‘The struggle!’ Pond re-line & re-design part #1: Initial clearance, excavation and lining.

Ed and Dave from crystal clear aquatics battle through the recent heatwave to bring an old pond a new lease of life! Adding to the usual difficulties is the necessity to carry everything through a house to gain access to the rear garden!

[@MohamedUAE]

Greeting from Dubai. This guy should have more than 5M subscribers. Keep it up man and good luck.

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks Mohamed! Happy to have you as one of them!! Cheers, Ed

[@tonivince589]

We have no access to our back garden. Thirty years ago, when we were a lot younger, we dug a 18 x 9 pond. All the earth was carried through our house. Looking back, I don’t know how we did it!

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

It’s amazing what you can achieve when you set your mind to it!! That would have been a lot of soil to shift through the house! Best, Ed

[@leonafayette9898]

i must say, dave is AWESOME!!! 👍👍👍👍

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

HI Leona, I agree- think I need to start a ‘Dave fan club’! I’ve passed on your sentiment! Thanks for watching and commenting! Best, Ed

[@pussinboots1145]

I never get bored watching these always find it fascinating and having built my own pond and stream a few years ago i know how much hard work it is. :)

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks for your kind words! Indeed it is hard work, but hugely rewarding! Best regards, Ed

[@artistic_spaz3724]

Love the shape you created for this pond. It's very organic

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks for your kind words! Best, Ed

[@asrajput76]

Dave is a serious worker... Great muscles... Physical and mental health

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

He certainly is! I’ll pass on the sentiment! Best, Ed

[@asrajput76]

I am trying to make my own pond in India... Being limited in resources and equipments... Makes me extremely nervous as I have taken a great task... Watching your videos not only inspires me but also makes me more confident... Though there are numerous issues... I will give it my best shot..

[@Siobhan-swanny]

Very strange

[@abkoi]

I knew I’d seen that garden before 😂 it was those reddish coloured stones that reminded me of that filter clean vid. Cracking garden and workmanship as always. Very much looking forward to your own garden pond being completed too as that looks stunning 👍🏼

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Ah cheers Alex and as ever very appreciative of you viewing! Best regards, Ed

[@liammcgirr1778]

Wonder how many companies would turn this down because of the access. Is there a job you wouldn’t do? Coming up to the north east of England to re design my pond? Your a good man Ed keep them coming!

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks Liam! Access did initially put me off doing the job, but as a regular client of mine how could I refuse?!😉 there must be a shortage of pond scapers in your neck of the woods- I seem to get loads of requests to travel up North!! Best, Ed

[@ranger178]

that is an interesting pond layout you have with the pond going around the seating area rather than the usual round pond with chairs around it I am thinking about putting a second pond in my backyard a bit bigger and deeper than my existing one since current one is a bit small for the fish.

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks for watching and commenting Ranger! Best, Ed

[@stumathers3192]

love the videos, waiting to see the finish to your pond, have found some ideas/inspiration for my pond rebuild. i like the fact you pot/plant only in gravel as every article i see says use compost i always just use gravel on my ponds and parents ponds. glad a pro pond builder backed up my thoughts.keep up the good work.

[@stumathers3192]

p.s my koi which i bought at 2 inch long have never bothered with the plants, might have snatched the odd lily leave,but no major problems.

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

HI there Stu, thanks for watching and for your comment and kind words! Im currently working on a big build-video to be released once I’ve completed in a month or so-and then I’ve promised myself I will take a week off to finish my pond!! Best, Ed

[@ct5625]

Lovely work. I have a very modest garden and I've been thinking about a water feature for a while (currently just have a pot with a fountain for a bird bath). You've inspired me to put in a very small gravel pool with a 2 foot stream. Can't wait to get started on it!

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Hi there, thanks for watching and commenting- its comments like these that really keep inspiring me to continue recording my work and keep the channel going. Im looking to create some sort of platform where people like yourself can share images and stories of their own creations- i’d love to see them! Watch this space… Best, Ed

[@keepingitkoi]

Looking good so far bud 👍

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks for your kind words! Best, Ed

[@randy8897]

tired of digging yet dave ?😆..as always great video,i can see why it was there but so glad you got rid of that horrendous cover

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks Randy! Yep, that Grid really detracted from the pond and couldn’t stay! Thanks for watching! Best, Ed

[@normanaspinwall1584]

Ed i am a new subscriber to your channel but l have been watching your videos for some time now since l saw your video on the Oase Filtral, My pump is the Oase Filtral 9000 [old style] with the click catches front and back, the UV is only 11 watt but it has been doing its best for the last 6 or 7 years to battle my green water,

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Hi Norman, thanks very much for subscribing, greatly appreciated! Best regards, Ed

[@terriers1991]

Great video and great job on the pond! But can I say that those lumps were not tumors on the tench it's perfectly normal its just something that male tench have.

