"Spider" wrote in message
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"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
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"Spider" wrote
"Janet Baraclough" wrote
"Spider" contains these words:

Hello everyone!

With some considerable help from my IT manager (RG), I've finally put
a few
pics on the web for all to see. Try the link below:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Spider.AAG

Nice ponds. Do they have a plastic lining or did you waterproof the
building material?


Thank you, Janet. There is no plastic lining. The base was cast in one
piece (it is 9-10" thick), then walling blocks made the walls; coping
stones capped it. Then, before filling with water we used a bitumen
sealant, not to waterproof it, but to seal the walls to prevent lime
leaching into the water. That sealant wore off in little more than a
year, but the pond is still water-tight, 15 years later. We kept fish
for a few years (till the local heron scoffed them) and they were
healthy and happy, so we can only assume the water was safe by then.

That is the way most modern Koi ponds are built although they often line
it with Butyl Rubber to make doubly sure it's watertight and they also
include bottom drains so the can remove the sludge at the turn of a
tap/pull of the drain. I've seen them 9ft deep built that way.
One thing, if you build it deep enough with straight sides you won't have
a Heron problem as they won't be able to wade in it. Ours is a metre deep
at the sides and although Herons have looked they always fly off empty
beaked.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London


I think our problem was that the heron could stand in the lower pond
whilst greedily filling his beak at the top pond :~(. The higher pond on
its own may have foiled him.

Spider
Just following my own post to say thank you to everyone who's replied. I am
having some trouble seeing all my posts atm (this 'picture' thread is just a
""), so if I don't respond to someone, it's because you've not popped up!
Sorry if that happens.

Spider