This was my diy pond when it was just completed and water test.


Added some deco with rocks and some young koi


So pleased and happy seeing the young koi begging for food


Colourful, free, peace and happiness koi enjoying their new home


This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 21 2013, 12:37 PM

I built this all on my own. I only had Sat and Sun + public holidays, it took me 6 long months with one single man power. Not sure if it you consider that short or long time to completion.

I do not know where to start to share since this involves various stages from designing, filtration requirements, digging, concreting till completion.

To diy a pond you need to know about concreting requirements (like waterproofing, structure and concrete curing and surroundings structure (your house, wall footing if too near it) and pond filtration requirements.

Of course about time and money. As said i took all my 6 months holidays and weekends. And spent not more than RM2k for the materials. For DIY the price to pay is time and sweat, the gain is satisfaction, joy and savings.

You got it wrong, sorry to say.

1. No soaking is required!!! That is when your pond was wet cured or even dry cured for a month (28 days) that the concrete is already matured. you can throw in any healthy fresh water fish, they won't die for sure! Once the concrete is matured no much chemical is leaching out so it is safe but still make 10% water change a week to be on the safe side. Best is get yourself a PH test kits to test the water. Our tape water is around 7PH (neutral). Rain water is 3-5 PH, if your pond is exposed to rain. Chemical leaching out of concrete is 2 to 3 PH, very alkaline but will be neutralized and that is why make 10% water change a week will take care of PH changes. Maintain the ph around 6 to 8. Fish can take even higher than this range but kind of torture to them.

Of course you should first fill the pond full keeps it for few days (3 days will do) and drain it all and refill before you put in your first fish.

2. Anti chlorine is required when you just fill the pond before putting any fish. But if you leave the pond pump running with aeration for a day, all the chlorine would have been evaporated, no need for anti chlorine. It is also not necessary to anti-chlorine for 10% water change. Anything more than that you should treat it with anti chlorine.

3. Salt? Only when your fish is getting sick. Will you take drugs/medicine when you are not sick! Forget about salting your pond, waste money and torturing your fresh water fish.

4. Quarantine, if you have existing expensive fish in matured pond. New pond and little experience, my advice is get some cheap fish first because most likely they will die while you learn to care for them.

When you are a diyer, it is better you diy. Waterproofing concrete is very easy. Moreover it is a risk to get your contractor unless he is a pond builder. house reno contractors have not much experince in pond or swiming pool waterproofing.

What you need is a waterproofing cementitious (I used Sika Top), a bucket and a paint brush and a trovel. It goes like this:

1. Buy 2 bags of 25kg Sikatop 107 seal. Hint: Buy one bag at a time, finished buy another. Not more than RM100 per bag.


2. Get one bucket and trovel and a brush


3. empty the pond and filter chamber.

4. Add one part of A and one part of B of Sika according to instruction into the small bucket. Hint: Mix small portion at a time, borrow the weight scale from your wife so as to achieve correct mixed.


5. Wet the portion you are going to apply the Sika with another paint brush and another bucket fill with tap water. Use the brush to wet the concrete. Do not flood the areas, just wet to touch, do not work on dry surface. Hint: work from top to bottom on the wall first.

6. Apply the mixture like painting walls.


7. 2 coats is required. Apply 3 coats to be safe as you might have missed some part during 2nd coat.

Google Sika Indonesia, they have videos

This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 23 2013, 01:14 PM

The mixture (A and B) can get dried fast, so mix small amount at a time. Do not, must not add water to the mixture. This will weaken the waterproofing. When the mixture get dried add a little more liquid and quickly work on. The liquid and cement can be bought separately. But still try to follow the instruction on the amount of mixed part A and B by not using too much of one part.

Not to worry that the cement sticking to the brush. The Sika cementitious is very sticky so it will stick on the concrete from the brush. When the brush is full of cement and you want to clear it, on your next mix, pour the white liquid first into the bucket and dip the brush and loosen the cement from the brush, then add the cement for the new mix.

Do not let these advices complicate you, do not worry about all these little issues, as you work on you will find way and solution going about it.

One other thing, if your pond has algae, clean and brush it off before apply waterproofing.

Thanks for your compliment.

Sekkee, it is easy as said, when the indon can do it, who dont read and write, you can. Little experience is what you need like what PJusa intended to do a small area before going for a bigger project.

