Caleb Billingsley's Pond Page

Welcome to my pond page. I have built several ponds for fun and this page has pictures of two of them. My first pond was built on the ugliest part of my parent's property... kind of a reclamation project. The pond was 750 gallons and a BIG learning experience. I hope after reading this page you will avoid some of the early mistakes that I made.

My first pond was built using a VERY cheap plastic liner from my grandparents haystack. It help water for about one year. My first bit of advice is BUY a good liner! You can actually find some liners that were designed to be used for sewer ponds that work quite well. But make sure that your liner is inert, because it may kill your plants or fish if it is not. In particular I have heard that you should not use a swimming pool liner. (I think it is bad for the fish.)

(Click Image for larger picture.)

My third pond was built below the first pond. You can see the waterfall in the center which leads to the upper pond. I also built a stream that connects on the right side of the pond. This pond was about 2000 gallons. I learned a LOT more about what not to do with this pond. Read more under the picture.

MY LOWER POND.

After I had built the lower pond I decided that I wanted to connect a stream to it. I then set about planning a stream. First I decided how long and how much elevation I was going to be dealing with in building the stream. I also thought about what type of rocks I wanted to use. I decided to use rock that was native to the area. I found the large rocks for the stream from my grandfathers property, and then I found the smaller rocks at a local quarry. The had many types of rock and one of them was from a stream bed in Georgia.

Pumps normally have a 'head' rating. All pumps have some maximum head rating that you need to determine. Next you will need to find the maxim lift your water feature will require. Finally you need to add 1' of head per 3' feet of horizontal run. Thus if you are piping water 21 feet and the elevation is 6 feet, then your total head requirement will be 6 + (21 /3) = 14 feet of head. This is an approximate way to calculate the 'head' your pump will need to be rated at. My particular pump is rated at 25' of head. Also be aware that all pumps pump less the higher the 'head' is, so calculate this carefully. It is easy to end up with a water feature that barely runs 1/4 inch of water and the water is invisible in the rocks.

I used a liner that is common in sewer treatment plants. It is totally inert and 27 feet x 3 feet cost me less than $20. dollars.

It is important to not make sharp turns in your plumbing as this can drastically reduce water pressure and make the pump draw more energy. You might want to have an outlet other than the stream bed to allow you to drain your pond using your pump. (I was always hesitant about putting a hole in the bottom of my liner.

My Water Lily Gallery

Some of my prettier water lilies are below. If you would like to exchange lilies, send me an email! I have more than I know what to do with and I would like to get a few more varieties.

Pink Tropical Lily with Comet. (My first lily!) It bloomed everyday but two days the summer of 1992 in Georgia.

Nymphea Attraction Again! (If you aren't an avid lily watcher then you are probably saying doesn't that look like the one above :) Well actually it is the same lily, but notice the different angle!