Pond and all i will need for it?

I was really hoping to have this project well under way by now but due to work being a bit nuts and one or two other things I haven't had time to even think about it never mind build it,but with the credit union giving me the green light and changes in work from the week after next meaning i'll have 3 days off a week for the foreseeable future getting this up and running is close

Now I will be getting a 1000L preformed pond (I know this limits me regarding stock) and my thoughts all along has being building around it with some kind of rockwork but recently I have being thinking of wood,so any thoughts of types and pro's and con's of either would be great?

I'll also be picking up equipment in the coming weeks so any suggestions regarding pumps,uv clarifiers,skimmers,fountains etc. would be much appreciated.

A stock list hasn't really being thought about yet but any suggestions regarding that would also be appreciated,cheers

Ger

Hi Ger , preformed pools tend to be shallow which will limit what you can stock , it also makes it very easy for mr heron to get his breakfast , so you will need to net it . Herons are now becomming a real problem now , they are a protected bird and have breed rapidly in recent years . Asumming you go with goldfish and skibunkins you will need a desent size filter and uv and possibly some sort of fountaln to help airate the water

robert wrote: Hi Ger , preformed pools tend to be shallow which will limit what you can stock , it also makes it very easy for mr heron to get his breakfast , so you will need to net it . Herons are now becomming a real problem now , they are a protected bird and have breed rapidly in recent years . Asumming you go with goldfish and skibunkins you will need a desent size filter and uv and possibly some sort of fountaln to help airate the water

Cheers for the reply dude........the preformed pond I was looking at is just over 2 foot deep which in my head seemed like a great depth but now that you mentioned "Mr Heron" I have suddenly changed my mind on that.........I really don't want to go down the net route so is there a depth you "pond lads" would consider safe?.....please treat me like a 10 year old on this ok.

Ger

I am afraid to me . there is no safe depth to prevent a heron taking fish ,my current pont is 3 ft deep and i cover it ,the previous pond was 5ft deep and it was also covered . I have watched a heron sit on m

y neighbours roof for hours wafching my koi . They tend to be around at dawn and are very persistant hunters especially when sitting on a nest with young . I have seen them take fish from leixslip lakes and they are over 60ft deep

As for heron my dad lost a good few koi to one here in Galway 2 years ago, until he netted it. Well wired it lol, was all he had at the time.

But for years he had a fake heron beside the pond and that does deter them but he had long faded and our local heron got smart lol.

His pond is 3ft deep and didn't stop them.

I am building a 5ft deep pond for my partners dad and I'm still going to net it due to the fact he lives 2 minx from a lake so there are bound to be a couple of herons around ballinlough lol.

filter wise budget bigger than what your going to run. My dad's is rated for 20k but he is well stocked on a 8k litre pond. The other pond is 20k liters and am waiting for him to want to buy a better filter, might have one sorted with fish I'm getting him from a breakdown.

The thing that makes a heron deadly is not the keen eyesight, the sharp beak or the long legs. It's their patience.
Depth only mitigates losses, it doesn't eliminate them; and even then it only really mitigates them in larger bodies of water. My dad has a lake that's about 60 feet across and about waist deep in the middle. Over the years there have been frogs, sticklebacks, eels and bullheads in it, not to mention ducks and moorhens nesting there (the chicks count as heron food too). The only reason they didn't clear it out was because of the depth in the middle and the sheer volume of the lake. I think most domestic ponds, unprotected, are literally fish in barrels.

No respect

What about plants And fountains and just posistioning the pond next to a Bush or tree to give some cover ...and maybe deter would be predititors???

Would any of that help???

nomad wrote: No respect

I dunno why but I keep imagining him saying "Ye haven't seen me, roight?!"

If only it was that easy

Cheers for the replies lads.........I was looking at pond guards earlier on and I wonder would they work?....the ones i looked at were 14" in width (i think that's what they were) so that would leave me over two foot not covered.

I was also looking at a 3 in 1 All pond solutions pump earlier that was only 60 euro and got some great reviews,mainly people saying for the price it is it is top notch so i'm wondering what's people's thoughts on the All pond solution brand?.......i had a small pump made from them some years back that i only used for maybe 2-3 months but from what i remember i had no issues with it (was too small for what i eventually needed it for and had to get a bigger pump) so my 1 time brief usage of one of there products was positive,but have other people got other stories regarding there products?

Also can anybody point me in the right direction were i could go and look at different kinds of rockwork in the Dublin area (Northside preferable)?......this will be my first purchase after i get the preformed pond so i would really love to have my mind made up what i want to build around the pond within the next week or so,so any help much appreciated.

Ger

carlowchris wrote: What about plants And fountains and just posistioning the pond next to a Bush or tree to give some cover ...and maybe deter would be predititors???

Would any of that help???

Plants will defo be going in but were the pond will be going there will be no chance of a tree or a bush i'm afraid......cheers anyway and keep your thoughts coming ok

hi Ger I am a big fan of all pond solutions products and have dealt with them for many years ,I currently use their 3 box filter system with uv on my pond . they are always willing to give advise and delivery to Ireland only take 3 days

robert wrote: hi Ger I am a big fan of all pond solutions products and have dealt with them for many years ,I currently use their 3 box filter system with uv on my pond . they are always willing to give advise and delivery to Ireland only take 3 days

Good to hear Robert thanks........Everything I've read about them is good but it is just the price (60 euro) that was making me think that i'm missing something here!!......the old saying keeps popping into me head...."if it's too good to be true,it normally is" .....but in this case after all the reviews I've read it seems it is "true" so I might roll with it.

Still wondering were to look at rock work if anybody knows anywhere? cheers

Ger

For the hardscape around your pond you should definetly price up some stuff from Manor Stone. They are in Laois where I grew up off the M8 one the way down to Cork. They have a showroom in Dublin - Stone and Garden Depot, Broomhill Road, Tallaght

davet wrote: For the hardscape around your pond you should definetly price up some stuff from Manor Stone. They are in Laois where I grew up off the M8 one the way down to Cork. They have a showroom in Dublin - Stone and Garden Depot, Broomhill Road, Tallaght

Cheers Dave,i'll defo check them out

Ger

LemonJelly wrote:

nomad wrote: No respect

I dunno why but I keep imagining him saying "Ye haven't seen me, roight?!"

the canal is just across the road in front of the pic,too many undesirables hanging about at the canal so smart heron looking for a higher vantage point from a distance to spot his kill....

If you want to see heron a visit to dublin zoo when they feed the sealion , hundreds of them waiting for a stray fish ,and they say they are solidray feeders , dont think so

The place on airton road has some nice stone but not cheap