WATER FEATURE DESIGN SERIES | UNDERSTANDING AND CALCULATING WATER IN MOTION

In this first video “Understanding and calculating water in motion”, John Adams teaches the basics of water in motion, and how to calculate it. In the next 3 videos in the series, he will teach why that is important to water feature design, how it relates to pond design, waterfall design, and negative edge design.
Modern Design Aquascaping has been building custom water features since 2000 and has been a Certified Aquascape Contractor since 2002. They have built in 6 countries, and over a dozen states in the U.S. They specialize in custom projects that change the way people spend time together outdoors. You may reach John in East Tennessee at:
PHONE-[phone]
WEB-www.MDAquascaping.com
FaceBook: Modern Design Aquascaping
KZbin: / moderndesignaquascapin...
The KZbin channel is geared towards education on proper construction methods for water features and highlights many cool projects that the Modern Design Aquascaping team gets to be a part of!
Happy Pondering ;)

[@kwaltner55]

Bravo…..My light bulb came on. Great explanation! Thank you!

[@KoiAddiction]

You made me visualize Gru from the minions “Light Bulb” lol

[@seals70]

DIY here, planning for a pond and grateful you’ve made this great educational resource. Thank you!!

[@KoiAddiction]

What would you like me to talk more about? I’m making a list of necessary content for the season…

[@laurabarrow6340]

Thanks for making these videos. I've had a self-designed pond for about 10 years and I got lucky and it's been great. But now it's time to upgrade since I've adopted some more koi. Your videos help me think through my options. And. your energy and enthusiasm are great!

[@KoiAddiction]

Thanks so much as time is passing I am ready to do more educational videos! Construction and growth have slowed us down so much at the editing desk😅

[@iris.inspired]

So helpful to see it broken down & explained through all the dimensions through drawings!

[@KoiAddiction]

I'm so glad! good luck with your project ;)

[@Anointed2flag]

Very good I for thumbs up and please give more.

[@KoiAddiction]

I will keep it up, more videos coming out this year!

[@GregWittstockThePondGuy]

You go John!

[@KoiAddiction]

Educating & Inspiring the world about ponds & water features🤠

[@adampinales2945]

THIS SAVED MY ASS!!!! thank you brother!!!

[@KoiAddiction]

That’s Awesome to hear! Thanks for watching👍🏻

[@WaterFeatureResource-rr8uf]

Great video on calculating water in motion!

[@KoiAddiction]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TheOfficialSteelReign]

This is one of the most helpful. Videos I've seen about pond building 101. It helped me understand that I'm just gonna pay someone like you to math for me. 🤣

[@KoiAddiction]

All good boss, we can do the math for ya😂🤣

[@Nick-cq1ps]

This is excellent info. Very helpful! I feel confident enough to try a zero edge…

[@KoiAddiction]

Best wishes, I hope we helped you do a successful project!

[@toliscy]

Thanks John! now somebody should make a metric version of this :)

[@KoiAddiction]

That could be you or reach out to MJ Wilson the pond advisor, he is in the UK and would be a great candidate for that!

[@melindawolfe4348]

Thank you so much! We achieved exactly the waterfall we wanted and we owe it mostly to you.

[@KoiAddiction]

Well OK that’s a very nice complement :-) shoot us some pictures to our Facebook page I would love to see it😎

[@DanLiese]

Love the Math (the stuff behind the scenes that no one ever sees) this is the Value of Knowledge is Power.

[@KoiAddiction]

Its the important stuff, as features get bigger. I am constantly working with people who are trying to solve problems with poorly designed features!

[@RodJetton]

Best videos out there. Great information!

[@KoiAddiction]

Thanks Rod- I am going to get back to the educational stuff soon- just been so busy building!

[@dls0613]

I see that a year ago you put this out....I can only say thank you. I now understand what my issues are. Your knowledge has set me free.

[@KoiAddiction]

LOL - glad I could help!

[@tonymarshall3162]

This series is GOLD for a new contractor like myself !!! THANK YOU JOHN !! You da man !!

[@KoiAddiction]

Glad to help !

[@itsthewilliamb]

Thanks for the great video John. I’m getting ready to start my own water feature business up in North Idaho.

[@KoiAddiction]

👍🏻 get er done 😎

[@sandyl2493]

WOW WE WOW! Very helpful.

[@KoiAddiction]

Hope it helps you out!!

[@sandyl2493]

@@KoiAddiction Every single one of your videos is so very informative. Thanks from Florida!! Sunny days and prosperity to all in the coming New Year!! 🎉

[@Poseidonponds]

Very valuable, just used it on a complicated feature! Thanks for the education.

[@KoiAddiction]

What did you find most helpful?

[@Poseidonponds]

@@KoiAddiction definitely the part about between the rocks with averages as well. Presented well and easy to digest.

[@khakicam5400]

Great video. Here's your calculations in metric for those who don't live in the USA, Liberia or Myanmar . 6m * 0.6m * 0.075m = 0.24m3 = 240 litres.

