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Thread: Freds P.I gardening thread

  1. #61
    Trusted Member stevewool's Avatar
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    all looking good Fred, so if we decide to lease a plot from you do we get to use the lake, either by rowing boat or fishing for our dinner, and even swimming/floating in it too


  2. #62
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Terpe View Post
    Fred, I don't know if this is a silly question, but I'll risk it anyway.
    Is there a reason why you used concrete construction rather than a premium grade RPE Liner? Was it just down to cost?

    As far as I know there is no liner available here... But even if there were I would use concrete every time because of the bottom drain system.. The bottom drain is at the deepest part of the pond and everything slopes downward towards it..Just before the drain inlet there will be a small concrete vortex.. That vortex will pull in fish waste and algae when the pump operates which then goes into the concrete settling tank..
    You can do this with a PVC liner but imagine the nightmare if you ever had a tear or leak??
    Absolutely no reason not to use concrete IMO although some say it raises PH.. This is completely untrue.
    Concrete ponds done properly should last a lifetime and are pretty much maintenance free.


  3. #63
    Respected Member imagine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fred View Post
    As far as I know there is no liner available here... But even if there were I would use concrete every time because of the bottom drain system.. The bottom drain is at the deepest part of the pond and everything slopes downward towards it..Just before the drain inlet there will be a small concrete vortex.. That vortex will pull in fish waste and algae when the pump operates which then goes into the concrete settling tank..
    You can do this with a PVC liner but imagine the nightmare if you ever had a tear or leak??
    Absolutely no reason not to use concrete IMO although some say it raises PH.. This is completely untrue.
    Concrete ponds done properly should last a lifetime and are pretty much maintenance free.
    in past concrete or cement work iv done, to waterproof i added pva to the mix, also when the cement or concrete drys it is much tougher and less likely to crack,

    but if you use it find out if it is none toxic once dry, i think myself because it is hard and water tight, it wont contaminate the pond water


  4. #64
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by imagine View Post
    in past concrete or cement work iv done, to waterproof i added pva to the mix, also when the cement or concrete drys it is much tougher and less likely to crack,

    but if you use it find out if it is none toxic once dry, i think myself because it is hard and water tight, it wont contaminate the pond water
    Cheers for that... We are mixing a waterproofing here with the concrete called Sahara..Also the final 1/2 inch will be close to neat cement with the Sahara mixed in too..
    I`ll let it all cure for a couple of weeks before putting in water and then I`ll run it through the pump and filtration with loads of charcoal to get rid of the nasties..Probably for another 2/3 weeks.. Then I`ll stick the plants in and let them develop before adding fish..
    Hopefully it should be OK by then..
    What do you think?


  5. #65
    Respected Member imagine's Avatar
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    i think you got it well sorted fred

    know anything about getting rid of moles, iv been blessed with one in my lawn, my gardens beginning to look like chocolate hills


  6. #66
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by imagine View Post
    i think you got it well sorted fred

    know anything about getting rid of moles, iv been blessed with one in my lawn, my gardens beginning to look like chocolate hills
    Yes I do... Same thing...Lots of cement!


  7. #67
    Respected Member imagine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fred View Post
    Yes I do... Same thing...Lots of cement!


  8. #68
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Concreting and render done on the pond..We just finished an hour ago!! Whew.. Too damned hot for manual work me thinks!
    Now the Mrs has seen it she wants it as a kids swimming pool..
    Not going to happen!!

    pond7.jpgpond8.jpgpond9.jpg


  9. #69
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    Going to be lots of mozzies !


  10. #70
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    Going to be lots of fishing

    Hope it's not dynamite


  11. #71
    Respected Member imagine's Avatar
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    looking good


  12. #72
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grahamw48 View Post
    Going to be lots of mozzies !
    Actually Graham,I reckon a pond reduces Mozzie population... They lay eggs in water yes but guess what eats the eggs and wrigglers?? Fish!
    The mozzies will hang around and lay more eggs until they eventually receive their pension and give up the ghost..
    I may have to net the pond as we have a littl`n here but that should keep out the frogs and Heron too..


  13. #73
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Terpe View Post
    Going to be lots of fishing

    Hope it's not dynamite

    I wish I had dynamite just before we did the small amount of solid rock excavation..
    Probably illegal ano?


  14. #74
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by imagine View Post
    looking good

    Cheers Imagine.. Actually,Im really proud of this one as I did most of the render myself..
    No small feat in this climate.


  15. #75
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    Quote Originally Posted by fred View Post
    Actually Graham,I reckon a pond reduces Mozzie population... They lay eggs in water yes but guess what eats the eggs and wrigglers?? Fish!
    The mozzies will hang around and lay more eggs until they eventually receive their pension and give up the ghost..
    I may have to net the pond as we have a littl`n here but that should keep out the frogs and Heron too..
    Absolutely right Fred (I was just joking of course).

    That's why you can find millions of those little 'Mosquito Fish'....a variation on the better-known 'Guppy' living in some bodies of fresh water in the Phils...originally imported from Central America in hopes of cleaning up the mozzys.

    Oh and yes, safety of the little ones has to be paramount where water is concerned.

    Anyway, well done in all that heat. I'd love to be there getting my hands dirty doing that kind of thing.


