Omgsh- this is hilarious.

davidpaganbutler Thanks David, stop by next time you are in California!

Hi Aaron, I really like your video and the work you did. And actually want to do same exact thing as you did,so i would really appreciate if you can help me and send me a list of the products I need to buy,like what kind of pump,skimmer, filter.... Thanks in advance. Merry Christmas and Happy new Year!!!

Yes, they have held up fine and they have a layer of beneficial bacteria, so you don’t really even notice them.

Gonthor1000 Congratulations, I think you are the first person to raise this question, I certainly found no mention of this when I was researching natural pools. Yes! Unless you vacuum the bottom so there is debris and it will be stirred up. The less algae and debris you have going into your pool the less of a problem this will be. After lots of trial and error I finally got this problem pretty much under control. The trick is to use jets on the bottom to create current which deposits most of the stuff in one spot. Then you can net or vacuum it out. It is more difficult in the summer months when the water temperature rises and the algae is at its strongest.

Jan Meinecke It just depends on how much you want to do yourself. The liner, pumps, rocks, and plants can be easily priced out but it takes a little research.

@@apvsculpture Hello and thx for the answer...lets just ballpark...are we looking at 5, 10 or 50 grant?

Brah, Sounds like a great pond you are designing. If you have the budget, work in as many filtration devices as you can, it gets hot in SD! Consider making your planted area separate from the swim zone so you can clean it. If you go the traditional NWP method, utilize deck to shade shallow areas or only put the planted area on one side so the water is sure to circulate thoroughly. The plastic pallet design I made is screwed together in an L shape so that the gavel is holding it down, simple and strong. One pallet makes a complete L section. Good luck!

Uber thanks brada. That's some good advice, right in line with what i was thinking. With the available space, I kinda have to make the plant zone on the side, as well as use that same side for a sidewalk (now thinking deck / dock over shallows ) . Love the L design and see how the gravel is used for counter weight. keeping an eye out for some. As for additional filtration, I hope to incorporate as many innovative airlift pumps (DPB designs ) throughout along with a water pump. Does the planted area have to be 1:1 sq footage to the swim zone? .... Do the cattails do well ? thanks for the help. I'm building this pool about 20 miles south in Baja for the beach house. Hope you would reach out if you ever cross the border in search of adventure. Hope to have some good pool time for the swells & sunsets. Peace.

Alten Brah I’ll be driving through Baja in November, would love to check it out if the pond is under construction. The 1:1 ratio is the NSP formula but if you incorporate a bead filter or another biological filter it doesn’t matter. Make sure that your bottom contour makes it easy to vacuum. If you make it really deep in one spot make sure there is either a bottom drain or a pump outlet down there to keep things moving.

Alten Brah Also, not sure if I mentioned this but you need to have a scammer because there’s always stuff falling or blowing into the pond!

Ryan Edde I plant directly in the gravel except for my water lilies which prefer rich soil, those are in pots. A lot of the plants I got from local streams and they do fine as well as various mints and watercress. I’m not able to grow water hyacinths for some reason they just don’t take off. The retaining walls are super solid.

Erika Jessen Yes, its perforated 4" pipe. You probably could get away with not having the sock but helps keep sand out.

tmwilson0282 45 EPDM is the way to go!

The deeper ponds stay cooler, ours is around 65 degrees right now. As far as permits, yes you should always check your local ordinances. I did much of the work myself, except for the excavation and it took about 7 months. Is it ever finished?

So what was your total cost?

What is your water source ? Is it natural rain water/runoff, or did you dig a water supply well ?

Kevin P It's fairly easy to put together a price list of all the stuff you'll need. The big ones for me were the solar system and the liner. Solar panels, controller, pump and wire were about $3200. The liner with the underliner was also around $3000. Then there's the excavation, rocks and all the other miscellaneous stuff. If you follow some peoples methods you could make these pools fairly cheap. Other methods you'll spend about the same as a normal swimming pool.

LRV Racer My water source is rainwater and the occasional top off from my well.

Hello Daniel Bonaire, I have had huge enormous string algae blooms with both pumps on. I have been battling the string algae and recently winning, by slowly lowering the ph and adding an AquaSphere which releases beneficial bacteria and enzymes over a period of one month. Not sure where you're located but here in California string algae is a real challenge for a lot of pond owners. The problem with only running a pump during the day is that the beneficial bacteria need oxygenated water running past them all time to survive. You might be able to pull it off you just have to try! It's more complicated than having the plants out complete the algae for nutrients, unfortunately.