[@KoiAddiction]

That was really cool of you to put that information in for people, thank you very much🙏

[@MrStevebeech]

Superb info. I did not know to do this with my pond,luckily it turned out ok but it was down to luck 🍻

[@KoiAddiction]

You are a student!

[@jodyjackson3424]

thanks for the information!

[@KoiAddiction]

NP, I hope it is helpful to you!!

[@DavidRussell-kf4dw]

Thanks!

[@KoiAddiction]

No problem!

[@lindapearson451]

excellent! Thank you.

[@aquascapeponds]

Very valuable video John

[@KoiAddiction]

Thanks buddy hope to see you soon🤟

[@bradparker649]

This is really a great video. I'm building a pondless in my front yard. I'm now thinking my vault/ aquablock's needs to be just a little bigger. Thanks for the help

[@KoiAddiction]

I’ll be making a video specific to Pondless waterfall design that one should be out in two weeks :-)

[@RoyThe4th]

This series is a huge help ty cheers

[@KoiAddiction]

Thanks for saying so, I hope it helps your design process!

[@siddharthgargi3625]

Thanks buddy.

[@KoiAddiction]

My pleasure!

[@raymondleveridge6974]

Loved this thanks for the info

[@KoiAddiction]

Keep watching, I have a great lighting video coming out this week!

[@nilo2104]

I hope may able to apply this calculation to my pond renovation. Presently, I only have a koi pond using a pump fed filtering process. My idea on renovation is to incorporate falls, stream and bog filter. I will replace the pump fed filtering with Solid Lifting Overflow that will be hidden under the water feature I have planned. Thanks for the formula and I will go on watching your other 3 related videos.

[@KoiAddiction]

Thanks for tuning into our channel and supporting the Adams family😎

[@13raulcano]

Great video we need more calculation videos could you do one on how to calculate the depth in a wetland or intake bay

[@KoiAddiction]

Getting there-so many topics-so little time!

[@calicarter75]

Loving your videos thanks for the great content!

[@KoiAddiction]

Thanks for checking in. It’s been not a lot of educational content this season and lots of project showcase videos but there are more in the pipeline!

[@escapetoparadise2226]

Great vid

[@KoiAddiction]

Thanks for binging :)

[@petersvan7880]

Great video John, thank you for taking the time and effort explaining.

[@KoiAddiction]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!

[@andrew7458]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. As a newer installer I haven't seen this information on other sites! Keep it going!! 👍

[@KoiAddiction]

Wow, you watched all 4! You probably needed a tylenol after all that😂

[@zakkladden3424]

Awesome stuff. I’m a new CAC and I can’t get enough of this stuff. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@KoiAddiction]

My pleasure, I will have the rest of the videos on water in motion coming out in the next few weeks. At the end you will know what you need to know in order to design ponds, waterfalls, and negative edge systems properly :-)

[@barbarabaran1743]

Thank you! Pond design is truly a combination of art and science. Thanks for explaining the science part! I am creating a 10' x 12' koi pond with waterfall adjacent to the front entrance of my parent's house. My mom's office windows look right into that bed. I want to be impressed, relaxed, and the envy of the 'hood (:-D) so thank you sharing your knowledge and providing me some (haha!) of the confidence I will need to succeed. Thanks again!

[@KoiAddiction]

Super glad you’re enjoying our content, best of luck with your mom‘s pond. I’m sure it will be amazing and you will enjoy the journey :-)

[@PutsPonds]

Good stuff Johnny 👍🏻

[@KoiAddiction]

Thanks man, I hope there are people getting value from it🤙

[@shayyourpondgirl4754]

This was an excellent and super valuable information. So good. Keep it up. Great job. This is probably the most common mistake made out there. Thank you and kudos. Great job explaining it as well. Bravo my friend

[@KoiAddiction]

Hopefully all this can help put a stop to this common design mistakes that we all run into in the field🙏Thank you for the kind words :-)

[@scotttaurean4032]

nice one mate!

[@KoiAddiction]

The student becomes the teacher (=getting old?)

[@PondKingWaterGardensMN]

Great information my friend!

[@KoiAddiction]

Someone out there needed this video??

[@PondKingWaterGardensMN]

Looks like lots of people from the comments my brother!

[@EvilGodXL]

This is helpful Im in a DIY pond project myself atm, curious to see your negative edge explanation!

[@KoiAddiction]

I’m on it👍

[@Tettenhall51]

Great and informative videos and interesting completed contracts. The problem I’m experiencing in the uk is freezing water, so looking for the opposite of cooling in my ponds the large underground filtration and storage may work well for keeping a large quantity of water warm. Cheers Mike in Wolves (Wolverhampton) UK

[@KoiAddiction]

I hope to get out there and build with you gents in the next year or so. The wetland will keep you water temps more stabilized as you expect. Warmer in winter- cooler in summer!

[@charlottewilson4560]

I tried to follow but I got lost! It’s good to know though, I’ll just ask someone who has more of a clue than me if I ever venture to this level of building! Watch out I might just come knocking on your door!! Great video as always

[@KoiAddiction]

Baby steps Girl-BabySteps👼🏻

[@ecojardim]

this calculation helped me a lot. i am just curiouse if this waterthickness multiplyer also can be used for „LITER“ or if i have to adapt it?