  16. #76
    Trusted Member stevewool's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fred View Post
    Concreting and render done on the pond..We just finished an hour ago!! Whew.. Too damned hot for manual work me thinks!
    Now the Mrs has seen it she wants it as a kids swimming pool..
    Not going to happen!!

    pond7.jpgpond8.jpghttp://filipinaroses.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=428691pond9.jpg
    looking good there Fred


  17. #77
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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  18. #78
    Respected Member tiger31's Avatar
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    wow that looks great fred how long before you stock up


  19. #79
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tiger31 View Post
    wow that looks great fred how long before you stock up
    Ive got a few minnows swimming around in their now to help start the nitrification process.. I will add 2 small koi a month..Not too many whilst the system is still not mature.. That could take 6 months to achieve I reckon..
    Me and the kids went for a dip in it after we first filled it up...Even my Aussie neighbour jumped in with a cold beer!! Its amazing how a bit of water livens the place up..
    Definitely a people magnet.
    There`s a bloke selling Koy and gold fish on the roadside in Tag.. 2 "long ,50 Pesos each..
    Ive been told that it takes about 5 years till they get really big..
    Never had a pond before so a bit of a learning curve for me..
    Good fun though.
    Im thinking my next project somewhere down the road is a swimming pool.. Cant be that hard to DIY for around 150,000 K..


  20. #80
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    Looking good Fred.

    Good approach to stocking too, to allow time for the water to become 'balanced'.

    I'd quarantine any new stock too, preferably in a glass-sided aquarium so you can get a good look. Treat for parasites like white spot etc while isolated in a small quantity of water...much cheaper than trying to treat a whole pond further down the line.

    Likewise with plants (bath of Potassium Permanganate, or even just strong salt solution for a few minutes if nothing else to hand).

    You get more pathogens coming in on plants and snails than anything else.


  21. #81
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Salt Graham?? Should I do that now or only if I see problems with fish??
    So I have about 9,000 liters of water..How much salt approx? Any idea?


  22. #82
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    Don't worry too much about the existing water Fred, as long as you leave it a few days to evaporate (?) off any treatment chemicals like chlorine.

    Concentrate on treating any additions to the pond...ie, plants and fish, by immersing them in trays for instance (plants) or glass/clear plastic sided tank (fish or plants) of treatment I suggested. Much easier and cheaper to treat in the small containers BEFORE risking getting diseases and pests into the main body of water.

    4 essential treatments always to have if you keep fish:

    1. White-Spot treatment.

    2. Fungal infection treatment (though salt may do in an emergency).

    3. Non-Iodised salt.

    4. Potassium Permanganate (for sterilising equipment and plants).

    + QUARANTINE tank . Put new fish in for at least one week.


  23. #83
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    Did I read that you have Ozone filters too Fred ?

    They hopefully will take care of most of the pathogens already in the pond of course.


  24. #84
    Respected Member tiger31's Avatar
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    is there going to be no shade at all in the pond ?because the algea will grow rapidly i think .A friend of mine built a pond in uk similar size to yours uncovered after 12 months the water was like pea soup lol and could,nt see his fish .so he put up a tarpulin and added a U.V light and the problem went away .


  25. #85
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Did I read that you have Ozone filters too Fred ?
    What?? You mean my pond has an Ozone layer??
    That should stop the UV making Algae!!
    I used to keep a marine tank in the UK so I do have some understanding of water Chemistry how to convert Ammonia/ nitrites to nitrates which is then consumed by plants like lillies ect..

    Those crates are full of plastic shreds and as the water runs over them the Good bacteria starts to colonize and its these that convert Ammonia and nitrite into nitrate..
    I have heard that pond keepers occasionally "salt their ponds" and never really looked into it..
    I will now so thank Graham.

    is there going to be no shade at all in the pond ?because the algea will grow rapidly i think .A friend of mine built a pond in uk similar size to yours uncovered after 12 months the water was like pea soup lol and could,nt see his fish .so he put up a tarpulin and added a U.V light and the problem went away .
    Yeah I know! Not full sun as we have tree shade but we are looking at different types of cheap tarp and fishing nets till the Talisay tree covers the whole pond..


  26. #86
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Huge algae bloom a week after water went in so covered the pond with a kubu.. water almost clear now after 2 weeks in shade..
    Bro in law is using pond water for his veg.. I cant believe the crop results so far! Amazing..





    New stream under construction.. Lots of plants and veg going in this area for obvious reasons.


  27. #87
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    Looking great Fred.

    Yes, you'll certainly find that the water from the pond will be very rich in nutrients for vegetables and other garden plants etc.

    I always used water out of my fish tanks for irrigation in the garden and for pot plants. Also in my (separate) aquatic plant tanks.

    Partial water changes are a must to maintain water quality in a 'closed' aquatic environment if you want to have a decent stocking level, so being able to use the old water productively is a bonus.


  28. #88
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Our local curry house has to travel to Cebu to get hot pepper ingredients, so I thought I would help out by growing some rare peppers here on this island.. Bhut Jolokia (Ghost peppers) that are over 1 million on the Scoville scale to help them out.
    I`m 5 months on into growing this plant which by all accounts can live and produce for 10 years and beyond..
    I think I need a bigger pot as this one is now root bound.





  29. #89
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    Looks great Fred

    I've been growing some of those regular small chillies. Recently my plants have been attacked and eaten by ants I think. Any idea how to stop that ?

    I'd like to grow some banana also, any ideas on that ?


  30. #90
    Moderator fred's Avatar
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    Thanks Peter.
    I might make some fruit into a pepper spray in preparation for our next trip to Manila!


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