just looking at some ideas

[benji-star]

has anyone ever used the 90 gallon pond kit from walmart.

good idea or bad idea any advice will help

 

[AngelFishFan]

I would avoid pre-formed ponds, especially if you live in the northern states. They freeze, crack, and tend to bind after a few seasons. You would be better off doing a search on this site to find information on flexible liner and see how much better it is, especially since it is reasonably and competitively priced in comparison to the wal mart kits... You might spend a little more to buy flexible liner, BUT you will have it for 20-25 years if installed properly. Check it out. If you have more questions... keep posting.

 

[frog girl]

I would second the liner. It is really nice stuff & you don't even see it at all if its done right.

 

[benji-star]

ok we have decided we are going to build a pond

there are basic rules for fish keeping in a tank-do the same apply to having a pond
or is there a whole different set of rules
thanks

 

[zacdl]

Benji,
I bought it before I did this current pond. Didnt have any problems with it.


Your choice. IMO I dont see any advantages/disadvantages in either, although sometimes I wish I had the hard-shell again (Doesnt punture as easy, etc)

 

[boroughmal]

The difference between pond keeping & aquarium keeping is that the aquarist sometime omits part of the cycle of life whereas the pondkeeper gets the full circle.
Aquarists change water that is contaminated with high levels of ammonia etc whereas pondkeepers rarely change their water because they have the full cycle (see frog girl explanation on this page).
The same applies to reefkeepers as sea water is very hard to form the full circle of life in a tank.
Regards

 

[benji-star]

has anyone ever made a pond out of concrete

 

[boroughmal]

concrete ponds pros & cons

There are advantages to the concrete pond, the first being that a liner has folds that harbour bad bacteria . The second being that a concrete pond is permenant.
Build your pond of anything you like , but if it is concrete the base has to be strong & the topcoating has to seal against the lime in the concrete... G8 pondseal being the best.
Regards
www.fishkeepingsupplies.com
Aquarium and Fish Supply Tropical

 

[benji-star]

so i have decided to start with the cheap lined kit from lowes.
do i need to add some sort of additional filter. i do not want to add a canister to this set up due to the fact that there is no where that it could possibly go. so it would have to be under water.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

How big is the kit?

On my first pond all I had was a small box that went around the filter, with a sponge on top. It was pretty cheap and worked fine.

 

[benji-star]

it is a 190 gallon but from my under standing that is if you use every part of the liner to make it look good i am only using about two thirds of the liner i would say around 100 to 110

 

[piranha]

Benji-star--Don't know if your conditions permit, but there are external cannisters that can be buried up to the lid. I have a small 100 gallon pre-formed filter for 3 years-so far no problems. It is very thick-walled yet fexible enough to prevent cracking.I've been using an internal box filter and it is becoming a real nuisance cleaning it. Having live plants creates lots of debri that constantly clogs the filter.I've just ordered an external cannister for ease of cleaning. I can keep you posted on how well it works.

 

[zacdl]

Those cannister ones are pressurized and cost quite a bit more.

Those walmart 90 gallons are fine if you can stand the looks of a preform.