This is also another easy part assuming you have dig the hole for the pond something like this:


The base has to be at least 6 inches thick. 8 inches is ok, anything thicker than that is a waste of concrete and effort. If you need to run bottom drains along the base from one end to another you either dig drains and lay the pipes on in it or you can just leave it on the ground but make the base thicker at about 8 inches.

You need some bricks, rebar (reinforced steel bars), rebar mesh, rebar ties (thin steel wire to tie the rebar together), pliers for tightening the rebar with wire.




1st, level the ground
2nd, optionally, compact the ground/soil using a brick by lifting the brick and throw flat on the ground one area at a time. Do not forget to wear gloves.
3. spread bricks all over the the bare base 2 to 3 feet apart. This is to make sure the rebar or rebar mesh not touching the soil and sit on the bricks.
4. Cut to size the rebar mesh cover the whole base to be concreted. Lay the mesh on the bricks. Tie the rebar meshes together with steel wire using the pliers making 2 turns is sufficient and try not moving them unnecessary. Make very sure the rebar or rebar mesh not touching the side soil walls and soil ground. (All rebars must be concealed in the concrete not exposed to air or soil. When rebars are exposed they get rusted and rod away into inside of the concrete and the concrete becomes weak).
5. Cut rebars to 4 to 5 feet longs and bend them into "L" shape. Tie the bottom side of the "L" to the rebar mesh and the other standing along all the edges (walls). Then using other rebars tie all the "L"s together so that is stand straight. These rebars are for the side walls connecting the base after the base have been concreted poking out along the sides of the base.

Now, you are ready to pour the concrete mixed.

As you can see, the brick is 3 inches thick on its flat side and when your concrete is 6 inches thick, the rebar mesh will be at the middle of the concrete.

sample pic rebar mesh sitting on bricks

Below explains (5) above where the standing vertical side of the "L" stands out above concrete after the base is concreted. The exposed vertical rebars are to reinforce the wall regardless the walls be a concrete walls or bricks walls.



See also, no rebar are exposed to ground or side of soil. This make sure it will not rot.

This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 25 2013, 12:34 AM

About the "L".

First you got to understand why you need the "L"s. Than you will understand how the L should be tied to the mesh base.

The L is to add strength to the joint between the base and the wall. An analogy, how do you hold two pieces of wood together to make an L shape or a corner? You can use glue to hold two pieces of wood together. IS the holding is strong? Maybe, but you can strengthen the joint by putting a screw or a nail. The nail reinforced the joint. And so is the L rebar act as screws and nails in concrete preventing the joint from coming apart. That's why the steel rod in concrete is called rebar, not just named for nothing. Rebar stands for Reinforcement Bar. See pic below. As you also know more screws you use strong is the strength of the joint. More Ls as you wish.



A joint between a old concrete and a new concrete is called a Cold Joint. The joint is weak and reinforcement is required, therefore the Ls for this case.

Yes, after the rebar is ready it is time to pour concrete on top of the mesh/rebar and bricks.

If you want your base to be ready strong you should use "Bar Chair", not bricks. You can make your own bar chairs.


Pouring concrete is another part. You must plan the day, the time and consider the weather (you do not want pour when it rains, do you?) and if you are able to do the pouring in a day continuously and how you should compact the mix, besides, if you choose to order concrete or mix you own (if the area is small).

This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 25 2013, 11:11 AM

How to do the sides?

Bend the mesh upright as show in the pic below and tie the L to the mesh with few wire ties whichever way you want so long as it stands vertically. It does not matter if the Ls are not 90 degree or 100% straight upright vertically. When the concrete set you can bend it upright. The important thing to look at is make sure all the L stand in a straight line because that is your wall and wall cannot be bending here and there like snake. But it your wall is going to be curve like mine then curve smoothly. A bit not in line is ok but not more than 1 inch away from the line because you wall is about 3 inches thick. Anyway, these mistakes can be corrected, just extra work to rectify.



This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 25 2013, 11:44 AM

Formwork is required when you want a concrete wall. Plywood are used usually. Formwork = mould, it gives the concrete its shape. Most of the work done spent on building the formwork and supporting it than actual concreting it. The Formwork and support have to be strong. If not as you pour concrete the whole formwork can collapse!

Use rebar or any thin steel rod to compact the deep wall and pour a small amount at a time with a level(thick) not more than 1 foot at a time compacting with hand. Compacting will strengthen the concrete. compacting bring out the air in the concrete mix so that your concrete does not have empty space (air-pocket) when cured. it is better to over compacting than under compacting. Over compacting means disturbing the mix till bringing up too much of the water to the surface and leaving all the stone/rocks and sands and cement at the bottom. As a result you do not have sufficient water for the hydration process at the bottom and a weaker concrete. During compacting when you see no more bubble coming out, it is time to stop and move on to another section/area.

