American Society of Landscape Architects

Landscape Architects Identify Trends for 2007

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --"Sustainable design is bigger than ever and homeowners and commercial building owners alike are looking to utilize outdoor spaces even more. The New Year will bring a number of exciting and creative design solutions from landscape architects.

Homeowners are requesting that landscape architects design complete outdoor rooms, such as kitchens and bars, for entertaining. Water features such as koi ponds, waterfalls, and fountains continue to be popular (with no signs of slowing), according to a new survey of leading members of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). "

The American Nurseryman Association reports that "water features are the fastest growing trend in landscaping since 1990 (2007 should break all records. )"

Regionally, in-ground pools will add about 5 percent to the value of a home in the Northeast, about 6 percent in the Midwest, and 7. 5 percent in the Southeast and West. In the Southwest, a swimming pool will add nearly 11 percent to the home's value.

If you add a $35,000 pool to a $300,000 house, you will just barely recover your initial expense. However, you still have the high maintenance cost and you have just limited the future buyers of your home to people who want a pool. Therefore, you have actually reduced the equity in your home. On the other hand, everyone loves a beautiful water feature, young and old! Therefore, increased equity!

Swimming pools require constant attention and maintenance. Unlike ponds, pool owners cannot rely on the nitrogen cycle to lend a hand at keeping the water healthy. This can only be accomplished by due diligence and a myriad of chemicals. Unlike a pond, the enjoyment of a pool comes from its use; and for most regions of the country, the climate dictates a very short period of time for pool use. Unless you heat your pool, then your dumping more money in your pool.

A pond requires minimal attention compared to swimming pool. Once a properly constructed pond is established with the right proportion of fish, plants and biological elements, a pond will take care of itself, the rest is enjoyment, year round. You do not need to use a pond as you do a pool, it only need to exist for you to enjoy.

2. ) What do I do about the safety of my small children or grandchildren? How big should it be? Is this something I can do on my own or do I need professional help building a pond?

Unlike a swimming pool, ponds can be child proofed, with very little expense. A swimming pool, however, requires special self-closing gates with special latches. Another required code requirement is 95-decibel alarms on all exit doors leading to the back yard.

And for your added peace of mind, you can install an unsightly, removable, lightweight fence that cost hundreds of dollars. Then you can continually agonize over whether you, or someone else, forgot to close the fence gate.

A pond, however, can be filled with large boulders, which can be removed later when the children are grown. Or you can construct a pondless waterfall to begin with. Now you still can enjoy the sight and sound of cascading water without the concerns for safety.

An added advantage of a pondless waterfall is that a pondless waterfall costs less to construct and maintain. A pondless waterfall can be added to your front yard, meet all building code requirements, increase curb appeal, and thereby increase the equity and the resale value of your home.

The "size of the water feature" is a relative term. There are many factors that need to be considered. Far more than can be be discussed in the space I have allotted for this article. I will cover it in my next article. A few questions to ask yourself: How big is your yard? Where do you spend the majority of your time?

What is your budget? How is the size, shape and topography of your yard related to certain limitations regarding the building codes? Will the existing water table affect your water feature? Does your property currently have adequate drainage? Do you have underground utilities? If so, where are they located? What are the local building codes regarding pond depth? Do you need a building permit, or a licensed contractor? . . . just to name a few of the topics covered.

Whether you need a professional contractor is another article. What type of access do you have to your property? Do you want large boulders? If so, is there proper clearance for a crane or Bobcat? How do you find a qualified contractor? How do you go about qualifying them? Are they properly licensed? Insured? Bonded? Workmen's compensation? Liability insurance? Hospitalization? References? Background checks and much, much more. Do your homework and proper research prior to commencement, it could save you thousands of dollars.

3. ) What is the single most important first step in building a water feature? What about equipment? Should I get koi fish and a turtle? Where should I place my pond and waterfall? All these questions can be addressed with two words: Plan & Design!

