Building an ecosystem pond on a budget

This is a short video talking about how to build a fairly simple ecosystem styled pond without spending a lot of money. More information at ozponds.com
In the video I talked about some other helpful videos, here they are:
Bog in a barrel- • Cheap pond filter| Bog...
High flow filter- • DIY Waterfall pond fil...
Designing a bog filter- • Designing a bog filter...
DIY Skimmer- • DIY pond skimmer
Building an intake bay- • DIY Dream pond build u...
Pond plants in and around a pond- • Plant ideas for in and...
In the video I mentioned bioballs this is what they are- amzn.to/3VmAJ2M (Amazon link) These will provide surface area for beneficial bacteria. These are only used in a high flow filter. In a bog filter the rock and pebble provide the surface area for the bacteria.
I also mentioned good quality liner. In my opinion the best liner is EPDM rubber. It's UV stabilised, Stretchy, easy to work with and can easily be repaired if a puncture occurs. amzn.to/3PWFoas (Amazon link).
And here is a link to non woven geo textile underlayment- amzn.to/3WLCJCD (Amazon link)

[@MattFoleysGhost]

Yassss. The sketch is key! Watched dozens of vids and that’s what’s been missing. Now I get it!

[@Ozponds]

Glad it was helpful 👍

[@susanmyer1]

I’m back to watch all your videos again. Probably just dreaming but it’s a great dream.

[@Ozponds]

Maybe try one of the little container ponds.

[@braunsch4901]

I've definitely rewatched many videos to keep the ideas fresh, Atlantic aqua gardens does good work but this guy does what an average guy can afford to do himself and makes it look damn good

[@chrislewis3322]

Glad i found you.. I have built a pond 4 by 2 m with the aquascape stuff but want a larger one now and just the kit is 27k! Also thought there was a different way of doing it so looks like i will be going through your videos! Cheers From Geelong Aus

[@markfranklin8831]

Sweet. I really want to build a pond one day. Thanks for sharing 💗✌️👍💯

[@LL-fb8wz]

Perfect!

[@davidmccrory5604]

Very helpful very enjoyable

[@Ozponds]

I’m so glad 😀

[@sweetchariotengland]

Ive just done a fast flow filter with a UV bulb and foam what flows into a gravel tray aquaponic system. It's effectively a bog filter for edible plants.

[@Ozponds]

Perfect 👍

[@tomhowieson4009]

hey Kev, any recommendations on underwater vegetation? I have all the marginals in but want to have some green habitat underwater as well. I believe my climate (Canberra) would be similar to yours.

[@Ozponds]

I don’t mind eel grass.

[@DrJoeJoeHands]

Thank you

[@Ozponds]

👍

[@jerrychetty2524]

Hi Kev my question is not related to this particular video but I want to know if I should switch off the pond pump when I feed the fish as I also have 2 bog filters at either end of the pond with overflow of water from the top as you suggested (this gives me considerable oxygenation, while the up flow from the bottom of the bog manifold is slow purposely according to your suggestion. My water is crystal clear 2 weeks in now, clear as municipality tap water. Do I need stop agitation of the water while I feed the fish and how many times should I feed daily? Approximately 4000 litres pond with 7 small koi and 4 comets small. I am feeding twice a day about a palm full of pellets

[@Ozponds]

There’s no harm in stopping the water flow while you feed the fish. In regards to how much to feed that’s impossible for me to answer. The general rule is no more than they can consume in 2 minutes. In my ponds I almost never feed them there’s plenty to eat inside the pond.

[@estebantimmermann2727]

Thank you! After some months I finally did my first bug filter!

[@Ozponds]

Well done 👍

[@calmdymon]

This pond is absolutely beautiful, I want to recreate it, exactly like this ! Lots of people telling me to don't build the pond in full sun , what advice would you give me?

[@Ozponds]

Don’t listen to other people. Live your life 😉 You can see I’ve got multiple ponds in full sun. I think I talk about it in next weeks video.

[@fishwith7097]

How much for that pond but a 2ft deeper

[@daprip456]

Hi, great video. I am building a big filter in a large bin, can I put building hardcore in it, obviously pre washed?

[@Ozponds]

I have no idea what hardcore is.

[@DavisTyler000]

Beautiful eco system pond! Question about maintenance- I see some Aquascape owners doing a yearly deep clean. Complaining that anaerobic muck collects under the rocks so they drain all the water and powerwash the rocks before replacing everything. Do you have to do this on your pond?

[@Ozponds]

I don’t do deep cleans anymore.

