Thursday, August 30, 2012
Gaz
Or is that the end of the beginning, well either way the fibreglassing has finally started on the pond! A landmark moment and one we are very pleased to see start.
Before we went away to Greece we had spoken to John (The Fibreglasser) to arrange this to start, but then shock horror on our return it turned out his van had broken down and it would take until next week for the part needed to be fitted (big sad face!).
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| The pond, empty and ready for fibreglassing |
But as luck would have it the van was fixed and we got a call on Tuesday night that John would be over on Wednesday to get started (big happy face! - can you see how easily pleased we are?)
John got started on Wednesday and we should be finished by the weekend (hurrah!).
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| John and his assistant starting the work. |
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| Initial layer of fibreglass, the final finish will be black. |
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| Round the surface skimmer |
So is that the beginning of the end or rather the end of the beginning? Well actually its a bit of both, structurally the pond will be water tight, and then the only remaining works on the pond itself will be to fit the window and set the coping stones on top of the walls (plus one or two minor jobs like touch up the paint and hide the post brackets). So in that sense we are near the end of that part of the project.
Once that's all done we can get the filters set up and then finish off the landscaping - decking, greenhouses pathways etc. Thinking of those parts of the project make me think we are much more at the end of the beginning, with the pond phase nearly over we can move onto the remaining phases. These will not have the same level of manual labour, nor the same complexity (who am I kidding - the filters may be complex!).
Anyway, to reflect on the fiberglass, once that's finished we need to let it cure before we can wash it down, although the type of chemicals used will be safe for fish (John has been doing this for many years, so knows exactly what he is doing), there can be some residue left at first. Then the pond can be filled with water, at this stage we have to decide whether to add a pond treatment to the water. Treatments can be used to help reduce chlorine and some fish keepers always use treat when adding new water.
In our current pond we don't add anything when conducting a water change, and have noticed no ill effects to the fish, we tend to only treat when we are aware of a problem, for example if the fish are reacting to a parasite or have injured themselves through boisterous play or jumping up against the coping stones on the pond. We also like to treat blanket-weed, this soon can become a pain in the pond, we have tried an electronic controller in the past, but have found this isn't as effective as adding a specific treatment to clear it.
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| Our current Koi Pond |
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| Current fish waiting for their new home to be ready |
However we cant add the water until the window and filters are connected, so we still have some time to think about that...
Gaz
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
You guys have been so dedicated to finishing this project that I can imagine how you felt to come home looking forward to the fiberglass being done and find it not, but you are almost ready. You have to be super excited to be this near.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
It's really starting to come together now!
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting time for you! What will you do with your current koi pond once the new one is finished?
ReplyDeleteI was going to ask the same question as the outlaw, and I also wondered exactly how you will move the fish from their current home to their new one?
ReplyDeleteYay for fiberglass! Is it smelly?
It's so good to see your progress. It's like watching a pregnancy unfold. The birth of your baby is imminent, LOL.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cher and Martin, finally its all falling into place!
ReplyDeleteOutlaw, the current pond is also home to several goldfish who will stay where they are. We are thinking about several options with this pond, possibly using it as a growing on pond for smaller fish before they can graduate to the new pond. Several ideas but nothing planned yet.
Loree, the fibreglass is very smelly! we got a headache just having a look yesterday evening, I cant imagine spending all day with it.
Gerhard, :) it has been like that at times, although if only the gestation period was 9 months for this baby!
Wahoo, wahoo, wahoo!!! The fish look like they're excited, too!
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see if the koi make use of all the space in the new pond or if they stick together.
ReplyDeleteb-a-g This pond will be over 8 times larger than the existing pond so hopefully they will appreciate the additional space to swim.
ReplyDeleteYour koi look like they are as eager as you to see the new pond finished! I also am an excited onlooker. Other than the filters, it sounds like most that is remaining is the fun stuff. Any approximate date tp expect a completed pond?
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that your pond is closer to being finished. Love that koi photo! *Wish I had a pond.*
ReplyDeleteyes, it can really be the end of a beginning or vice-versa. I am ignorant of most of the things there, i thought a pond is laid out with tiles, didn't know about fiberglass added to it :-). It certainly is a big and long project, and am sure lots of cost. We are excited to see the final product.
ReplyDeleteSinging and dancing, "I'm so excited, da da-da, da da da!" I'm like a fish in a little pond, flipping and flapping waiting to see my new home! I am so in awe of you guys too...you have persisted and continued on this project over a long period and through all seasons. Cannot wait to see the final product!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. That is a huge step forward, and it's going to be a wonderful home for the Koi. They will be so happy once they settle in. How many do you have?
ReplyDeleteI found getting the filtration exactly right to be the most complex part of the process for my little pond, but you seem to know what you are doing.
Hi Debs, yes most of whats left should be fun, hoping to be mostly finished over the Autumn, but probably be Spring now before fully finished.
ReplyDeleteFloriadagirl, not long to go now :)
Andrea, ponds like this are often lined with fibreglass, or a liner. Tiles are generally not used for fish ponds more for decorative water features.
Hazel, im sure if they could sing they would be, soon be in their new home!
Hoover, filtration will be quite a puzzle, fitting everything together
So exciting to see the pond nearly ready for filling, although the filter business sounds as if it could be an adventure in itself. Don't you feel a little daunted that there is still so much other stuff to do? So much hard work, and still so much more before you can relax on your new decking and admire your handiwork, perhaps with your other koi-loving friends. Or maybe you will be bored once you are finished...
ReplyDeleteGetting excited about this now.
ReplyDelete