First, decide where you spend most of your leisure activity. . . . family room, living room, patio etc. Your waterfall and pond should be in close proximity to that location. Not in the far corner of your property. Sound and visualization are two of the major benefits of a waterfall and pond. These decisions are part of the planning process. Once you decide on these issues, the design process begins.

The best way to approach this phase is to consider a digital design. There are companies that can produce an incredible digitally designed, virtual photo of your backyard, by simply providing them with a digital photo of the area you want the water feature located. You may opt to digitally design your own. There are digital design programs that are simple to master on your own for less than a hundred dollars. Just search the web by typing in digitally designed ponds or waterfalls.

The type of equipment you should use is dependent upon the size of your pond. Your budget is another factor. If you have a small budget, you're looking at designing a small pond. In addition, look at the available options for construction materials.

You can buy a rubber liner kit and install it yourself, or have a rubber-liner-kit-installer-guy install it for you. Bottom line, either way, is there is no guarantee against bucked-toothed critters such as mice, rats, ground squirrels, gophers and ground hogs, from burrowing underneath your expensive rubber liner and chewing a hole in it. Concrete (3500psi) and rebar is the best construction method, and if done correctly, will last for generations. Concrete ponds cost only 10 to 20% more to build than liner ponds.

Your pond will require less maintenance if you allow the nitrogen cycle to do all the work. This means you need to do your part by providing the elements needed for the nitrogen cycle to operate. The fish provide the waste which produces nitrates and ammonia. Certain essential bacteria break down the nitrates and ammonia into safe byproducts used by the plants and other organisms.

Once this process is started, with the aid of a biological filter and possibly an ultraviolet light, future maintenance is minimal and routine. An above ground, high efficiency pump produces more water flow at half the energy and less initial cost than a sump pump used with liner ponds. The savings in electrical costs alone could easily pay for the additional cost of professional concrete construction in less three years.

4. ) Where do I find the equipment and construction material I need to complete my project? How do I know what size filter, pump or ultraviolet light I need? If I want to have a concrete pond and waterfall shell, Where do I begin?

The internet is the best place to start looking for equipment. Local pond stores are usually higher priced, because of overhead expense. Most of the internet dealers are knowledgeable on sizing pumps, filters and ultraviolet lights to any size pond or waterfall. However, keep in mind, most on line dealers are trying to push pond liners, sump pumps and pond liner-related filters and accessories.

Look for energy efficient pumps first, and those dealers will carry concrete pond related products such as bottom drains, pool type skimmers and pressured, back-flushable biological bead filters. Also, Liner dealers sell the cheap mechanical autofill devices, because of a high profit margin.

Make sure you invest in a reliable electronic autofill system that is less likely to malfunction such as the levelors and aquafill systems. A stuck float could result in the chlorine poisoning death of all your fish and possibly thousands of dollars in flood damage.

If you act as your own project manager, you can get competitive bids from local concrete contractor for pouring your pond and waterfall shell. Also find a stone mason who will build your waterfall using mortar. With liner ponds and waterfalls, the rocks sit on the liner and can easily move when stepped on by adults or children resulting in serious accidents.

Trying to save hundreds up front, could possibly cost you thousands down the road. You get what you pay for.

Penny wise and [pond] foolish? Happy koi, peace & joy.

Alkaline Koi Ponds

Generally speaking, alkaline conditions are more common than acidic in ponds, especially the newer ones. If the pH remains over 8. 5 for any length of time, the koi fish will become stressed or diseased. Here are some helpful examples:

Symptoms

• Lethargic or listless fish due to damaged mucus coating; prone to fungal

infection and other disease

• Plants chalky in appearance due to calcium deposits

• Prominence of waste chemicals which harm pond life

• Biological filter loses effectiveness

Reasons

• Introducing fish too soon into a newly constructed pond that was not properly sealed; the lime or alkali from the cement will raise the pH to the top of the scale. Even a shovel full of concrete or mortar can cause serious problems.

• Lime leaching from cement products such as blocks, stepping stones and

similar materials over a period of time.

• Lime in stone products subject to erosion

• Excessive growth of algae.

