1,800 Gallon Koi Pond Eco-System Build Under $800.00 - Part 2

[408karnitas]

Wheres part 3?

[Arteolike]

@408karnitas I made a link in the description.

[sooouuuuper]

omg its really lovely job well done thats a H U G E Pond (?) what did u say ur filtering ir through? lol lol lol my little pond is like really small u have done a great job

[Arteolike]

@sooouuuuper I was filtering through Lava Rocks, They were really hard to clean and did not do the job. So I am currently running 6 cubic feet of Bio-Blox Rainbow Sponge Media. Has over 500 square feet of surface area per cubic foot & was only $14.99/ Shipped a cubic foot. I had 0 Algae/ Water Quality problems this year and I fed my fish over 5 times a day! Great media, Highly recommend it.

[Superthecod]

i diging mine now and im 14

[badgerdemented]

you have mad skills. I wish i could do this when i was your age.

how long did this entire pond take you to make/build?

[Arteolike]

@badgerdemented If I really worked 6- 8 hours/day every day I probably would have finished it fully in a month given all the equipment and money all in one shot, but I had to get bits and pieces and slowly build it. Its still not fully done to this day as you will see in my future video "1,800 Gallon Koi Pond Upgrades & Updates" that will be uploaded soon.

[dan4th1]

Wow, and I'm afraid to start my pond. My koi are in a cattle trough!

[pac6010]

Just the rocks and liner alone would cost you more than $800 so you musta got the hookup but nice pond though. Like the levels and pea gravel, that must be a pain to keep the bottom clean though.

[Arteolike]

@pac6010 Liner $165, Ebay.

Rocks $350 Local Rock Yard.

Pressure washer 3 hours, once a year, gravel clean.

[pac6010]

@Arteolike what you pressure wash with the water in the pond or you drain it ? Meh either way I'm way to lazy to do more than clean the filters monthly. I loath bottom drains and liner bottomed ponds. That's gonna be my next pond.

Wow that's cheap as hell for that rock, cant find a deal like that here, great price on that liner too.

[candigirl1970]

looks like you bit off more than u can chew kid.

[Arteolike]

@candigirl1970 Why? Have you SEEN the end product? Just because of this comment I'm going to throw together a quick update with some pics to show you how nice it actually came out. Watch part 3!

[Arteolike]

@dennisrayso Haha... Not my fault I have this voice!

[n2deepjds]

your mom must really trust you to dig up the back yard

[Arteolike]

@n2deepjds She did, now she doesn't with the bigger future pond, she said it will take too long ;)

[plankafighter]

hey bro, where do you get your black plastic from? it's look very cool the way you build and save alot of money that way. please let me know i want to get one to build my own fish pond.

[Arteolike]

@plankafighter I did not skimp on the "plastic". Its actually EPDM pond liner [Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Mono­mer] It's a black flexible rubber & very UV resistant. Its basically the same stuff used on roofs. I paid $165.00 for it...

[plankafighter]

@Arteolike cool!...pond liner that's what they call? do you mind to tell me where they sell or where i can get one for me? so i can build my fish pond.

[Arteolike]

@plankafighter eBay sells them for the best price.

[plankafighter]

@Arteolike under what name should look for?

[Arteolike]

@plankafighter the Anjon Pond liners with LifeGaurd, Lifetime Warranty! They are true 45 Mil EPDM, don't go for Firestone, it may be advertised as 45 mil but to save costs, all of the Firestone liners are mostly 40 Mil thick. I bought my liner from Pond-Mart.

[plankafighter]

@Arteolike did you put some thing under the liner to protect? just incase something might poke it.

[Arteolike]

@plankafighter Yes, 7oz GeoTextile Pond Underlayment, you can get it on eBay as well.

[plankafighter]

@Arteolike thanks for all the informations bro, if i have question i will contact you again.

[Arteolike]

@plankafighter No problem! If you have any further questions, you can wright a personal message!

[kevindashid]

When you go to sleep, pat yourself on the back.

[mophead013]

Wow this is great. I am a fifteen year old and I am hoping to finish my own backyard pond this weekend. I'm so close, and it's good to know that it could turn out great like yours.

[mxfxdlg]

I am so proud of you, young man. What an extremely refreshing image you give our youth (future). I am particularly impressed with your attention to such details as not leaving the areas stagnant for mosquito infestation. This shows an incredible level of intuition. I would wish you and your cousin well on your endeavor but, what would be the point? I suspect you fellas will be going just as far as you want to in life and I applaud you for your initiative.

[Arteolike]

@mxfxdlg Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully in the future, i may still work around my largest passion... Koi Ponds.

[helicrashpro]

@Arteolike Don't say hopefully. You will be following your passion if you so choose.

[sfx1999]

Nice work.

Just so you know, plastic pipe like ABS and PVC tend to weaken over time when exposed to the sun. Painting the pipe will help improve its life. You would probably want to use a UV resistant paint, too.

Also, ABS isn't rated for pressure in plumbing applications, but that just a plumbing code thing. Since this is a pond that is not connected to your plumbing, the rules do not apply. I would not worry about it.

