This could be a daft idea but I really like the look of under patio ponds where you have stepping stones across, or a bridge. I'm thinking it's not too practical in real life though. Anyone have one or know of one? How complicated are they to build and maintain?
patio pond
- Thread starter Myrkk
- Start date
Question really stems around where are you located ( your weather ), and what you want to keep… and how creative you want to be… lots of cool options
Uberhoust
Fish Herder
Bridge is easier than stepping stones. Stepping stones need base support for each step the bridge only needs 2 abutments. Filtration is similar to a fish tank except larger and more expensive and you would typically want to use a skimmer, in addition to the filtering system usually placed on the outflow side, https://www.aquascapeinc.com/pond-skimmers. The are not that hard to understand but more of a pain than a fish tank because they are outside and suffer more from debris in the water and extreme environmental conditions, animal damage etc. I gave up an inground pond because of the expense of pumping the water became an issue, big yard big pond. Most people I know that have patio style ponds also have people to come care for them. The https://www.lagunaponds.com/ website has a lot of information on ponds. If you are looking at a patio type pond you need to keep them very clean or they lose their appeal.
Also be aware that ponds have liability issues, here you have to have a totally fenced yard.
I used to have ponds but now all I have are two cattle water troughs that have a few fathead minnows in them.
Ponds can be a lot of fun too, so if you have the resources then by all means it is worth maintaining one. I keep the cattle troughs primarily because they bring a lot of animal life to the yard.
Also be aware that ponds have liability issues, here you have to have a totally fenced yard.
I used to have ponds but now all I have are two cattle water troughs that have a few fathead minnows in them.
Ponds can be a lot of fun too, so if you have the resources then by all means it is worth maintaining one. I keep the cattle troughs primarily because they bring a lot of animal life to the yard.
Scotland, Is not an easy place for ponds. You will run great part of the time in winterized mode. And if your pond is very shallow it will need heating in the winter.
By all means, go big and deep. Most fishes will shutdown under 50F and the thing to take in consideration is how long the pond will have sufficient temperature to be enjoyable. Reading this page Climate - Scotland Makes me think you will put seals and penguins in that pond.
I never been there, but... 15 Celsius / 60 Fahrenheit maximum in august, for real !?!
If your proposed pond is on a designated site, you must have NatureScot approval. if your pond is connected to a river, stream, ditch, wetland, estuary or loch, you must have Scottish Environment Protection Agency approval. you must not use the pond for abstraction. you must maintain a diary. Etc....
By all means, go big and deep. Most fishes will shutdown under 50F and the thing to take in consideration is how long the pond will have sufficient temperature to be enjoyable. Reading this page Climate - Scotland Makes me think you will put seals and penguins in that pond.
I never been there, but... 15 Celsius / 60 Fahrenheit maximum in august, for real !?!
If your proposed pond is on a designated site, you must have NatureScot approval. if your pond is connected to a river, stream, ditch, wetland, estuary or loch, you must have Scottish Environment Protection Agency approval. you must not use the pond for abstraction. you must maintain a diary. Etc....
Uberhoust
Fish Herder
Just curious what your statement means, is it a miss spelling, am I missing something?
It means not using the pond for water extraction, or water abstraction, is the process of taking water from any source, either temporarily or permanently for irrigation, industry, recreation, flood control or treatment to produce drinking water.
OMG, thank you I needed a good laugh and that page was it. “The sun is rarely seen…”. Are they for real?! No wonder people are surprised when they come here and see our gorgeous weather and lovely sandy beaches.
August can be one of our warmer months tbh. With global warming it is unusual to have 15 degree August here now, usually around 20 plus degrees, but to be honest 15 is quite a nice temperature if the the day is not too blustery and wet. I suppose it’s what you’re used to. We call it “taps aff” weather here. LOL i.e. T-shirt and shorts, with the T-shirt being optional. Today it is 8degrees but feels much colder as we don’t seem to have had a non-windy day for ages, which by the way is unusual.
It’s for my back garden so not a designated SSI, just for little ‘ol me, no government bodies need to know about it. We’re in a conservation area but don’t think that’ll cause us any issues. My thoughts are
August can be one of our warmer months tbh. With global warming it is unusual to have 15 degree August here now, usually around 20 plus degrees, but to be honest 15 is quite a nice temperature if the the day is not too blustery and wet. I suppose it’s what you’re used to. We call it “taps aff” weather here. LOL i.e. T-shirt and shorts, with the T-shirt being optional. Today it is 8degrees but feels much colder as we don’t seem to have had a non-windy day for ages, which by the way is unusual.
It’s for my back garden so not a designated SSI, just for little ‘ol me, no government bodies need to know about it. We’re in a conservation area but don’t think that’ll cause us any issues. My thoughts are
- the site of the pond halfway up the garden so it goes full width. That would allow for it to be quite a bit deeper in the central part
- Enlarge current pond and heavily plant around the margins incl a boggy area so it hides the patio
- Raised pond for fish by back door where it’s sheltered and keep the wildlife pond at the top of the garden.
Uberhoust
Fish Herder
That is a new one on me. I looked it up and it is a real phrase, but why abstraction? you can literally buy a water abstraction license. Must be a phrase that developed as part of the process to obtain a license or something like it. Here those are water licenses. Funny how language develops and gets used.
Clever Lawyer Judiciary Mumbo-Jumbo, an "abstraction license" sounds a lot more serious than a "water permit".
Archerfish
Fish Crazy
I think when the other poster said you need a heater in your pond, they were talking about a bubbler or a small heater that only 'kicks on' at say, 35 degrees (F) to keep a hole in the ice for essential gas exchange. This is only necessary if you live in an area where your pond could completely freeze over. Your project sounds fun and hopefully, you will share more of your plans with us. Can you attach an image of the area you are considering for the pond?
We only moved in last August and I HATE with a passion, crazy paving! There’s a lot to be done to the garden before I consider digging this lot up but options are a nice wee hot tub in the corner (no one can see that bit so perfect), and I’m considering moving the path up the side of the house so you go up the middle (just to the right of the oil tank, which may or may not still be the heating here, costs a damn fortune!). So the pond would go under the middle area with a path around the circumference and a few stepping stones, poss a small bridge, to get you to the other side. Our collie is blind so he would be a consideration in the design.
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I totally get the appeal of a patio pond with stepping stones or a bridge - it adds such a cool vibe to the outdoor space! As for how practical they are, it really depends on the size of your patio and how much maintenance you're willing to put in. Building one might be a bit of a project, but with the right know-how, it's doable. I've been renovating my garden, too, and found this awesome blog about garden furniture. It's got some wicked ideas that might inspire you to take your patio pond to the next level.
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