Solutions

• If the pond alkalinity is from the koi pond being new, allow adequate time for the pond to age. To speed up this process introduce bacteria found in a koi pond starter solution.

• Institute a partial pond water change to dilute the alkalis

• If high alkalinity is due to an over-abundance of algae, remove excessive growths of thread algae.

• If these steps do not result in a lower pH, use acidifying compounds or pond

pH buffers.

Acidic Koi Ponds

Low pH conditions occur less often than alkalinity in koi ponds.

Symptoms

• Fish become stressed, resulting in sickness; they may start dying off.

• Oxygenating plants such as hyacinths, water lettuce, Elodea and Anacharis

become discolored and wilted.

• Biological filtration ceases to operate correctly.

Reasons

• Pond water may have lost its buffers due to excessive amounts of rain,

which is soft and very acidic in many areas due to pollution. Loss or

decrease in buffering agents can create drastic fluctuation in pH.

• There may be high levels of humic acid or other organic acids produced

by build-up of decomposing plants and leaves.

Solutions

• Regular partial water changes

• Adding buffers to pond by placing a mesh bag of oyster shell gravel,

dolomite or crushed coral gravel in filter or waterfall. Water passing

through the material will pull out the calcium carbonate and raise pH.

• Using pond-buffer salts (sold in pond supply stores)

Partial Water Changes

Wastes and toxins tend to build up in most ponds, despite use of a biological filter. As water evaporates, pollutants remain and build up over time, becoming dangerously concentrated. For this reason it is highly recommended for smaller koi ponds that you drain and replace 20 percent of the koi pond a couple of times a year. Larger koi ponds are generally much more stable and the water chemistry does not fluctuate radically. This water should be siphoned or pumped from the bottom of the koi pond, where the majority of pollutants collect.

No more than 20 percent should be replaced since larger amounts could easily upset the balance of the koi pond. This is especially true if the replacement water is softer or contains high levels of chlorine or chloramines. It would also be advantageous to keep most of the rotting debris cleared from the bottom. Decaying fish and pond waste produce ammonia, methane and other toxins which can be fatal to the koi pond family.

If you are adding water with a garden hose, it is best to adjust to low volume and a mist that sprays gently through the air before entering the pond. This will allow some of the chlorine to evaporate. If you add the water quickly, add a dechlorinating product to the koi pond to neutralize the chlorine and chloramines. Unless you are adding water to your koi pond by means of an electronic aquafill water leveling system, always use some type of a timer or alarm to remind you to turn off the water! If left unattended for an extended period of time, you could find your pond overflowing and your koi fish dying from chlorine poisoning. It happened to me. . . several hundred dollars worth!

Happy koi, peace & joy.

I’ve listened to how “pond liners are simple to install,” and “pond liners are inexpensive compared to concrete and steel,” and “pond liners are quick to install. ” Or “pond liners last for 50 years,” “pond liners bring higher profits to pond construction and waterfall construction,” and “liners don’t contaminate the water with alkali as does concrete construction. ” Yes, I’ve almost sold myself on listening to the facts of the “experts. ” Well, not quite, due to a few facts of my own.

So, a pond liner is guaranteed for 40 to 50 years? I would have to agree with that, as long as you leave it in its box the whole time. Too bad a liner manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t include damage from gophers, ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats or mice. Or tree, plant and weed roots. Or from stretching and punctures in the liner due to heavy rocks and other sharp objects. Startling fact: a puncture only the size of a pin hole can cause a pond to lose one drip per second, or 5 gallons in just 24 hours. That’s a pin hole, not a hole made by a pair of buck teeth on a burrowing mammal.

Imagine along with me for a minute. You have spent $350 on a pond design and then $8,000 of your hard-earned money for a pond and waterfall. This water feature is impressive. They dug a big hole, piled up some dirt at one end, draped a large rubber liner over the whole thing, and placed giant boulders all around the fish pond and on the dirt mound. Smaller rocks fill in between the boulder and additional rocks cover the liner in the pond. Now, it’s two years later and you’ve just come home from a two-week vacation to find the pond half empty (or half full, if you’re a positive person).