[Arteolike]

@sfx1999 Yea, True. All my plumbing is Low Pressure. In my external pond pump, i painted the pipe with a green enamel. Thats what i had laying around, i don't need more as soon i will make a fake rock over it for shade, one side will be open for ventilation of course. The rest of the pipe is around 2' underground. cause in the summer the ground is cold and when water passes through the pipe it cools it off. It really works.

[tomanyfish]

Wow for a young man to do this!! On the edges, Pack the dirt really good and use plain bricks/other hard rocks/bricks and rap them ONCE in landscape fabric, NOT plastic, make sure it is fabric, this keep the bricks from peicering the liner,, and place them UNDER the liner on the edges to help keep the edges from collapes on U.. Stack other rocks on top then ON the liner.. My upper liner 50 gal has not had any probs after 8 yrs, even with me leaning on it to maintain the upper pond..

[tomanyfish]

@tomanyfish

Two part: caped at 500 letters! LOL.. I wil get U some pics next week on how I keep my liner from collapsing on me.. I have a bottom 100gal preformed that I like but U are limited on depth with them..

IF U have not already reinforced the edges that is.. U did a GREAT JOB!!

[Arteolike]

@tomanyfish Hey I did reinforce the upper liner lip so it wont collapse, but i used 7 parts sand and 1 part Portland cement, i moistened it till it crumbles when you roll it into a ball. I packed it around the outside edge. It works really well. The top bond is also liner, but there is nothing supporting it, as it the water simply spills into the cascades.

-Thanks for the advice, and if you want me to install you pond, send me a personal message. Arteom

[chustin30]

hmmmm its pretty good but your pond is pretty big so why ya buy small koi, why don't ya buy bigger ones that fits on your pond

[Arteolike]

@chustin30 My pond is actually small. I can keep 8 koi, and thats already overstocked. I bought small koi cause i enjoy to watching them grow. but the main reason is because i cannot simply afford the large koi fish with the colorations that i like.

[popsiclestv]

@chustin30 koi will grow eventually

[Phantim3dx]

only 15 years old and can do things like this. heck im only 27 yrs old and im very impressed. kid you are going to go a long way! You are the next generation of self made guys. good job, and im def subscribing since i plan to build a fish pond some day.

[Arteolike]

@Phantim3dx If you need any help along the way email me at arteomshostak@yahoo.com, i can help you design the pond to pick out the necessary equipment. But, me and a devoted cousin are starting a small pond building business here in Sacramento, CA... if you are at all interested, e-mail me.

[MyDixieRekked]

can't wait for part 3, any ideas when you will do it?

[elegantkoiponds]

Hey it looks great just a suggetion tho if your up to it.... ditch the rocks in the pond they only cause problems Also make your waterfall filter a sand and gravel filter and i bet you that within a copple days it will be gen clear. It looks really good i like your whole pond keep up the work

Jonathan aka mykoikoi from koiphen

[Arteolike]

@elegantkoiponds Um thanks, but i was going for the "Natural look" this pond is only 1,800 gallons, so i am committed to draining it out and pressure cleaning it every year, i got the energy, so why not? And i got SUPER clear water now, beautiful water! I would not build this pond any other way. Now when i get to building my larger pond... i will have a bottom drain TPR's ect...

[elegantkoiponds]

@Arteolike oh ok then as long as your fine with that then it all works then.  keep up the work and i wish you luck on your new biss venture. :D I just now announce my bis venture too. but keep up the work and happy ponding. If you need anything let me know

[MyDixieRekked]

one thing i'm worried about when building my pond in the summer, how did you sort all the electrics for the pump etc? and is your pum internal or external and are the pipes under the pond?

[MyDixieRekked]

@MyDixieRekked also, you are 15 (like me) how did you afford it?

[Arteolike]

@MyDixieRekked WORK! WORK! WORK! I have may cousins in the construction business, and they need help cleaning a home, removing a tree, or hauling trash, and i make money like that.

[Arteolike]

@MyDixieRekked The electricity goes into GFCI outlet in a weather proof power box and water resistant switches. It is wired into a circuit breaker, my dad installed that. My pump is now EXTERNAL, as you will see in part 3. the plumbing goes along side the pond to the waterfall, then via gravity, it runs down into the main pond. Very simple.

[dolittle1992]

when are you going to post part 4

[Arteolike]

@dolittle1992 First i got to post part 3 which is in the making i have a release date on the for the end of July or the second week of August. I hope i can get a part 4 and 5, but we shall see. Thanks for the comment and Subscribe!

[sephoragurl37]

WOW!!! I am completely speechless! I bet your mom and dad are so proud at how smart and talented you are! Great job!! How did you learn so much about how to construct the pond and how did you determine where to place the rocks?

[Arteolike]

@sephoragurl37 You talk to nature i guess... lol =) It is just a hard proses of do what you think is best. It might be simple but you really need to work with rock work a long time before you can understand how it will look and come together in the end. I never understood this when pro pond people said it, but now i get it, i also got a ton of inspiration from ThePondDigger, and some educational stuff from Thepondhunter. If you ever need a pond installed for cheap PM ME!!!