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks for watching and for your comment Adam! Male tench and other cyprinids- once sexually mature- develop breeding tubercles-small white dots (often mistaken for white spot!) or occasionally larger blister like lumps, generally these are visible around the face, gills and the fleshy parts of their pectoral fins, although sometimes they can cover a fish entirely. These are, as you say, perfectly normal and just a sign that they’re are looking for a mate! This particular tench however had some large lumps that were obviously internal growths causing externally visible lumps. Best, Ed

[@paulshotan278]

I can't find pond fleece anywhere in the UK other than 2m wide . Where can I get larger sheets? I'm building a pond 11m x 8m. Thanks ... love the videos.

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Pond fleece tends to be sold in 1,2 and 4m widths, although almost always 2m widths is the most commonly found. Simply overlap the fleece in strips around the excavation. No need to use one single piece- in fact you’d find it harder to use as once piece and would probably end up cutting it into sections to aid fitting and reduce creases in any case! Hope this helps! Best, Ed

[@rajkhera205]

Great video mate, where do you buy your liner from please?

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Thanks! I purchase almost all of my pond liner from a company called Gordon Low in the Uk. Best, Ed

[@stuartmason3264]

Great videos Ed, would the amount of mortar used to secure the stone work have an affect on the water pH and is there options to maintain at a lower level if so.

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Hi there- yes indeed the building materials used in this construction, inc the rock and gravel will all alter the water chemistry initially- buffering the water and making it harder and more alkali. Over the course of a season or so the bulk of any lime from the mortar will have leached out and a few small partial water changes throughout the first year of the ponds life will help maintain a ph closer to neutral and prevent ph spikes. Hope this helps and thanks for your comment! Best. Ed

[@ranger178]

we had a heron attack our fish once years ago we put net up in fall when we cut plants back. we only have an 18-inch-deep pond so city does not say its swimming pool and will drown kids. will heron go after large fish ours are mostly over 2 feet to 30 inches.

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

HI there, thanks for watching and commenting! Your fish are far too large for a heron and although I occasionally hear stories of herons spearing and damaging larger fish, in my experience this is only when fish are on the cusp of being manageable to a heron. Your fish are much too large for a heron to attempt to hunt and so I would think they be absolutely fine. I am concerned however that your pond really isn’t deep enough to accommodate fish of this size…. Best, Ed

[@insidethecompost]

I have the same filter shown at 22:41 in my small pond, which is 1.7 metres long and a width of 1 metre and a depth of 1 foot (the water Is crystal clear and has 12 little golfish around 4 inches long and some water plants) but I'm going to expand it, so it's 2.5 metres long with a width of 2 metres and make it 2 feet deep and add some plants, will the water clarity change at all? I would like the water clarity to be clear. Thanks.

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Hi there! Thanks for watching and commenting! With your enlargements you’re effectively doubling the water volume, which will have more of a demand on your filtration system. If you’re not adding more fish then I’d be confident that your filter would still be suitable to maintain clear water, but with the addition of more fish the balance could be tipped and you may struggle to keep the water clear. I would continue using your filter kit and monitor water quality/clarity visually. If in the future your struggle to keep the pond clear then upgrading your filtration would be sensible. Best, Ed

[@insidethecompost]

@@CrystalClearAquatics Thank you 😁

[@DisneyMarkUK]

Brilliant video as always, thank you. Have you used the Hozelock easy clear filter/pumps? We’re looking for an all in one system and they look pretty good. Thanks

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

HI Mark, apologies for the slow response- the hozelock easy clear was essentially the pioneer of ‘all in one’ systems for ponds and so for that I must commend them. However my personal experience with them is a bit hit and miss- physically they were too bulky- the earlier models only boasting up to 11w uvc outputs (although I think they go up to 13 watts now) and were only suitable for small ponds- their bulk was difficult to conceal. Also had more then a few issues with water ingress into the quarts sleeve and access to the pump for internal maintenance was a real faff via lots of awkward to reach screws. I much prefer the oase range of filtral all in one units, which are more compact, have more filter media, are easier to take apart etc. the only negative is you have to purchase a fountain kit as an optional accessory, whilst the hozelock range supplied it as standard. Hope this helps- I must stress this is only my opinion! Best regards, Ed

[@DisneyMarkUK]

@@CrystalClearAquatics Hi Ed many thanks for this. We bought the Hozelock one & it seems cool so far. The fittings are all plastic but it has a 2 year guarantee so that gives us a bit of hope with it. One of the reasons for buying this one was it only has 1 cable & no mains transformer so the cable fits though our existing conduit. Thanks again, keep up the amazing work. Cheers, Mark.

[@pengting19]

Your gorgeous 😊

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

That’s debatable….! Thanks for watching, Best, Ed

[@2to-tango]

How many fish expired?

[@CrystalClearAquatics]

Hi There, thanks for watching and commenting. Sadly in this instance from memory twenty or so fish perished- but even one would have been a disappointment. Thankfully this pond has since been re-stocked and is well populated once again. Best, Ed