I built one of my ponds on the side of my house between the house and block wall. It was close to existing pool equipment, so I had power for the pump. It consisted of a small rubber liner pond around 5 feet by 6 feet, skimmer, upper falls filter and 10 foot long river. I tapped into the existing sprinkler system running nearby that allowed me to add a little water every time the sprinklers ran.
The skimmer consisted of a plastic tub with a pool flapper on one end with filter material and a pump located inside. The bio-falls was made using a Rubbermaid garbage can. I put a section of honeycomb grid light diffuser on top of four pieces of plastic pipe; followed by lava rock, topped with two circulate floor scrubber mats, which fit the can perfectly.
The skimmer worked well, but cracked after about 4 years and had to be replaced. The bio-falls worked extremely well, but was a pain to clean and also cracked after I put some Cattails into the can. The roots swelled so large that they burst through the side.
Lessons Learned:
Careful with what plants you use and where. I had the cattails break the upper filter can; also, the Tarro plants overran the stream and caused a blockage that diverted water to the ground.
I had issues with the coping stones continuously falling into the pond.
I went too cheap on the plastic skimmer box and it didn’t stand up to the elements.
Still, it was a nice addition with the sounds of water, flashes of goldfish and beautiful flowers.
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