There must be a leak! How did this happen? Where is it? No problem, you think, I remember the salesman’s pitch: “If you should ever get a leak, just clean off the area around the hole, dry it off, and using the directions enclosed in the patching kit, apply this patching material. ” But there’s only one problem: Where is the leak? or leaks? How do I find them? And if I do find them, and I’m successful in patching them up, what’s to keep it from leaking again?

Okay, I’m going to snap my fingers and you’ll wake up. “Snap!” Surprise! That was only a mental exercise with a happy ending. It wasn’t real! Or was it? Yes, it was. The short story you just heard was true. One out of every eight projects we do involves replacing the leaky liner for an angry fish pond/leaky liner owner.

Why am I finally speaking up now, after 26 years and well over 1,900 waterfalls and fish ponds? Because I’m angry, too! Not at the “liner guy” who sells the pond liners, but at his disciples around the country who are bragging how much money they make in just one or two days. I’m not upset at the fact that they make in two days what takes me six to seven days to make in constructing my fish ponds of rebar and 3000 psi concrete.

My ire stems from having to charge $8,000 to replace a $6,000 liner pond that lasted only two years. (A pond liner with padding didn’t stop a tree root which traveled 25 feet to do its destructive work. ) For only an additional 16% in cost, that client could still be enjoying his original pond, stress-free, for his lifetime and that of his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The main features touted by pond liner promoters are simplicity, low cost, quick installation, and extremely high profits. In an article published in his catalog/magazine of liners and accessories, the “liner messiah” has obviously taught his disciples well, as you can read in this excerpt:

“If you hire us to install your pond, you get a choice of buying it with or without a stream. We offer no other choices! The pond we build covers an area of 11 by 16 feet, has a maximum depth of 2 feet, and a beautiful waterfall. We’ll build your pond in one day. The basic pond costs $5,100 and if you want to connect the falls with a stream, you’re looking at an extra $1,000. That’s it. End of story. No mas. ”

That’s what Ernie Selles, president of Patio Ponds and disciple of the “liner guy,” said. Another quote from Ernie in the same catalog is, “I get out of bed every morning and look forward to going to work in a way that I never had before. ” I noticed he didn’t mention how well he slept.

Let’s do the math on Ernie’s installation. The pond, stream, and waterfall cost is $6,100. The actual retail cost of the kit is only $1,000. $5,100 profit for only one day of labor. Notice: unlike our package, they offer no lights, no autofill, and the pond is only two feet deep. Yet three feet minimum are required for koi fish. A two foot pond affords no protection from predators such as raccoons and herons, and the shallow depth is affected easily by rapid temperature changes, causing undue stress on the pond’s inhabitants. They do not like to construct ponds over two feet deep, because they are more susceptible to cave-ins.

We would build the same pond with a depth ranging from 3 to 3 ½ feet, with no shallows for dining predators. It is constructed of rebar 18 inches on center with a shell of 3000 psi concrete (sidewalks and driveways are typically 2000 psi). This 7 sack, 60% pea with fiber mix is so dense that it’s waterproof. However, we still coat it with ThoroSeal. The pond is equipped with two anti-vortex bottom suction drains, a skimmer to remove surface debris, and an out-of-pond pump that produces 5000 gallons per hour at only 2. 6 amps, compared to the liner guy’s pumps which are only 4200 gallons per hour at 7. 6 amps – over twice the cost of energy! In addition, you have to pull his heavy cast iron monster pump out of the water to clean out debris.

We would also include a state of the art Aqua Ultraviolet filter and UV light – the best money can buy. The liner guy’s filter needs to be disassembled in order to clean it by hand. The Ultima II filter requires the simple turn of a handle to back flush the debris. This system has been operational in my water features for six years with no problems. We include an ultraviolet light in our system that kills the bacteria that create smells, kills pathogens that cause disease and algae spores that turn the water green. This light has a wiper arm that cleans the internal lens without the need to open the light.