[@bob.fagg-bois657]

or, as i intend to do when i build mine, i will fill every cavity that will hold water, turn on pump, top up with hosepipe water.

[@KoiAddiction]

Yes that will work too!

[@chrisharrison5178]

Thank you for these videos they are very informative. When using this calculation it looks like it is not necessary to account for the water in the plumbing from the end of the stream/pond to the beginning of the headwaters. Am I understanding that correctly?

[@KoiAddiction]

If you have proper back-flows installed you are good. If not I would add for them if the plumbing runs are long!

[@chrisharrison5178]

That makes perfect sense, thanks again...love the instructional videos!

[@sorce2175]

Can I have 3in depth of water in a stream, AND 1in off the entire surface area if I design the negative edge at one inch? I guess the simple question is... Are stream and negative edge designs independent calculations? I want to build an oversized NE reservoir and bog filter for a 8x10x sloped 6ft deepest pond. Trying to leave it running in winter too. I really appreciate your videos! Thanks!

[@KoiAddiction]

Yes you can have separate calculations! If you build it tight on the neg edge you will be good! Pump size and weir width do come into play!

[@csabanemeth]

Why not just add the part-volumes in the stream: If it is with gravel in the bottom then multiply that volume with the multiplyer for that type of gravel. How to get that multiplyer? Pour in a bucket water and fill up with gravel, then take the gravel out. The remaining is the waterpart. Measure the bucket and the remaining water, then you have the multiplier. But of course it is dependent on the type of gravel, so it can be estimated without measunging it exactly. But of course we only need the number roughly.

[@KoiAddiction]

Sounds complicated?

[@danieljulian4426]

Love your videos, very informative! I purchased a house that has a pondless stream. The pump sits in a 20 gallon trash can buried in the ground with a hole cut in the side to make it operate like a skimmer. The pump moves 2100 gph and the stream is around 40 feet long x 1 foot wide with a couple inches of water. Based on your calculations, my pump reservoir is way too small. When i turn off the water feature, it definitely overflows the trash can and runs out the overflow pipe. When i start it back up i just have to run a hose for a while until it achieves circulation, then it seems to operate fine. I don’t have much room at the bottom to add more reservoir storage, so other than the water loss when pump stops, it seems to work okay. Would you recommend another change?

[@KoiAddiction]

If it’s working for you, then there ya go. Not optimal but it is better than nothing ;) It sounds “top heavy” but as long as your pump is surviving you are ok. You could put low-water shutoff float on the pump and an auto-filler to bandied the problem…

[@SteveRoman-ls2fp]

Does "water in motion" calculate the size of the wetland filtration system?

[@KoiAddiction]

Water in motion calculates how big you need to make a reservoir if you are doing a waterfall system or a negative edge system!

[@Anointed2flag]

So before this how do you figure out how much depth water your going to have or how to get the depth that you want so where is what pump and what size to achieve these calculations. So before this calculation you must have the calculation to get the above calculation. How do you know how to achieve the calculations so your basing it on already been built I am trying to figure out how to get there if that makes sense.

[@KoiAddiction]

Look up a chart for water thickness (depth) based on Gallons per minute flow at a given spillway width and then add the amount of potential bleed down based on your construction methods. Unless you are building something monsterous, this is probably not really necessary...

[@deantalbot6857]

Your channel is Fantastic! I need help please, Above ground pond depth of water 5.5 ‘ with 2.5 dug below ground and 3ft sandstone boulder surround, can this be built with negative edge skimmer and wetland filter system, I’ve not seem any videos on above ground ponds is this something nobody does? Pond would be 10’ x 9’. I have design in mind but don’t even know if this can be done working correctly.

[@KoiAddiction]

No problem! Lay out “boulder surround” and dig the pond inside. Be sure to put soil between boulders and liner (don’t use liner with rock on both sides). Neg edge below at ground level. Wetland layout as needed!

[@deantalbot6857]

@@KoiAddiction wow thanks for the reply! I’m a little confused still about neg edge at ground level? How do I include this? Sorry if this seems stupid but I am very new to pond design?

[@sweeyong7756]

when calculatng the volume of a wetland filter. people go of figures of 10% 20%30% based on fish density, surface area of stocking pond and total volume of water. say my pond is 10.000L and 10% of that to be wetland filter which is 1000L or 1 cubic meter. is 10% the total volume including blocks and media or just the total volume of water (30-40%) of total volume of wetland. so at 30% it would equate to 300L which would mean that my wetland need to be a minimum 3300 total volume with the blocks and media.. is it best to design wetland based of total volume of water or surface area. cheeers

[@KoiAddiction]

I go off of the surface area of the pond. Many options affect what percentage are used. Anywhere from 5% of surface area up to 30% of surface area depending on desired outcome and all things considered for each feature.

[@joansmith3492]

So why does it matter?

[@KoiAddiction]

LOL, it doesn’t unless your feature doesn’t work properly!