Tips for building a natural looking backyard pond

[@prettypothos4me290]

Best pond building video out there. Really helpful to us as we are redoing ours and adding bog filter and intake bay. We were worn out trying to make heads and tails out of the high speed party style of most pond videos. Audio is slow and easy to understand, and we loved hearing the water as opposed to loud music. Beautiful ponds!

[@Ozponds]

I hope you create something awesome.

[@katrinagardner4264]

Your videos are not too long, please don't worry about that. Your videos are clearly presented, pleasingly recorded, and very informative and I appreciate them! Thank you for making and sharing them!

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for your kind words 😊

[@lostinature]

agree. clean, clear information presented in an understandable way. Near perfect speaking voice also!

[@sandyl1899]

I can’t stop watching your videos! I have a long way to go. I’m looking forward to seeing ALL of them. 😊👍

[@Ozponds]

I can’t believe I haven’t bored you yet. Well done for trying to watch them all 😊

[@DGibsonxio]

Enjoy your videos. You remind me of a college professor. You know your stuff.

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for your kind words 😊

[@adrickherregodts4194]

I just discovered your channel, while I am in the proces of building my own pond totally by hand all by myself. I live in Sweden though, so I need a deeper pond to keep fish alive due to colder winter conditions. I just want to say you are a huge inspiration and confirm a lot of stuff I had figured out myself, which I have never before seen on another channel. Keep up the good work and keep on "ponding"!

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for your positive words 👍 and good luck with your build.

[@janescaife7278]

Excellent love your channel. Its really helping me figure out my pond.

[@Ozponds]

Great to hear! 👍

[@shed-guy]

You videos are brilliant mate very informative thanks Tony NZ

[@Ozponds]

Glad you like them! 👍

[@Archangel-1]

Pretty cool video with great tips👌🏼. Not long enough though 🤣👍🏼

[@Ozponds]

😂 I could talk about ponds for hours! Not sure people would watch though.

[@reefn00bzftw]

Yes we would!

[@susanmyer1]

Thanks for another wonderful video.

[@antoinettefeldmann4544]

I just love your videos, thank you!

[@Ozponds]

Glad you like them 😊

[@FishzWorld]

Good job and thank you for sharing with us...

[@highspiritsfarm781]

Not too long at all. Great tips and inspiration.

[@markdahm9277]

Great video!

[@stevenwelti9321]

You always post great information, no matter how “long” the video is. I’m moving into my first house soon that has a natural steep slope, so I’m excited to start using some of your tips!

[@Ozponds]

Thanks mate. Let us know how it all turns out 👍

[@verdantgrottobarbell5279]

Very informative videos bud 👍🏼 I used to keep multiple freshwater, saltwater and frag tanks. I’ve since stopped due to adulting getting in the way. I’m changing jobs soon so I don’t have to travel so much for work. That being said, I’m getting a puppy soon and building a +30k gallon swim pond. Love the DIY filtration systems and ideas

[@kymbo72]

Brilliant & useful info there Kev, and explained in easy to understand language. The EPDM is definitely the way to go, worth paying the extra. It is so tough, I got a scrap piece the other day and tried to push a screwdriver through it, and it took way more force to get through the liner than I thought it would. It's hard to imagine anything would be able to puncture it! Btw, your ponds look amazing!

[@Ozponds]

Thanks mate. Yeap EPDM super tough.

[@elizabeth2621]

Thanks so much for all of this detailed content. Don’t feel bad about videos being “too long” I’m taking notes! Lol

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for the encouragement 😊

[@gracewoods9342]

Thank you I have followed you for a while so happy . Learning alot !!!!

[@Ozponds]

Thanks Grace. That makes me happy 👍

[@OneOfAMine]

Awesome information.Thank you I have Learn a lot !

[@africanrootsfarm-Christamor]

Very informative e thank you!

[@Ozponds]

Glad you thought so. 😊👍

[@kenmcguire2427]

Awesome stuff! Keep going!