We also offer an automatic electronic water level control system, the “AquaFill” by Aquamedia Corp. com that keeps the water level of the pond constant. Pond liner installers use floats that are mechanical like the float in a toilet tank. Mechanical fillers can corrode and stick, causing overflows and even poisoning the fish with excess chlorinated water. However, the AquaFill does not stick or corrode.

Not only are all our ponds designed a minimum of three feet deep, we build caves for the turtles and fish to hide in. With pond liner construction, rocks cannot be cemented to the liner and consequently many are loose, creating a hazard if someone were to step on them. Kids will be kids and I promise they will eventually be running up and down the falls. We have no loose rock because they are all cemented in place with Aquamedia Mortar Mix, which is not only three times stronger than regular mortar, it is very dense. As a result, alkali will not leach out into the water and create a pH problem. Regular mortar mix is porous and water passes through the joints of the rock, carrying with it cement residue. This in turn creates stain trails high in pH, easily poisoning the fish.

In conclusion, as an educated customer, would you pay $6,100 for a rubber pond liner or spend the same amount or a little more to get a shell made of concrete and steel that not only would never leak, but would last for decades. So what are we as contractors looking for? Exorbitant profits or peace of mind with long-term, happy clients?

It is more enjoyable for me to get a call eight years down the road from a content client than to get a complaint of a leaky pond. What does the “liner guy” disciple say? “Sorry, we only have a one year warranty”? Or do they go back and remove all the rocks, pull out the pond liner, clean it, repair the leaks, and replace all the rocks and equipment at no cost? Liners or professional installations?

You say pond liners are professionally installed.

Then why is the very same liner kit sold to homeowners and do-it-yourselfers? The reason is, it doesn’t take an experienced professional to install one.

All you need is “a garden hose and a shovel”!

Look before you leap, and ponder before you weep. Happy koi, peace and joy.

At that point I ask if their waterfall and pond are constructed with a pond liner, and they are surprised that I knew that. However, eighty percent of all these types of calls pertain to a liner pond and waterfall. We have replaced over $80,000 worth of defective liner ponds. One customer in Rancho Bernardo, California, had spent $14,000 to have a koi pond and waterfall built by a large and well respected local pond liner supply company. They complained of needing to add water daily since the liner pond was constructed over a year ago.

The pond liner installer's response was that the loss of water was from evaporation. The liner pond was fitted with a manual auto fill system and they discovered the solenoid was turning on every 15 minutes to replenish the loss. In addition to the annoying water loss, they could not enjoy their fish for half the year because of murky green foul-smelling water. They reported the pond liner company came out dozens of times dumping various concoctions in the pond with a promise of startling results. The results were startling all right – our client sued the pond liner store and contracted with us.

The first thing I discovered was that the volume of the liner pond was 8,000 gallons and the waterfall pump was only 1,000 gallons per hour. It was taking eight hours to run the total pond volume through the filter. Secondly, the filter was rated for a 2,000 gallon pond, not 8,000. (Filters are usually overrated by their manufacturers as it is. ) Third, the ultraviolet light was also rated for a 2,000 gallon pond, making it only one-quarter effective (according to its ratings) at controlling suspended algae growth. Fourth, because the pump was only 1,000 gallons per hour, it was not strong enough to properly backwash the filter, which requires four times the flow to be back-flushed properly.

Consequently, the filter was overloaded with rotting waste material that was contributing to additional pollution of the liner pond. The fifth defect in design was caused by the pond's large surface area, which was surrounded by several deciduous trees that were dropping their leaves into the liner pond. Needless to say, there was no skimmer installed. So all this debris ended up rotting on the bottom of the pond, contributing to the nitrate and ammonia overload.

The sixth discovery was that the suction drain on the bottom was at the same end of the liner pond as the waterfall. Consequently, the water was only circulating between the water returning to the pond and the water leaving it (from waterfall to drain). Half the liner pond was not circulating properly and was stagnating because the nitrifying bacteria were not receiving adequate oxygen to do their job of breaking down the nitrites.