[@ultimatefishkeeping]

Hi Kev. How are you, Sir? Please may I say that is why I prefer D.I.Y. Filters because for a fraction of the price, you can make them better than pre fabricated Filters. I have to be honest, I really do like Eco System Ponds, yet I would have to say that I prefer building a Filter System as I prefer high flow. I appreciate you sharing, and therefore, I have granted your video the #48th #Like to say thankyou very much. Take care, Sir. 👍🙂👍❤️

[@Ozponds]

Thanks mate. Enjoy your weekend.

[@ultimatefishkeeping]

@Ozponds It is my pleasure, Sir. Thankyou very much, and likewise. 👍🙂👍❤️

[@georgeobrientheroninrealto2693]

Hi Kev, Love your videos! I have a 2 month old 700 gallon pond with a skimmer and bio filter. The pond is filled with rocks, gravel and aquatic plants that I purchased. There are 5 small koi in the pond. I also keep it shaded from direct sunlight. The Bio filter is filled with bio balls. My pond quickly turned green so I used a chemical based algae killer that did not bod well for my fish so I drained the pond and started over...used beneficial bacteria and the water turned green again. My question is, how long do I have to wait for the eco system to kick in and clear the water? Also, is there something I missed in what I am doing? Thank you in advance!

[@Ozponds]

It can take months for the pond to balance out. Does the bio filter and skimmer have sponges? If so try a flocculent it will help clump the single celled algae together and allow the sponges to capture it. It’s also safe for your fish.

[@georgeobrientheroninrealto2693]

@@Ozponds Thank you!

[@coleyboy1921]

You can float a tray of rooted fast-growing tree cuttings on the water too. They'll help drain the extra nutrients while the other plants get established. Fewer nutrients in the solution will mean fewer algae and the more plants drawing nutrients from the water the better, this is how you'll reach a sustainable balance.

[@supremepeace.]

Hi Oz. Hope you're ok. I just completed my filter today, thanks to your videos, is working really well, but I wonder how long it takes for that yellowish water to become transparent? It's a small pond 4 × 3 Meters. Thank you very much.

[@Ozponds]

Every pond is different. There’s no set time. Depends on fish loads, filter size, how bad it was to begin with, etc.

[@supremepeace.]

@@Ozponds ok. Thank you.

[@scox7748]

I love it. Here's a comment for your algorithm.

[@Ozponds]

Cheers mate. The algorithm does love a comment, a thumbs up and plenty of watch time. Appreciate the support 🍻

[@PhoenixEagle2012]

Is that a 200L plastic barrel for the bog filter? So the volume of your pond is ~ 2000L? I'm struggling to figuring out how to put such a large bog filter in my area for a pond ~ 4000L. Is there anyway to get away with a smaller bog filter and add fresh water mussels and extra plants to help with filtration/nitrogen?

[@Ozponds]

There’s heaps of ways to filter water. I find I get consistent results every time if I use a properly sized bog filter. I still like to experiment. Just the results are mixed. I have a few videos showing larger bogs using pond liner and a cleanout port, rather than a flush valve, they might be useful to you.

[@user-lp8nf8yz7l]

Hi, I'm building a pond with a bog filter, and a mechanical high flow filter for a waterfall. Would you suggest 1 pump split 2 ways or 2 seperate pumps? Cheers

[@Ozponds]

2 separate pumps is much easier.

[@belindaadams3109]

I'm struggling to find big pond liners. How do you join liners so they don't leak.

[@Ozponds]

Epdm rubber can be seamed together.

[@qwerty-vv4yp]

Hello, you sau its ok to use normal foam, not black foam? Is it ok for the Fish? Its a pain and extensive for me to use black foam...and its my first pond. Love you work btw!

[@Ozponds]

I’ve used it quite a few times now. No issues with the fish.

[@qwerty-vv4yp]

@@Ozponds thank you!

[@mytvbs4865]

Is there no way to accomplish this without a liner? I have a spring-fed, natural bottom pond, but it's very mushy bottom. I was hoping to be able to dig it out a bit, then amend the soil with large sand/gravel to make it more solid. Critters like mud-puppies, ducks and such depend on the ability to dig through the bottom, but I would dearly like to clear up the water.

[@Ozponds]

Occasionally the water is clear in my mud bottomed pond. Never consistently. Liner ponds are all clear, all year. Sorry.

[@mytvbs4865]

😢 Thanks…

[@jimjamjo1]

How does the pond hold up with heavy rainfall?

[@Ozponds]

Fine. It was built in 2019. Had plenty of downpours in the past 5 years.

[@rumyanakoprinkova3295]

Do you plant vetiver grass, in yor pond?

[@Ozponds]

No. Can’t say I have.