If you want a brick wall, unlike normal house wall, the brick wall have to be backfilled to provide extra support. As this is a pond, there is this the weight of the water. Do not underestimate the weight of water. water is heavy. 1 liter = 1 kg. A volume of 1 meter x 1 meter x 1 meter = 1 tanne or 1,000kg!!! Imagine the pressure on the bottom of the wall is very high. That's is why the back of the wall have to be back-filled with concrete especially the bottom part for about 3 inches thick for a height of 1 to 2 feet. The top portion (2 feet from above)need not be backfilled.

For brick wall, place the bricks between the rebars when laying bricks and make sure the rebar are completely embedded in concrete(wet cement) . Cut the bricks into smaller pieces where necessary to put them in between the rebars.

Compacting means pushing a steel rod deep into the wet concrete and pull out and repeating pushing in and pulling out till you see no air bubbles coming out. Do not push the rod till you hit the soil when compacting the base bringing up the soil into the mix.

Genie,

Get your bf involved...

Which part of it you need to know more?

This post has been edited by stevie8: Aug 25 2013, 06:06 PM

Forget about making L stand. Just let the mesh continue up the wall like in the pictures will do:






When the length is short just cut another piece of mesh and tie them to it.

The papan workform has to be strong. The material is expensive, ie the supporting wood and plywood. If you are only use it for once it is better to do it with bricks. Bricks can form workform and it is cheaper and easier than making wooden workform (if use only once is a waste of money and effort).

Will post some pictures later.

Look like you are seriously thinking to DIY. Let me help you all the way where possible. Also, we are hijacking this thread from Junhaussen. Hope she is ok.

Cangkul (or spade) is not the tool to use digging the kind of soil of our houses. Unlike paddy field that is cleared of rocks and stones, our compound is full of it including broken tiles, cement, etc.

Digging Fork is the tool to use, effortless compare to cangkul. The pointed edges like needles pierce through into the ground easily and lifting up all the stones and rock together with the soil. Try it you will experience what i mean. You need not use much strength or effect hitting the ground, just lifting it up high and let the weight of gravity do the job falling on the ground doing the digging. Your energy is spent only on lifting the fork. When soil is dry it is hard, therefore, sprinkle some water, do not flood it, too muddy is messy. See pic.



Next...will post brick formwork.

It is good that you are prepared to go for 2 yrs but I dont think you would take any longer time (actual working time) than i did if you were to allow me to guide you. The reason is I have gone thru it and overlooked some of the things and remedy works took up some of the time and you would not repeat the same.

What would make it successful depend on your determination and these are the ingredients:

1. You want it badly, but what hinder you is
2. the price is too high to engage a pro, and the most important of all
3. you enjoy doing it, and lastly
4. you have the support of the forumers here, not just me but all of us your spiritual supporters.

Ok, here is the bricks formwork. But am not going to explain in detail how to do it as this is not the part you should start with. Next post will explain how and where you should start, eg. the design and filtration system.

Do not be worry with the large number of bricks required. It should around 300 bricks. One brick costs 50 sen or less = RM150 only. Comparing ply wood. One thick piece (4'x8') costs RM90. You need many pieces.

See remark on this pic.

Yes, burger it is. Like burger you can choose what to be sandwich.

You see at first it is mud on one side. It is bad to have mud/soil as you pour concrete because somehow no matter how careful you are the mud will get mixed with the concrete as you compacting the wet concrete. To overcome this problem you plaster the mud. Buy ready made plaster mix. It come with 25kg bag. Simply add water to the mix (plaster in dry form) and make it a paste and with a shovel apply a layer on the mud wall. One coat/layer will do. To make plastering easy first make the mud wall straight, smooth and flat.

now you have a thin layer of concrete (dry plaster) on one side. This form the "outer" formwork. Then you build the "inner" formwork with bricks like the picture shown earlier. For this brick formwork notice carefully the bricks are not standing on the normal face but on the thinner face. You see a brick have 6 faces like die except that brick has 3 pair of similar faces. See pic below:

die


Normal brick laying on flat face side


For formwork purposes and to save the no of bricks used and for lesser work, lay standing on the thin long faces like this


Ok this is part 1, next post part 2