[@user-fc9vl8tg4o]

informative & inspiring. tnx. 😀

[@Ozponds]

Glad you thought so 😊👍

[@alberteinstein5421]

Nice summary video. I watched hundreds of Aquascape and other pond related videos, still learned something new, as I didn't have the plant placing strategy that concise in my head. (Tall plants to hide the background is rather obvious, but not blocking your own view was a good hint). I would have appreciated a small list of plants that you prefer. (I know you have an extensive list on your website, just for the summary's sake)

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for the feedback. I do have a video on my favourite plants if you want to check it out 👍

[@vikramaadityaradhu9277]

Lovely video, glad to watch it

[@Ozponds]

Thanks 👍

[@scox7748]

Not too long at all. Thank you.

[@Ozponds]

Appreciate the feedback 😊👍

[@michelledunn6712]

You have a very good channel here. I am glad I found this and thank you! You say you would not mind pulling out a few rocks to fix a leak. My question is how you pinpoint the location of the leak and how do you fix it? Thanks again.

[@Ozponds]

This quick vid should help you How to find a pond leak kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYm6mal-hbh9qaM

[@stevenhoward7083]

I just watched this vid brother man. Love it. I’m in NE Alabama (Roll Tide). I have a very small pong for over 25 years now. Time to grow. I’m thinking 10x16 with 4 feet of that being a stream. Anyway, I very much appreciate your style. Several other KZbinrs are quite good as well. I’ll be building my big babu this spring. I do have a question. I like the idea of having both a bog and a biological filter. I know the are effectively the same thing. But I’m thinking of having two separate intakes and then possibly two separate returns through a bio filter. I know…2 pumps, 2 filter setups, twice the price. I will be fighting harsh sunlight. And I already have a healthy population the east and pooops a lot.

[@Ozponds]

No problem with two types of filters. 👍

[@Ad_Astra_321]

The footage at 12:39 is so cool! Looks a bit like a clear heart in the centre =D Thanks for all the info. Don't get any of that on a label!!

[@BitsOfInterest]

What's the biggest size and weight rocks that you've moved by yourself with your dolly? Seems like something to consider while designing, like I'm now 😉

[@Ozponds]

😂 yes it’s a good idea to consider. I’m not sure what the biggest rock I moved by hand was…too big! If I did it over I would hire an excavator, I love the pond and it wouldn’t have added a significant amount to the build, would have saved my back though!

[@LampWaters]

What do you think of barley straw or barley extract in the pond for algae growth? I'm considered some for when I first fill the pond. I'm picking up rain barrels too and will fill some and collect rain water too so I don't have to fill it all with tap water. Trying to store some water first and hopefully rainy season will fill most of it for me. But I don't think I'll be able to filter tge water in barrels first and if not enough rain I was going to fill barrels with tap and let them sit for a bit not sure if that will help. But what if I put barley in the barrels and barley in the pond when I first fill. I'm considering adding something else too to settle the dirt from rock because none of it will be washed. I'll vacuum up the dirty water and send it to the garden then add in some of the water I've stored.

[@Ozponds]

I’ve never personally used barley straw or extract so I can’t really offer an opinion there. To settle muddy water you can use a flocculent, make sure it’s for ponds or dams, not pools. That will sink it to the bottom so it can be removed, otherwise it stays suspended. If it’s clay particles they almost never settle by themselves. Obviously the cleaner the rock and gravel the less nutrient will be available for algae. Some algae is beneficial and inevitable.

[@jasondoe6079]

Dear Ozponds, I have a fish pond which I want to double as a swimming pool. The issue is, due to soil here, the bottom is an unsettling type of mud which sinks several inches, maybe a foot, when you touch bottom, As you can imagine this also is not great for exiting the pond on foot. I was informed that adding rocks will not help the situation as they would just sink in to the muck. But Ive also heard that adding limestone powder to lime can turn the bottom into concrete. However doing such could potentially disturb the Ph to levels unsuitable for the fish or maybe the pond has to be drained first to make this work, or this idea could be pure myth. Curious as to what solutions might exist to the mucky bottom dilemma. Thanks!

[@Ozponds]

G’day Jason. Unfortunately I don’t have much experience with what you are asking. The majority of my ponds are lined with epdm rubber. I’ve seen people add geotextile to stop mud and rocks mixing but I’ve not personally tried it.

