"brickbat" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
wrote:
Hi,
Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about instead of using liner
or fibreglass, using bricks (nice ones... :-) and concrete to build a
garden pond with (in the ground, not raised). Would it even be water
proof?
Cheers
Richard.
I built a concrete pond and it worked fine. You can build in planting
shelves, get enough depth for cold climates and create places for the
fish to hide from predators. I didn't use bricks, as they would be
wasted below water, but you could use bricks or stones for the top cap.
You should use a strong dry mix and reinforcing mesh shaped to suit.
This will avoid the cracking, at least it did for me. You will also need
to complete the shell at one time or build in a waterproof joint. With a
concrete pond you will also have to remove the alkalinity or the fish
won't survive. I used a chemical agent.
Have fun.
First some of my background, I was a service tech for one of the nations
largest water park/residential pool/hot tub builders. They built them
entirely of gunnite and plastered walls. The alkilinity is mainly a problem
just for the first thirty days. Concrete is 98-99% cured in 30 days.
Alkilinity is controled with the addition of muriatic acid to keep in a
7.3 - 7.6 ph range for bather comfort. I dont know what levels are ok for
fish though. When you test your water whether with ph strips or liquid kit
(much more accurate) take your water sample from as deep as you can get it.
Dip your container in upside down then turn over to fill. The water/air
interface is where a lot of chemical reactions are taking place and you tend
not to get accurate results. Thats why homeowners who used the strips (at
the surface) invariably had more water chemistry problems.
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