I'm from the Northeast near Boston. Thanks so much for the feedback. The airlift system that David uses appears to use less power. Maybe more plant life?? But, I guess each area of the country will have different problems/issues. Thanks again. Daniel

Make sure you keep it partially shaded and provide 50% planted area to swim area. Make the bottom contour sloped to the deepest end for easy cleaning, a bottom drain can be helpful. Keep up with string algae growth with barley straw extract.

I'm by Grass Vally and am starting to plan mine out. Want to consult?

Anemij Jimena Sure, we could work something out.

justin harrison There have been many people inquiring about this if you read through the comments. But no never pierce the liner!

Kathryn Chuck As you may have learned, the standard rule is to do half swimming area to half regeneration zone. I'm sure you could get away with less if you have good recirculation. Just make sure that the concrete of the pool isn't going to leach into your water and raise the pH. You will need to find a way to seal the concrete or put a liner over it. Good luck!

Thanks for your response, yes we will definately have a liner as the pool is made from blocks. Approx how deep did you dig to lay the pipe work around?

Kathryn Chuck I put about anywhere from 10 to 18" of filter rock over my plumbing. Your main goal is to provide an ideal habitat for the beneficial bacteria.

Yawen Deng I just went around and looked for something that would work and they seemed like a good fit. You should be able to find them used somewhere.

Hi Aaron - we finally got all the pallets in! Now it is time to connect and build the wall. Thanks so much for your great idea! How did you connect the pallets and make it stable? Thanks!

Yawen Deng Send some pictures! I used stainless steel screws

apvsculpture we haven't put together yet. I saw you also have cedar wood on top and the bottom to secure them? I will send some pictures when we have them up!!

@@apvsculpture hey working in building a pond here in Indianapolis IN. really lived the idea with the pallets. It looks like you chopped some of them in half to stifren the bottom. How did the pallet walls hold up? Also did you have issues with rocks going through the holes?

I'm planning on putting up a video about my string algae experience. I would build as many filtering mechanisms as you can into that pool you are converting.

Trilogy Samsung 1 I'm not sure around 30 maybe. Stainless steel screws attach the cut pallets to form an 'L' shape, gravel holds it in place.

redd manpower We have 4 koi, one bass and lots of mosquito fish.

Wild Crow Your pump should recirculate your 24,000 gallons at least twice in 12 hours. The more filtration the better! Are you in warm weather, full sun? Most of the pumps this size can be plumbed for 2" or 3", mine are 2" (I have two pumps). Not sure how to safely share email address without getting spammed...

Sorry for the delay I had some major computer problems. I guess my biggest question is the difference between the size of the plumping going to the pumps(s) versus the size of the plumbing coming out of the pump. I plan on sending water to the pump(s) via a 4" from the upper bio grid (like yours), another 4" from the bottom (the deepest) and of course the skimmer. I plan on a 2" from the pump to a waterfall, a fountain (instead of your upper jet) and, like yours, a bottom feeding jet. It just seems odd that I am supplying a lot of water into the pump yet discharging much less back to the pond. My concern is whether having more flowing in (2x4"+skimmer) with only a 2" and a couple of jets back to the pond will move the water well enough to keep the water clean. Regarding our location we are in Indianapolis, In.. The pond is surrounded by 10 trees on one side and an outdoor horse arena on the other side. The pond will good sun in the A.M and full sun in the P.M. We believe we have a handle on controlling the falling leaves with our skimmer design I cannot express how much I appreciate you communicating with me regarding our pond. Hopefully I will have this project complete in the next month or so and I upload a video and provide you a link.

@@wildcrow2858 did you ever finish your pond I am in Indianapolis and also working on a swimming pond I would love to chat

I can't see all those holes clogging. I have seen another pond like this in existence for 15 years with no problems. However, if they were to clog up it would be a tremendous effort to remove all the rocks to get to the pipes. If you are really worried about it you should make a bio filter that is easily serviceable.

I think for housing they now use a sock type covering on the pipe to reduce the likelihood of clogs. Thx for reply.

@@RxGuy95 The sock type covering actually clogs up itself by not allowing enough water through so be careful.

Anemij Jimena There are no final costs, the spending continues.

Hunter valenti About $15k for the basics

Ephraim Muchemi 1. Yes 2. No 3.Only put rock on the sides so you can vacuum out the swim zone.

Many thanks for the help. Highly appreciated! Can't wait to see the pond's updates and see how it is thriving. All the best!!

Mitch Spruyt I don't know, I'm still spending.

@@apvsculpture have you finished spending yet? If not, how deep into it are you?

justin harrison about 10'

Would love to know the same.

The liner is actually rubber. The birds, frogs and fish are happy to have the habitat. 👍🏻👍🏻