[@agustinholopes4501]

Another very informative video Kev 👍 I’m in the process of getting rocks together (off Facebook etc because they’re cheaper) as I want a natural looking pond. I already have most of the filtration (a sieve and bead filter and I’m going to make a diy moving bed, upflow filter and skimmer. But the issue I have is that I would like to have a bottom drain but of course with a natural pond comes stones on the bottom, do you know of a way I could make both work as I’m struggling? I’m going to be keeping koi. Thanks

[@Ozponds]

I would be inclined to use a solids handling pump on the floor of the pond. Use larger pebbles so they don’t get sucked into the pump but all the waste will. You could pitch the bottom slightly to the pump. That’s what I would do👍

[@agustinholopes4501]

@@Ozponds thanks for that. I may have to look into that

[@zeakwildfire3936]

Over the winter I had thought about adding freshwater clams/mussels to my pond to add some biodiversity and help with natural filtration. I live about 3 mins walk from a creek that I swam in as a kid and we would always find them. Researching online it mentioned that the larval stage of their life cycle they are parasitic and attach to fish. This put me off to adding them. Do you have any experience with this or thoughts? Thanks Kev.

[@Ozponds]

Mine don’t seem to be breeding. I think my water might be too clean. But yes they do attach to fish to breed but it causes no issue for the fish, or so I’m told.

[@georgebutterworth5018]

Hey Ozponds love the content really helping me on my pond journey. Currently struggling with water wanting to travel back up the vertical pvc and out that way rather than up through the stones. How do you make sure your hose is pushing water up through the stones and not just back up the pvc pipe?

[@Ozponds]

That’s why I reduced the opening on the breather pipe. That way only a small amount of water escapes out the breather pipe. The majority must travel through the bog to escape.

[@georgebutterworth5018]

@@Ozponds thanks so much for the response. Keep up the good work!

[@georgebutterworth5018]

@@Ozponds thanks so much for the response. Keep up the good work!

[@georgebutterworth5018]

@@Ozponds thanks so much for the response! Keep up the good work!

[@georgebutterworth5018]

@@Ozponds me again! I’ve done what you suggested and now the plumbing works perfectly. New issue is now the strength of the pump, it’s coming through as a drip rather than a flow and nothing is clogged I’ve checked everything. My pump is tiny so assuming it’s super weak. The bog just under 200 litres and my pond just over 2000.

[@Brad-lt4lw]

Hey Kev another great video... what are your thoughts on under gravel filtration for large swimming ponds?

[@Ozponds]

I like the idea of it. I haven’t got any personal experience however.

[@Brad-lt4lw]

@@Ozponds have you had any issues with the bottom of your dream pond?

[@Ozponds]

Not so far. But it’s still young. This time last year I was still placing rocks.

[@markedward5941]

Thanks Kev , I enjoyed that a lot . What LPH are your pumps running for your big pond please mate . And is it possible to run the system for 12 hours per day at ffull capacity and significantly less for the other 12 hours . Or at less capacity at all . I have all the room and water possible but limited power options .

[@Ozponds]

This pond is running 4 x 15,000 litre variable speed pumps. They are all dialled back at around 75 watts each producing between 8-10,000 litres per hour I estimate. Theoretically I recon it could be run on batteries they are dc pumps but I’ve never done it so not 100% sure.

[@markedward5941]

@@Ozponds Thank you , does every system regardless of size require a constant flow determined by the pump. That being the case I would have to have a small system based on the cost of batteries . Solar panels are not a limit in this case. If these systems can handle significantly reduced flow for 12 hours I can have a large pond .with a much smaller {affordable} battery bank. My retirement plan is to build something that dragonfly's etc can drink from long after I'm gone . A simple but satisfying goal Kev .

[@Ozponds]

If you just want dragonflies you won’t even need a pump.

[@markedward5941]

@@Ozponds True , But i'd still like to know if a bog filter can work at greatly reduced lph at night .. I can't plan anything until I find that answer Kev. But it's more about the orphaned and injured macropods I raise and care for and the lifeline my family property offers the animals during droughts . The National Park has totally surrounded us over the generations and when drought hits i'm their only water supply . . The dragonfly's are just a bonus

[@Ozponds]

Sorry I don’t know the answer. I just run all mine at the same speed 24/7.

[@RodJetton]

How did you do your liner next to the retaining wall? I love how yours looks so natural with the water going right up to the wall but no liner showing.

