Building a cement pond

Building a 75 -150 gallon, outdoor, cement pond may be cheaper than you think. Save hundreds of dollars by doing it yourself. The size pond described here is a 75 gallon , 4x5x2 pond and should run you about $300.dollars or less depending on what you may already have, for example shovel or wheel barrel. By making it just a foot or two deeper, or wider, it will hold a lot more. Of course it will cost you more too, but the added cost is minuscule.

On a scale of 1 through 10 the complexity of this task is a 4 if your male or 5 if your female. The hardest part of this job is the work out you'll get digging a 4' x 5'x 2' minimum size hole in the ground for the 75 gal pond. If you have a bad back don't attempt this task or get a friend to help you. The two foot depth listed above is for warmer climates where temperatures rarely dip below 35deg. If you are up north or in a state where temperatures dip below 32deg freezing point than I recommend you dig a deeper hole by at least a foot. This will provide a warmer space below the forming ice that will help keep your fish from freezing in cold winter days.
Fish need a temperature of 78deg, plus or minus 2. Use a heater if necessary.

Note: If it is not necessary to dig deep, then spare yourself the hard work. I tell you this because after digging a three foot deep pond and stocking it with fish, I realized I was not enjoying the fish because they spent most their time below view. After a year I ended up temporarily re-housing the fish, draining the pond, filling it with dirt and resurfacing it with cement. Luckily it was previously a plastic molded pond and not a waist of cement. It had developed a leak anyway.

For a pond of this size I recommend a fiber reinforced, water retention cement. It will last longer than liners or molded ponds because cement strengthens with ageing and fibers prevent cracking. For larger ponds liners are the way to go.

Included in the cost of the pond you will need about (14) 50lbs bags of fiber reinforced surface bonding cement made by Sakrete @ approx ($4.50 per bag), also a wheel barrel ($40.)and shovel ($20.) if you don't already have one. these can be found at Home depot, Lowes or your local home improvement store. The cement alone will cost you about ($60.) dollars plus tax. That's not bad for a 75 gallon cement pond when compared to a plastic molded one that can eventually dry rot and develop leaks.

Then you will need a submersible pond kit able to pump 250 Gph or more.
I recommend the Danner pond kit. If you shop around especially on line you can find one for($88.99) at many pet supply stores. This kit includes the 250 Gph pump and a large area filter container that's 1.5' by 1.5' by only 3'' high. The pump may be stronger than this the stronger the better.It also contains the tube to connect the pump to the filter and a horn shaped discharge pipe that can be adjusted to discharge water in an umbrella like form up to 1.5 '' in circumference this looks pretty neat. The pump provides an additional outlet which i use to hook up a water fall made from a large clay pot with a hole in the center. This pot has also been included in the cost, Approx. ($20) dollars or less. Along with a 3/4'' ID tygone tubing required for the connection of the pot, ($10).

Also needed are some thin brick pavers of your choice to complement the perimeter of your new pond. For a pond of the above size you will need roughly 60 pavers at about .58Cents each,($35.) To decorate and help algae get established you should cover the bottom of the pond with large pond stones. Large stones make cleaning or vacuuming easy because they are heavy and large enough to prevent getting vacuumed up. In case of smaller stones a screen on your wetvac's hose will also help.
Note: It is not necessary to clean your entire pound periodically, this combined with a change in water will stress the fish and you may lose some. Always add chlorine remover to new water being added even if its only a couple gallons of fresh water to bring up the water level. I use prime chlorine remover found at Petco, about ($7) dollars a bottle. Only clean your pond when there is excessive sludge, leaves or other debree accumulating at the bottom.
Algae is a sign of a healthy eco system it will make the pond look natural and is a source of oxygen and food for your fish.

Buy 3 bags of porous rocks (found at any garden center) @ about ($3.75) ea. These will be used to spread on the bottom of the pond as a sub base for the cement. Save 1/4 of a bag for future use in your filter.
I recommend replacing the cloth filter media that came in your filter kit with some of the small porous rocks on your first filter cleaning. You will know its time to clean the filter when the water flow from your waterfall is no longer strong. You should use the new small rocks in place of the cloth filter because it will provide longer filter operations and less cleanings intervals (about once a month), it also makes a good breeding ground for bacteria to grow on and can be rinsed and reused without further expense to you.