[@rumyanakoprinkova3295]

@@Ozponds It will be very beneficial, for your pond and garden as well.

[@kylekahant6028]

Hows the big pond doing?

[@Ozponds]

Really good. I think I’ll do a video on it this week.

[@cazsantics525]

Hi can you do this with ducks ?

[@Ozponds]

Yes, bog should be oversized and I like the idea of also having a high flow filter that is cleaned more often, especially if the pond was smallish like this pond.

[@gilberto518]

2 years ago, I built a small (125 gallon) pond. I'm upgrading to a 600-gallon any advice?

[@Ozponds]

Depends on the type of pond you want. If you like ponds like mine, I’d suggest you watch my vids 😉

[@PazLeBon]

why dont we use big skimmers like we use indoors? :)

[@Ozponds]

Some koi keepers do. It’s not something that can easily be buried in the landscape in an ecosystem pond. I’m thinking of creating one for my pond close to the verandah. I feel like I could blend it in near a post or something.

[@PazLeBon]

@@Ozponds vool, i realise i mean protein skimmers not surface skimmers :)

[@Ozponds]

@@PazLeBon of course. Almost all my ponds have surface skimmers.

[@mohamedmuhsin7775]

Liner gsm?

[@Ozponds]

For the geotextile. It’s a guide to the thickness/ strength of the fabric (grams per square meter).

[@Raphael.P.]

I really love your videos, but it seems like you repeat yourself in your videos. What I personally would like to see is some updates on your projects and your established ponds. Mby with some underwater footage. Happy new year and lots of love from Austria (Europe 😂)

[@Ozponds]

Yeah sorry Ralph, there’s only so much to talk about. The vast majority of the views come from people who discover the channel for the first time, so I just keep rehashing the same stuff. This weekends video will be just an update on the dream pond. There will be underwater footage 👍. Happy new year 🥳

[@daprip456]

Hi, household bricks

[@Ozponds]

I can’t see why not

[@Lee-re1by]

🐟🐠🐸🍻

[@Ozponds]

😃🤘🐸🐟🍻

[@fishwith7097]

And twice the size

[@Ozponds]

I’m not sure depends where you live and price of materials.

[@fishwith7097]

@@Ozponds okay cheers

[@Bloodnut4life]

Could you swim in the pond? Well maybe now swim but can you sit in it waist deep and feed the fish ahahaha

[@Ozponds]

We do. But we have a bigger one that we go on more than this one.

[@carolinesmith1064]

Here’s a terrible sketch 😂

[@Ozponds]

I’m thinking of outsourcing the sketches to my kids.

[@carolinesmith1064]

@@Ozponds maybe the kids could colour them in as well. 🤣

[@Ozponds]

😂😂 let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

[@curse6of6me6]

I'm currently nearly finished building my latest pond eith intake bay and wetland filter into falls using a 9x4metre epdm liner . I was thinking yeah I'll get it done cheap I reckon. Still think it's been about a 3 or 4k job

[@Ozponds]

And how much would it cost if you didn’t do it yourself?

[@curse6of6me6]

@Ozponds judging by aquascapes pricing it would be probly a 20k thing lol. But save major money using jeboa pumps which I did and made a pump vault out of a storm water pit. Ect. But the price does add up rather fast.

[@MrCites1]

I’m nearly finished at 36x20m pond with two wetlands, 400 tonne of granite, 40 tonne of huge dead trees, 200 tonne of river rock, 120 tonne of white sand. Waterscapes built it, but I sourced all the material, and bought the wetland kits off them, as they wouldn’t install anything else. The aquablox I got from Atlantis, which are the same thing. My pond is 2m deep up to 1.2 deep with a negative edge. I have 4 pumps called Flow friend pro which put out 120,000 litres @700 watts each. I had to import them from Europe. I wouldn’t say it was all cheap, but I agree there are ways to source products cheaper, especially the EPDM.

[@curse6of6me6]

@MrCites1 whoah. That would be be ousting 100 plus k Yeah? I wana see this

[@MrCites1]

@@curse6of6me6 I had a few teething problems with construction, but it has been resolved.

[@horsey123]

Hi, I'm building a pond with a bog filter, and a mechanical high flow filter for a waterfall. Would you suggest 1 pump split 2 ways or 2 seperate pumps? Cheers

[@curse6of6me6]

How big is it? Width? Length? Depth? Use your big filter to create your waterfall

[@Ozponds]

Two seperate is easier. Will cost a bit extra though.

[@horsey123]

@@curse6of6me6 bog filter is slow flow so not enough for waterfall

[@curse6of6me6]

@horsey123 yes a bog Is slow flow. But of course you can still have a waterfall