[sephoragurl37]

@Arteolike I would love, love, LOVE for you to build me a pond, BUT unfortunately you're in Cali and I'm in Mississippi... ;-( Just my luck...

[Arteolike]

@sephoragurl37 Aw, that sucks, well i bet with some hard work you can make something just as beautiful. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask

-Arteom

[Arteolike]

@Neakiaro Again I told you, I am not interested in that stuff, strange but true. I am more interested in aquariums, koi keeping & breeding, pondering and pond building, and RC Hobbies, like helicopters. I sometimes sit down to make a firework show on Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 but other than that nothing, i got a PS3 for Christmas, that i only played 3 times for like 5 min, and i was really upset for getting one as a Christmas present too. On top of that i am home schooled

[howdybillybob]

wait.. you really ARE 14? psh.

what are you? some kind of pond designer?!

[Arteolike]

@howdybillybob Thanks i guess. I am what you call me, i guess i design & build ponds!?! I would like to start a small business here in Sacramento, of building small ponds and pond less waterfalls and water features.

I am not sure if your comment is supposed to be mean, or friendlily, but ill just take it as friendly. Oh and yes i really WAS 14 when i posted this, my B-Day (May 28 ,1995) Passed not to long ago. Thanks for the sub too.

[howdybillybob]

@Arteolike yeah it was friendly. i want to see that third part!! but surely your folks have been helping you build or fund, at least?

[Arteolike]

@howdybillybob Help build... No, i don't let them cause i know they wont do it right, you know want they say, you want it done right you got to do it yourself. =) But they did support me and gave me like $300 - $350 because this pond went way out of my budget and i made many upgrades. Other than that, and my dad helping me load and unload rocks from the rock yard, and move the larger stones in place (like 3, lol) Its all me! =)

[Dima122334]

Nice pond and can't wait until the part 3

Your the man

[chengaun]

Your the man! Sweet pond! =)

[knothole5]

nice pond kid you seem to have brushed up on some knowledge "nice" i am also building a pond about a thousand gallons ill post a vid when i can peace from kalifornia

[gumper5242]

WOW , looking good so far ! Looking forward to seeing the finished pond !

[pondguru]

This is a great project for a first pond. What did you use as underlay under the rubber liner?

[Arteolike]

@pondguru

Hey, I used a Heavy Duty, 8oz Geo-Textile Anjon® Commercial Quality Pond Underlayment. Its a Needle Punched Felt.

On top i have a 45 Mil EPDM Anjon® Pond liner with Fish-Guard® With a Proven UV resistance rate will not tear or degrade for 90+ years if exposed full UVA & UVB rays

With this combo i received a slip for a LIFETIME WARRANTY Firestone® Only offers a 20 - 25 year warranty!

[pondguru]

You da man.

Yes.

You da man.

I can't wait to see the finished pond so I gave you a sub.

[Arteolike]

@pondguru Thanks! I didn't see that! I already subscribed to you, long time ago...

[TheBworleyiii]

Looks great! When you put in the spider filter system I would like to see how that is done step by step.

I have made some pockets for creeping jennies put dirt in the pockets now my water is real dirty. Would cat litter have worked better than dirt or even pea gravel?

[Arteolike]

@TheBworleyiii No DO NOT USE KITTY LITER!! PLEASE! I used it on an aquarium... see cheap kitty litter contains bentonite powder, a clay, and what happens is over time it turns mushy and clouds the water, on top of that, it will clog the gills of small koi. When you make a planter pocket, did you line the inside with two layers of pond underlayment? Then added dirt, i always do that. Plants like dirt - bar none, my creeping Jennie LOVES moss! Parrot feather can be planted in gravel though

[Arteolike]

@TheBworleyiii Oh an i ran out of room to write, The spider system is easy to install, my friend's pond is so clear, and he DOES NOT HAVE ANY FILTRATION!!! No waterfall filter, skimmer, nada! Just a DIY Spider system going into and external pump and into his top waterfall pond. he does have over 10" of gravel on the bottom, i am only going to have around 4" -6" plus it will be installed with a back wash feature, so if it clogs i can rinse the pipes. 100% will do a step-by-step!

[TheBworleyiii]

@Arteolike Only DIY spider filters site to purchase that I found was in the UK. Do you know a site in the US.

No, I used sand for an under liner. My pond is a year old. I just added plants this spring, "month ago".

[Arteolike]

@TheBworleyiii Yes i could not find any other spider filer for the US myself, i life in California, so i cant get them shipped here, but even if i could, i can build it myself, with just some pipes, glue, fittings, and a drill.

I meant to say line the planter pocket with some underlay, go to the store buy some underlay, and line the inside of the hole you are going to add soil and your plant, then it will contain most of the soil till the roots take over and it will not cloud up the water. =)

[10kpondguy]

finally, the second part is here.

[Arteolike]

@10kpondguy

Yeah, third part will be up soon.

[10kpondguy]

@Arteolike very good. looks really nice.