Oh! and make sure you thoroughly rinse these small rocks in a bucket until the cloudy water turns clear.

Well know that you know all the costly items you will need to build this pound there is just one thing left you will need to find, but don't worry this is a low cost item which you should be able to find for free,.. the Sunday paper.

"Why do I need the Sunday paper to build this pond?" you ask.

Well lets get started. You will need the Sunday paper because out of all the news papers around it has largest quantity of paper in it. It will also be used to form a liner with a clean workable surface to lay the cement for your pond.

Getting started:
1. Dig a hole 5' long by 4 ' wide by 2 ' deep or larger if you prefer. It is very important to slope the inner walls of your pond to help keep the cement in place when applying it.This hole can be made in any shape you like, but try to keep the edges level. If your ground has a slope you may need to build up one end of the pond's hole with dirt. This can be facilitated with a 4"level and a couple of 2x4 wood studs.

2. Lay about 2'' of small rocks on the ground and pack it down tight. Strike it with brick or a wide heavy object to do this.

3. Lay the news paper in sheets of three all along he sides and top of the hole forming a skirt that's 1 foot wide around the perimeter. This will later be used for laying your pavers. Make sure you have covered any exposed dirt.

4. Spray a fine mist of water to dampen the papers and hold them in place.

5. Next, Mix your bags of cement one at a time in a wheel barrel or a large plastic container with a shovel or 1/2''drill and mixer. The fiber reinforced surface cement is a premix and only requires the addition of water. Add the required amount of water as described by the manufacturer on the bag, little by little, until your powdered cement is fully saturated but only to the point where it no longer clumps with pockets of powdered cement. It should flow freely from the wheel barrel like lava from a volcano. Caution: too wet or to dry will cause it to crack.
Follow the instructions on the package.

6. Wheel the wheel barrel close to the pond and ensure the newspapers are still damp.
Then scooping up the cement mixture with your hands and starting from the bottom edges of the pond strategically place it along the sides of the wall until you reach the top,using surgical gloves if you wish, and hand pack it to a thickness of 2". Only a thin 1'' layer is required along the top skirt. When applying the cement on the sides it will tend to slide down along the walls, this is where the sloped walls come in handy and keep the cement from just falling to the ground. your bottom corners may come out thicker than 2'' because of this but that's o.k. it adds strength. If you wish..a framed wall can be built to support the cement, but this will just add time and money.

7. When the sides are complete exit the pond carefully and finish forming the skirt.

8. Place your paver bricks all along the perimeter how ever you find appealing. A rough lay out on the ground after the hole is dug will make this step very easy and you will know exactly how many pavers you will need for your specific shape. let pavers set in the cement and give them 24 hours to cure.

9. After 24 hrs check pavers with hand pressure make shure they have started to cure. They should be able to support your standing weight without shifting or cracking.

10. Place a 2x4 across the pond from your end to the other.Place some cement over the gravel on the bottom of the pond and using the 2x4 as a support for your arm & chest spread the cement in an oval pattern. The 2x4 will aid in avoiding any hand pressure along the side walls of the pond. Doing so my crack the already dried but not fully cured cement.

11. When your pond is complete let fully cure for at least 5 days. Protect from rain and debree with a cover. lite morning due or mist will help to strengthen the cement. when fully cured, if you wish you may paint the interior black so that forming algae do not create an image of a dirty pond. You may also paint the bricks a different color. Of course use a water resistant paint or stain such as the ones used by pools. Hook up all pond equipment as I suggested above or IAW manufacturer's instructions.

12. After all cement and paints have fully cured add water with the appropriate amount of prime chlorine remover.

13. Let water aerate and condition for about 5 days and if you wish add plants and lilies to help produce oxygen for your fish.

14. Finally after the 5 days of water conditioning buy and add reasonably priced fish. Breeder gold fish make an excellent pond starting fish because they are inexpensive at about 12 fish for a dollar and they will help begin the eco cycle needed before more expensive fish are introduced.

15. Periodically check your pond's water condition with a pond test kit which may run you anywhere between $10. to $25. dollars depending on size. These kits are needed to check ammonia, pH, nitrates and salt levels. But don't worry a fresh water pond does not require daily monitoring and once established can go for a long time without checking.