NOW LET'S DO IT RIGHT

We were asked to assess the condition of the liner pond and determine the cost to correct the problems found. We turned off the waterfall in the liner to test the evaporation theory and discovered (with the falls turned off) that the pond was losing 25 to 30 gallons per day, or 750 gallons per month! Installing a larger pump filter and UV was not going to solve all their problems.

I suggested that since a reputable pond builder and store owner was involved, he should get a second opinion. He was confident that, with our reputation of 22 years and 1,800 ponds under our belt (at that time), we knew what we were doing.

After finding a temporary home for the fish, we drained the liner pond and quickly made two discoveries. As the water was being pumped out of the pond, there was a small waterfall developing from the water that poured back through a hole in the liner created from a tree root. Also, water was leaking back through a loose seal around the bottom drain as fast as we could pump it out. (This continued for some time, revealing there were hundreds of gallons of water being stored in the sandy soil surrounding the perimeter of the liner pond due to the ongoing leaks. )

We offered to repair the faulty drain and patch the punctured liner and refill it, but the owner insisted we do it right, using rebar plus 3500 PSI concrete and skimmer. Unfortunately, not one single item in the entire system could be reused in

the new construction. Even the PVC piping had to be scrapped since it was undersized for the pump.

In the final analysis, because this project was not thought out or designed properly, the initial $14,000 spent was entirely wasted. Replacing everything and installing it correctly cost the customer $17,000. The new pond was constructed of 3/8” and ½” rebar, 10” on center with 4 ½” of 3500 PSI concrete and fiber mix added. The ugly fiberglass waterfall was removed and replaced with a natural looking waterfall constructed of concrete real granite rock.

A skimmer was installed on the opposite side of the pond from the waterfall. The bottom suction drains (two anti-vortex drains in series to prevent turtles or fish from getting sucked against the drain) were placed on the opposite side of the pond from the waterfall to maximize circulation.

Next, a Venturi valve was installed to add additional oxygen and create a circular current in the pond. This delivers oxygenated water to all areas. A 6000-gallon biofilter was installed with two 180-watt ultraviolet lights. The high efficiency filter pump, which runs 24 hours a day, and is rated at 4,800 gallons per hour.

We installed a second pump of the same rating to allow for twice the flow volume off the waterfall on demand. It is also operated by a timer that comes on twice a day for one hour. This keeps sediment stirred up in the waterfalls and pond to aid the filter in removing it. The skimmer now removes 90 percent of all debris falling into the pond before it can become waterlogged and sink to the bottom.

The electronic water level control we installed in the previous pond at the owner's request was the only item that was reused in the new system. It is designed to add water to the pond automatically as needed due to normal water loss through evaporation and wicking around bog planters into adjacent soil.

This story has been repeated dozens of times over the past few years. Fortunately, most of them were on a much smaller scale.

Most of our business is word of mouth, so I imagine there are many people who, not knowing whom to call, simply gave up and turned their water feature into a rock garden. Think twice before investing too much money into a liner pond. Ask the contractor specific questions about the precautions he takes against leaks caused by roots and critters. Also, get several bids on concrete and rebar constructed ponds, they usually only cost 20% more and can be expected to last for decades.

My last word of advice, be patient, take your time and thoroughly investigate the contractor and his claims.

An ounce of prevention. . .

Once you place it in the ground, nature’s forces begin a contest to see which will break its water-tight integrity first. Vying for the title of culprit are gophers, ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats, moles, roots from trees, plants and weeds, sharp rocks, heavy rocks, sharp objects, and moose (if you live in Alaska).

If a leak does develop, it is next to impossible to locate it without removing all the rocks covering the liner, draining the pond, spreading the liner out on the ground, and inspecting every square inch. A tiny pin hole can lose five gallons every 24 hours.