[@Ozponds]

I carved out the shelf right up to the wall, I put down some geotextile to protect the liner from the bricks and mortar, then I used fairly flat rocks (positioned vertically) on the top shelf in that area, the groundcover (bacopa) helped merge the rocks and retaining wall so it appears that the water is right up against it. Hope that helps 👍

[@saralynostwinkle6429]

@@Ozponds could we get a close up of that? And so the wall i asked about above is a straight concrete wall and bricks but you cave a ledge still with the dirt?

[@AaronHahnStudios]

15:16 in.. Why is Koi Illegal where you live? That is weird. Do you know the reason for this?

[@Ozponds]

Not native. Escape into the river system. Outcompete native species.

[@AaronHahnStudios]

@@Ozponds Aaaahh .. I get that. But weird that Koi grow legs & move out of a controlled pond. 🤔

[@Ozponds]

Eggs can easily be transported by flood events, even water birds. Thing I find weird is I can keep goldfish and certain other exotics.

[@AaronHahnStudios]

@@Ozponds I was just thinking that after I typed, eggs getting sucked out & down drains when people do a clean out.. it's more than possible. Love your channel btw.

[@raymercenilli1400]

maybe you can help me i have 25x15 pond deepest is 4ft the pond is in sun all day the water is green ive tried everything theres no rocks in pond i have lillies and lillypads for plants and my fish are koi i have a skimmer and a55 gallon drum full lava rock for filter its single stage algae not the string algae what can i do to keep pond clear please help thanks for all ur help love ur videos

[@Ozponds]

Yeap the drum isn’t big enough. A bog filter needs to be at least 10% of the ponds volume. I’d go even bigger for koi. It also needs a slow flow through it. I’ve got lots of videos on bog filters if you want to learn more. Alternatively you could try things like UV lights, flocculents, nualgi, bacterias. But I personally think a nice big bog filter is the way to go.

[@raymercenilli1400]

@@Ozponds so how big of a bog do you think i need any help i would appreciate it thanks

[@Ozponds]

At least 10% the size of the pond.

[@pauldavidalava547]

Good day man, question, we're gonna make a huge fishing pond and our soil is very silty and hard, do you think jts gonna leak?

[@Ozponds]

I dunno. My ponds are much smaller and lined with epdm rubber.

[@xplosivetg1]

I'm new to this but doesnt using small gravel collect alot of waste??

[@Ozponds]

Well it all collects muck at the same rate, but yes you’ll notice it quicker on the small gravel because the gaps between aren’t as large.

[@baniagojherwinjohn4765]

What is the life span of the liner that you use?

[@Ozponds]

Comes with a 20 year warranty. But I’d expect it to last much longer than that.

[@callielightsey4433]

I can't keep the green out. Whether it algea or green pea soup.

[@Ozponds]

What kind of filter do you have? Is it sized appropriately? Are there lots of fish, getting feed lots of food? Does runoff enter the pond? There’s lots of causes.

[@callielightsey4433]

@@Ozponds 1000 gals 2 lg aerators 1 overall with 2 filters. 30 LG kois abt 25 years old each eased from wee Littles I took out 1 plant and replace with lotus and 5 waterliliesqater was great could see bottom then thus weather here in fla agitated things. Thank for responding.

[@JamesWon6]

Nice video, but why are koi illegal?

[@Ozponds]

Being an introduced species and there are big problems in the river systems here due to carp, Gambusia and talapia so all are illegal. Although for some reason I’m allowed to keep goldfish.

[@JamesWon6]

@@Ozponds so there are no koi in your whole country? Or just your location? This is so interesting.

[@DaveJonesAustralia]

Only two States allow them I believe. Banned as an invasive and destructive fish species. Our main river system is damaged by introduced carp (as well as by humans).

[@Ozponds]

Yes like Dave has said. Most states here have banned them.

[@Chris-hz8ll]

You have to expand your table for germans. Your list ends with 35 cents. That was our old price. Our new price has doubled. Just a joke, you dont have to do that. 😀

[@Ozponds]

Is it really 70c a kWh?

[@Chris-hz8ll]

@@Ozponds 0,55€ Euro Cent = $0,85 australian Dollar.

[@Ozponds]

😮ouch!