How to build a pond:building my own pond! Part #2 internal stonework and pond edging 

Ha ha! Notice how none of them offered a hand!! Thanks for watching and commenting! Best, Ed

@@CrystalClearAquatics I have been watching all your videos and thoroughly enjoyed them. You are very talented. I wish I could hire you to come fix the stonework in my pond. I have ordered materials to restack and seal the stones in my waterfall, but I don’t even dare attempt the ones in the pond. I’m afraid they’d all come tumbling down and my fish would be homeless ha.

He he! Thanks for watching and for your kind words! Best, Ed

If only it was my wife’s cooking….sadly that’s generally my department😂

No problem! Check out my latest video (formal pond re-design & construction) for some tips with rectangular ponds! Thanks for watching and commenting! Best, Ed

Thank you sir!

Thank you- that’s exactly what I’m looking forward to doing when it’s complete!

Thanks for your kind words!

Thank you! Don’t worry- Casper has lots of friends now😁

Thanks for watching and commenting and I’m so pleased to hear that you’ve found some of my content helpful!

So am I……!! Nearly there now. Will be releasing some more footage soon. I’ll make sure to include some details specifically on the filtration set up! Best, Ed

Thank you!!

Thank you!

Great idea and something I’ll see if I can implement in the future! Thanks for watching and commenting! Best, Ed

Thanks for binge watching!! Well done for having a go- getting confidence to make a start is half the battle over already. When you say you had a eureka moment and “its time to take the rocks out and put in the liner” is that you just testing the waters and placing rocks to get a feel for it, or did you forget to add the pond liner?!🤦‍♂️😉

@@CrystalClearAquatics haha, the rocks came out today. The underlay and liner are in and we had our first wet run, rockless. It actually works! My levels are spot on. Once my back has had a rest I’ll reinstate the rocks. Loving the feeling of actually do this!

Thanks very much and good luck with your build!

Thanks very much!

Hi there! Depend on the type of stone- some types lend themselves to splitting much more easily then others!

@@CrystalClearAquatics for the record, because it is much to late for me, what sort are you using there?

York stone (cropped walling). In general I find most sand stone splits relatively easily! What are you using?

@@CrystalClearAquatics Purbeck random walling

Thanks so much for your great comment Malcolm! Your are of course correct; to make the best sort of environment for an out and out wildlife pond pumps/filtration and fish will be a compromise. Pumps can and do occasionally harm some pond life unfortunately- although one could argue that provided the pump is installed in such a way as to minimise impact on wildlife (encased in a high surface area fine aperture cage) the health benefits to oxygenating the pond could out way the minimal impact to wildlife. Fish of course will impact on general pond life, particularly when stocked at the more unnaturally high densities we tend to maintain in ponds. However all being said, despite pumps and fish the pond will still attract wildlife when planted up, I’ll still expect to see boatmen, skaters, diving beetles, damsel fly and dragon fly larvae, amphibians etc etc-and not having a pond at all is ultimately the biggest drawback to such wildlife! You’ve got keen eyes- indeed you’re bang on with identifying the Cercis! Lovely plants, have introduced another (pink) variant elsewhere in the garden. We’re pretty exposed with cold winds thought out winter so hopefully we don’t have any issues….. keep up the good work on your channel! Best, Ed

Thanks mate! If there are any food sponsorship companies out there who are interested they can hit me up….!

Hi there-apologies for the slow response! I use a ‘regular’ Portland cement mix with some additional plasticiser (to help make it a little more workable). I generally use a 4/1 ratio mix (2 soft, 2 sharp, 1 cement) for general use and pond building and a 3/1 (2 soft, 1 sharp, 1 cement) for pointing. There’s no waterproofer in the mix-the intended used of the mortar is to fix the stonework into place, not for water proofing-the pond liner does that! There will of course be a certain amount of lime that leaches out from the mortar as it dries and ages-an initial soak (once it’s fully cured) for a few weeks and then draining, cleaning and refilling gets rid of the bulk of this, although for a year or so the pond water parameters may be a little more alkali/harder then local water quality would usually be as a result of the mortar. Hope this helps! Best, Ed

@@CrystalClearAquatics thanx

Thanks for your comment Ryan- this is an important consideration so well worth asking. Yes- the mortar (cement) rock, gravel will all alter the water parameters. The rock and gravel usually just by buffering the waters alkalinity and hardness but the cement/mortar also leaches out harmful chemicals that could be very poisonous to aquatic life. As you say- the important thing here is to let the pond sit and soak (full of water obviously!) for a week or two (longer if you have time) then fully drain, clean, re-fill and then cycle the pond. Generally one drain and clean is sufficient, although it may be advisable to perform small partial water changes for a few weeks after the fish have gone back int the pond. After one whole season the pond really settles down and the vast majority of any unwanted leaching into the water will have stopped. Always monitor livestock carefully, if possible keep an eye on water parameters by testing and if the fish show signs of stress perform another partial water change. Remember; ‘ The best solution to pollution is dilution’! Hope this helps, Best, Ed

Good question- once the mortar has had a period of full submersion and soaking most of the harmful lime content will have leached out. In this instance leaving the rock work submersed for a few weeks, draining fully and washing down, before refilling with fresh water and leaving the pond to establish for a few weeks was sufficient. Over the course of the next year or so the ph and water hardness will most likely be on the high side, resulting in above average blanketweed growth, the odd partial water change here and there and regular dilution from rain will naturally help to soften this however and by next year water parameters will have settled down. In the mean time I have no issues with my livestock! Hope this helps and thanks for your comment! Best, Ed

@@CrystalClearAquatics brilliant that puts my mind at ease. I will crack on. Thank you.

Thank you! Not heard that before, every day is a school day! Thanks for watching and commenting! Best, Ed

York stone- in this case I’m using guillotined or cropped York stone walling.