Scott Evans wrote:

- By my calculations, we're looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of
500 gallons. Does this sound accurate? When calculating volume of
a pond, does one figure in the amount of water in a stream feature, or
just the "pond" itself?

4x8x3x7.5= 720 gallons. For pump and filters sizes I would include the size
of the stream.

- For what we're thinking, is some sort of filter required, or will we
do OK without one? If algae becomes a problem, a UV filter would
obviously be required, but we aren't sure about the need for normal
day-to-day mechanical filtering.

In the long run you'll be happier with a filter. This doesn't have to be
anything fancy and veggie filter would probably do. You might wish to
consider a skimmer. I have one and love it. It takes the crud that's
floating on top and is also a very good place to house your pump.

- My thought for the pond/stream would be to sit the pump in the pond
as far away from the stream as possible, and then pump the water up to
the top and let it cascade down the stream. Should this give sufficient
flow through the pond to avoid stagnant spots (assuming that I orient
the stream output and pump on opposite ends of the long dimension of the
pond area).

See my note above, but if you don't want a skimmer then yes, pump at one end
of pond, stream enters opposite.

- How does one figure out ahead of time how much pump to buy for a
stream? For pump longevity I'm not thrilled about buying a pump of
significantly higher capacity than needed and then valving it down to
the appropriate volume (too hard on the pump) My first thought would
be to build the stream, figure out what the flow from my garden hose is,
and then experiment with different hose flow rates until I get something
I like and then buy the right sized pump based on that flow rate and
head height? Is there a better method than this?

Don't buy a oversized pump - you just pay for electricity. The pump will
work hard no matter how down valved. If you have a equipment rental place
near you, go rent a couple of pumps and hook them up. This will give you a
ROUGH idea. Pumps are like amplifiers, they are all spec'd to look good.


- Would it be better to buy one pump to run both the stream and water
feature, or is it better to have one pump for the stream and another
for the fountain feature? Or, should I figure out the turnover rate
needed (500 gal / 2 hours) and buy a pump for that rate (taking into
account the head height of the stream), and then valve and divert that
flow as needed for the stream, fountain, and any other water uses
desired?

- Like many who have ponds, we're concerned about mosquitos, and aren't
sure whether just having a stream and spraying fountain will prevent
eggs being layed/hatched (due to moving water), or if more serious
methods of mosquito control are required? I'm not thrilled about
running the pump 24x7, and would prefer to run it only during daytime
hours. However, this would give a good 10-12 hours of nighttime still
water that would be heaven for the skeeters.
If you put fish in it, you should run it continually to keep the biological
filter critters working. Mosquitoes can be controlled quite well by the fish
in the pond or you can get a variety of BT that you can put in the water
that will kill them with no harm to anything else.

- Would we need to bring the goldfish in each winter, or would they
survive under the ice? We can get pretty cold here in Iowa (down to
-20F a couple times a year at least with spells of several days at a
time of below 0 temps), and I'd be concerned that they'd either get
too cold and freeze, or the pond would freeze solid to the bottom,
since I'm looking at an average max depth of about 30". Also, due
to the lay of the land, part of the pond will be in a raised-bed
situation, so won't be insulated by the dirt below-grade.

Sorry - I live in San Diego. Every once in a while I can see the snow
covered mountains from here. Close as I want to get to frost.

- Would I be really wise to include a bottom drain in the plan, or for
something this small is that not really required? (FWIW, I'm planning
on using EPDM for the pond lining, without gravel or other bottom
material on top of the rubber).

The new stuff is very easy to install. I installed one ( check out this link
for a combo skimmer/bottom drain:

http://www.purifalls.com/



- Are there other issues beyond what I listed above that my wife and I
need to be concerned about as we plan this pond (other than the
addictive nature and potential expenses)?

Do you have enough room in your yard for a second pond?


Joe



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