Polyurea Spray Liner Pond

[MikeM]

MikeT: The soil comes in three colors... black-gray sand, yellow-brown sand and gray-white sand, depending on humus content. It is either wet, which holds its form; or dry, which flows like dunes in the Sahara. There was no serious thought given to spraying directly on the sand because of the instability, the need to slope the sides (losing volume), and the extra quantity of polyurea that would be required. Probably even more reasons.

I did not go the CIM route because (1) I never thought about it and (2) I do not know of any pondbuilders using the technique. I became convinced after 5 months that I had to have it done by someone I would not have to supervise. I dealt with a number of garden pond builders & swimming pool builders, etc., but I was having to teach them about filtration systems etc. In my situation, it was not going to happen unless I retained someone with experience building a system of the sort I wanted. ... My favorite: The guy who assured me that he could build whatever I wanted, and then got a foggy look when I said I wanted a gravity fed filtration system. You could tell that he was trying to figure out how gravity gets into a filter.

Don't have sketches to post, but will think about what I might be able to do.

As for buying expensive koi, well, not any time soon. I have a lot to learn before taking on that responsibility. What is coming are 6 Showa. One is a special gal I've admired for at least 3 years which is available because her owner has upgraded his collection. The other 5 are from a domestic breeder (!?!! .. not even Japanese!), and are mostly very modestly priced koi. Each is a different type of Showa. Of my current 9 koi, 4 are Showa. With 10 different sorts of Showa, I'm hoping to learn a lot about their development in Florida in the years ahead ... and I hope to have the space not to have to find homes just because the pond is being outgrown.

The rest of your questions will be answered as the project progresses, so I'll not spoil the "show" right now.

[MikeM]

SteveE: You are thinking the filter pit is the QT, I think? ... I'll not have a permanently installed QT. ......Hmmmmm. Maybe another pond in my future?

[Mike T]

Mike M.

Thanks for answering my questions...All made sense...

Just as a point of interest...I'm sure you know that a lot of ponders would love to have your original pond, especially with all the tropical landscaping...

I have to give you credit for choosing Showa to raise, from what I've been learning, they're the most unpredictable to raise...But when they pop, THEY POP!!!

Finally got the guts to get a couple from that guy in NC...both have great potential...Got um for a song because I ordered males, asking him to choose them for me... He chose it, priced it as a male, held onto it for about 6 months then shipped it to me... Unfortunately for him, it turned out to be a female...If it pops, Katey bar the door...

Looking forward to future installments of your project... Thanks for sharing...

Aloha! Mike T

[HenryC]

I went over to Mike's today to check out the progress in person. I have to say I am very jealous. It was great talking with the guys from Keirin. Very refreshing talking with a contractor that knows what he is doing. Mike's filter pit is to die for. I'm sure Mike will post the neatly installed pipe through the walls. All well thought out. I am looking forward to seeing the further developments.

Henry

[MikeM]

Ah, Henry, if I'd never seen your water quality, I'd never gotten so sucked into this hobby!

And here is the filter pit as of this afternoon. Still a lot to do, but can now get a clue of what is about to happen.

[MikeM]

As to the pond, we experienced a delay. Seems no concrete deliveries are made on Saturdays this time of year. But our stalwart concrete specialist, Justin Bazella, would not accept that, so the day was spent handmixing sakcrete to fill the initial courses of block. The block is set on a concrete base (w/ rebar) for stability, and then filled with concrete & rebar. Compared to building forms to pour concrete/spray gunite, the process takes no longer (and maybe less compared to what I've seen happen with swimming pool construction around here), and the cure time is minimal.

Justin, BTW, is not your ordinary "concrete man". He studied biology in college and went into aquaculture before construction became his career. Like Henry mentioned, he not only knows concrete, but understands why the pond is designed as it is. When a question comes up, it is not a matter of "This is how we always do it on a swimming pool". Understanding the reasons behind the design, he can make site adjustments without compromising the the goal. A good guy, too.

[MikeM]

And here's Justin with John McDonald (the filtration specialist on the job), getting more rebar into the block; and a close-up of a filled block.

[MikeM]

More status shots in the morning ... if the predicted rain allows.

[ChrisC]

How big is your filter pit Mike? Do you have a sketch you could post about how all of the parts fit in??

Thanks for this thread!!

[MikeM]

Chris: The filter pit is a tight fit beside the house. Interior dimensions: approx. 14'8" x 6'9". It is more narrow than I would like, but it had to fit to leave room to walk around it after fencing gets installed. As for the overall plan, you'll see it unfold as we go.

It rained heavily overnight and it looks like it will be overcast with intermittent showers during the day. But, this morning the rain stopped long enough to get some shots. I'm not happy to have rain, but the tree frogs like it. This fellow likes the flex pipe, too.