2. Bottom drains cannot be utilized with liners. Liner advocates discount the use of bottom drains primarily because they would rather not, since approximately one half the sources for leaks in liner ponds are from bottom drains. When the liner is cut to install the drain, sealants are used along with pressure rings to make a water-tight seal. The sealants dry out or break down and seal collars warp, resulting in time-consuming, costly repair.

3. You cannot use out-of-pond pumps. Since liner advocates don’t use bottom drains, they can’t use above-ground pumps, which leave no other choice but to use sump pumps. These pumps were originally designed to pump water from sump pits in basements and cellars. They are not designed to save energy; in fact, they are the greatest consumers of energy per horsepower of all pumps. The largest retailer/wholesaler of liners, pumps and accessories sells a sump pump which produces 4200 gallons per hour at 704 watts for $339. 00. This pump needs to be pulled from the pond to clean debris from its intake screen. It is a potential shock hazard to fish and humans and is filled with oil, which has the potential of leaking out and covering the surface of the pond.

In contrast, an above-ground pump that supplies 600 gallons more per hour (4,800) for less than half the energy cost (348 watts) and costs over $100 less. Running this pump 24 hours per day will result in a savings of over $500 per year over the sump pump. In other words, the energy savings would pay for the above-ground pump and put an additional $270 cash in your pocket the first year alone.

If that isn’t enough incentive, a second reason to use the above-ground pump is that there is never a need to worry about it clogging since we install two 8" anti-vortex drains on the bottom. The only maintenance required is to occasionally remove the lid from the leaf basket on the pump and dump the debris from the catch basket. Because this is a high-efficiency pump, it is extremely quiet, and standing right next to it you can barely hear it running.

With liner ponds the sump pump is located at the outside edge of the pond, not in the middle as in professional concrete and rebar constructions. We place two 8" anti-vortex drains in the middle of the pond, 24" apart. As fish waste and other suspended particles and algae spores settle to the bottom, they are drawn into the drains and taken out by the filter. An ultraviolet light is placed in series between the filter and pond return in order to kill pathogenic bacteria which can cause disease and turn the pond green.

In deeper ponds that use liners, all the waste material settles and collects on the bottom and rots, creating ammonia that is toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Because a sump pump is located near the outer edge of the pond and not in the middle on the bottom, maximum efficient circulation cannot be reached. This creates toxic cloudy areas in the pond’s bottom. Most liner ponds I’ve seen are only 24" deep, and circulation is not an issue in these cases. However, koi fish are not recommended in these kinds of ponds; koi experts recommend a depth of at least 3 feet.

4. You cannot use a high pressure maintenance free biofilter with a liner pond. When using a sump pump, you have to use a gravity feed bio-falls, down-flow or upflow filter. All of these are inefficient and result in high maintenance costs. They need to be cleaned often by removing all the waste-laden filter media. To say the least, this is a filthy, stinky, messy job which neither my female clients nor most of my male clients expect to perform.

Aqua Ultraviolet’s high pressure filter contains state-of-the-art technology enabling it to simply be back washed with a turn of the handle. The discharge hose can direct the fish waste and particulate debris down the drain, or it can be used to water the garden or lawn. The high pressure filter is designed to handle five to ten times the volume of water that a gravity flow unit or bio-falls can handle.

In addition to all this, the patented bead design of this filter allows for maximum surface area in which nitrifying bacteria can live and break down nitrites. The “Liner Guy” wants you to use his messy, dirty, stinky inefficient filter because it is his filter, and it costs very little to manufacture compared to the professional bead filter. My opinions about filters come from many years of experience, and trying nearly every one that is on the market. I even jumped on the “filter bandwagon” for a couple of years and used my own design.

Why? Because of the unbelievable profit margin! When I discovered the Aqua Ultraviolet filter advertised in several pond magazines, I gave it a try. I’ve been using it for over ten years with no problems whatsoever. My clients clean the filter with the turn of a handle and stay clean themselves. A great side benefit to this filter is that you can have twice the number of fish in your pond than when using the inefficient gravity filters. By the way, this is not a paid endorsement of their product!

