some very pretty pics though.



I have some old tent poles and a tarp I was going to cover the pond with, make a sorta greenhouse thing. But the weather turned so fast I didn't get the chance.
We are supposed to have 50+ degree weather here in the next few days. So I'm hoping that I can get the ice thawed enough to get my pump out and the tarp up.

Thanks for the idea with the Hyacinths. That's about what I had figured would be the case, having to hold them in the house all winter. I may set up a planted tank just for them next year. I"ve got enough extras floating around that it won't be a problem.

The shrimp is currently in a 2 gal jar on the table with the last few stragglers of my failed colony. I'll do a thorough check of the pond come spring and see if any others managed to survive, but I highly doubt it.

 

It was 70 drgrees out today. 70!! Suffice that while 2 days ago I could walk on the pond there is no longer any Ice covering it. I pulled out the last remaining chunks and finished the winterizing that did not get finished.



I am hoping that this will work as a minI greenhouse. I want to avoid a complete freezeover again if possible. It's made up of some old tent poles and some 3 mil plastic.

It looks kind of cozy.

 

Super, ever thought of an air stone to keep the ice open? Don't know if that works with severe frost though.

 

The pump was running during the freeze over. I ended up with a sort of tube? like structure that wasn"t open to the air. It was very strange.

I have a small 200gph pump in one corner about 6" deep blowing at the surface. Hopefully with the plastic it won't freeze solid again.

 

Hot tub pond: A new year

We survived the winter!
My makeshift canopy worked for the most part. It caved in halfway through but provided enough of a barrier that only the top 6 or so inches froze.

Only 2 fatalities and those were almost expected. I ended up with a pair of fan tails from a friend right before winter hit. I found one when the ice thawed and the other is MIA.

A ton of leaves found their way in, so clean up is going to suck once the weather warms enough to get in there.

One more casualty from winter were my slate border stones. I had a feeling they weren't going to last long but most of them crumbled at the slightest touch.




Not very happy with it.
Any Ideas on how to fix it? I'm almost thinking I'll have to go with a wood surround. Say a 1x6 flat across the top?

 

There are lots of stones you can use as a border. Slate is fragile sometimes haha. My boyfriend's pond has massive rounded river rocks as the border, and it looks great.

 

If you have a creative flair you can make your own rocks using concrete/cement/mortar. Build a mound using anything, dirt, tires and place a galvanized chicken wire over it. Make any shape/size you want. Color it with tints made for cement/concrete, seal it with hydro sealer or use water resistant cement.

Takes a little time, but in the end it is unique and you created it rather then just placing of a rock.

 

The problem with round stone is that they won't stay. And there is no kind of motar/adhesive that will stick to the fibreglass. I might put a board down first and build stone on top of it.

 

Waterfall spray foam will stick to fiberglass (this is not insulation spray foam but specially formulated for pond use). Roughen up the area, apply a little spray foam and place the item on it.

 

Do you see the degraded foam on the edge in the picture? That IS waterfall foam. It started to degrade in less then 3 months.