5. Safety is a concern when pond liners are used. After a hole is dug, a pond liner is placed in the hole and then it’s filled with water. Rocks are then placed around the perimeter of the pond to cover up the edge of the pond liner, and more rocks are piled up on a mound of dirt covered with another liner to create a waterfall. From my 26 years of experience, I’ve learned that many adults are just like kids when it comes to ponds and waterfalls.

They inevitably climb on the rocks of the waterfall and the pond’s edge. Since the rocks are all loose, they can move, tilt or shift on the pond liner, resulting in someone falling and getting hurt or, worse, drowning. With professional concrete and rebar construction, all the rocks are cemented in place, providing a secure foundation to walk or climb on.

6. Pond liners limit pond shape and configuration. Why are most liner ponds circular or oval in design? Because pond liners are dispensed on rolls and therefore available only in square or rectangular shapes. If an L-shaped pond was designed, you would need to bunch up an inordinate amount of pond liner into the inside corner. Not only is it wasting expensive square feet of pond liner material, it makes it difficult to stack rocks on top of the bunched up liner so as to cover it up.

Oh sure, “Liner Guy” you’re thinking, why doesn’t he mention that special shaped pond liners can be custom made? Okay, I’ll mention it! Custom pond liners can be made to order. And now I’ll mention that this customized pond liner is going to cost you as much as constructing a professional pond with rebar and concrete that will last a lifetime. There, I mentioned it!

7. Last but not least, Integrity. When I read articles written by “the Liner Guy’s” disciples, bragging about the ungodly profits derived from pond liner construction, I can’t help but wonder how they sleep at night. The profit derived from one day’s work -- digging a hole, dropping in a pond liner, covering its surface and perimeter with loose rock, and plugging in an energy-sucking sump pump -- equals what I made in four or five days of labor. One big difference: their warranty is one year, if you’re lucky; but one built with concrete and steel is for a lifetime!

I’m the person that the past customers of “the Liner Guy” called two or three years down the road, asking me to fix the leak in their stinky green liner pond. A client in Poway, California paid $6,500 for a liner pond with a necklace of rock around the perimeter and a 3 x 4 foot fiberglass waterfall at its edge. I actually had to suppress a laugh when I saw it out of respect for my client’s grief.

This pond had a bottom drain that leaked; however, the major loss of water stemmed from a tree root puncture. In addition, it was obvious that this “Liner Guy” disciple did not have his customer’s long term financial well being in mind after I discovered a cheap, 7- amp energy-sucking “Jacuzzi pump. We replaced it with a 3. 6 amp high-efficiency pump that supplied nearly twice the flow.

Next, we pulled out the liner, reconfigured the pond’s oval shape to serpentine, and constructed the pond and waterfall shell using rebar (8" on center) and 3500 psi concrete with stealth fiber added. We installed two 8" bottom drains, added a professional skimmer, a Venturi air supply valve, a natural rock waterfall, a turtle island that supported a 25 foot bridge spanning the pond, an “Ultima II” high pressure, back-washable filter, ultraviolet light, lighting in the pond and waterfall. plus an electronic AquaFill pond water leveler. All this took us eight days from start to finish and cost only $2,000 more than the client originally paid.

In Conclusion: Is it any wonder why I despise the “get rich quick” scheme of pond liner construction? The “liner guy” hates hearing me refer to concrete and rebar ponds as “professional construction. ” They insist their liner ponds are professional construction. And if so, why do they sell the very same kits to do-it-yourself homeowners as to the construction business people for hire?

I am proud to claim over 1,900 satisfied customers over 26 years. Ninety-five percent of my clientele comes from referrals by satisfied customers. I don’t have to wonder why that is so.

Is there a place for liner ponds? Yes, if you’re renting and expect to move in two or three years. Or if you’re setting up a temporary display. No, I’m not totally against liners. They’re great for truck beds and cheap swimming pools! Actually, I have made thousands of dollars over the years from pond liners – by replacing them with concrete and steel!

An ounce of prevention is worth a [pond] cure. Happy koi, peace and joy.