Page 1 of 5 12345 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 113
  1. #1
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889

    Building a small koi pond waterfall.

    Not knowing where else to post this , I chose gardening, if need be, please move to appropriate sub forum.
    I mentioned on another DIY I was planning to build a small waterfall for my koi pond ,so below is my process . successes, and mistakes.
    I had a hard time finding rocks in Khon Kaen , anyone who knows the area knows that there is nothing but red clay here. So I had decided to make my own faux rocks out of cement and pigments, but the other day while we were visiting my now deceased father in law's farm to decide what we were going to do with it. I noticed that there was a train track running on the side and the embankment was lined with large chunks of granite so I decided to use that.

    First I build a table out of common cement block , I laid a piece of wire lath on it , temporarily supporting it in the middle so as not to sag in the middle, and gave it a scratch coat ,to stiffen it up. when the scratch coat had dried sufficiently, I laid some re-bar on it , and laid a couple of more inches of cement to make a table top , and support the wait of the rocks
    Building a small koi pond waterfall.-waterfall-jpg
    The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.

  2. #2
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Mai Arse
    Posts
    12,261
    Nice one BB, got something similar planned myself at Chez Chitty.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889
    First mistake was not painting that blue PCV pipe with a PVC brown paint. It sticks our like a sore thumb and is annoying to me to look. I will take care of it later when I drop the water level .
    Second mistake was not to use a water liner under the waterfall, I was still under the faux stone mindset, and since the whole thing was going to be one solid piece of waterproof cement , I did not need it. but now with the rocks.......
    In the end I ended having a couple of minor leaks , one of which I am still chasing. I think I know where it is and as soon as the water fall dries I will try to plug it. But in the long term I might have to take the stones apart , place a liner under them and put them back.
    Building a small koi pond waterfall.-water1-jpg

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889
    Word of caution. The red oxide is a very strong Pigment. Use a little at the time when mixing cement.
    I ended up making a lot of pink cement. LOL
    I toyed with the idea of using it and getting a couple of pink flamingos to put on my pond, but then I sober up, and used the pink cement as foundation.

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Last Online
    30-04-2022 @ 02:44 AM
    Posts
    11,204
    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    First mistake was not painting that blue PCV pipe with a PVC brown paint. It sticks our like a sore thumb and is annoying to me to look. I will take care of it later when I drop the water level .
    Second mistake was not to use a water liner under the waterfall, I was still under the faux stone mindset, and since the whole thing was going to be one solid piece of waterproof cement , I did not need it. but now with the rocks.......
    In the end I ended having a couple of minor leaks , one of which I am still chasing. I think I know where it is and as soon as the water fall dries I will try to plug it. But in the long term I might have to take the stones apart , place a liner under them and put them back.
    Building a small koi pond waterfall.-water1-jpg
    Socks and sandals, oh my. You really have gone native!

  6. #6
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889
    Before I bore you all with the mechanics of the construction and filtration, because the waterfall will also serve as supplemental water filtration.
    A picture of the final product.
    Building a small koi pond waterfall.-finished-waterfall-jpg

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889
    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    Socks and sandals, oh my. You really have gone native!
    Black socks non the less . That's really deep state LOL
    Now all I need to do is pull my pants up to my chest , and I would have completed my old gizzard transformation

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat
    aging one's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    22,620
    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    gizzard
    ...Geezer...

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889
    Quote Originally Posted by aging one View Post
    ...Geezer...
    I got to start wearing my glasses, But that would be the final nail in the geezer coffin LOL

  10. #10
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Here
    Posts
    13,555
    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    Socks and sandals, oh my. You really have gone native!
    Haha. I noticed that as well KW.

    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    old gizzard
    Ol Geezer, Gizzard same same.

    Nice job on the waterfall BB. I look forward to my project soon.

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat
    Klondyke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Last Online
    26-09-2021 @ 10:28 PM
    Posts
    10,105
    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    Socks and sandals, oh my.
    So what?

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889
    it is definitely not a fashion statement.
    When ever I do work I always wear socks because when I sweat, which is often in Thailand, my feet sweat, and i hate the feeling.
    I don't know how the Thais do it wearing those ninja outfires.
    My neighbor wears a hat , a Ninja mask, a long sleeve shirt, and a light jacket, and she is comfortable. I wear as little as legally possible and I am dying.

  13. #13
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Here
    Posts
    13,555
    Yeah BB, I see Thai folks fully covered and not sure how they do it top to bottom. I only wear shorts when it leisure time or a road trip. Around the compound here it's always it's shoes, Levi's and long sleeve shirts if out in the sun, short sleeve if in shade or shop. I find that the Under Armour wicking material shirts keep me cooler. I still sweat my ass off but the material allows it to pull sweat away and I go stand in front of a fan. I avoid direct sun to skin here due to the the high UV index.

  14. #14
    Thailand Expat
    Klondyke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Last Online
    26-09-2021 @ 10:28 PM
    Posts
    10,105
    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    Socks and sandals, oh my
    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    it is definitely not a fashion statement.
    When ever I do work I always wear socks because when I sweat, which is often in Thailand, my feet sweat, and i hate the feeling.
    People who are susceptible to a political brainwashing are also susceptible to brainwashing what's fashionable to wear (and buy) despite their feeling whether it is good for them or not.

  15. #15
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Here
    Posts
    13,555
    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    People who are susceptible to a political brainwashing are also susceptible to brainwashing what's fashionable to wear (and buy) despite their feeling whether it is good for them or not.
    Easy there old Klondyker, we are just having some fun with BB. No harm and surely not serious.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat
    Klondyke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Last Online
    26-09-2021 @ 10:28 PM
    Posts
    10,105
    ^OK then, no problem, do not let be disturbed when enjoying such a brainwashed kind of fun...

  17. #17
    Thailand Expat
    aging one's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    22,620
    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    do not let be disturbed when enjoying such a brainwashed kind of fun...
    Just let it go comrade. At least some of us understand a joke. JHC.

    Do you even know the word joke? People laugh and enjoy when they are told.


    Building a small koi pond waterfall.-smallfragrantamericancicada-size_restricted-gif

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat
    Klondyke's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Last Online
    26-09-2021 @ 10:28 PM
    Posts
    10,105
    ^ I did not know that this is funny... You were told it was?

  19. #19
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Here
    Posts
    13,555
    Sorry BB, Your thread has been "Klondyked".


    Btw, How deep is your Koi Pond BB? I do not plan on Koi fish but thought something about 60 or 70 cms (~2.5 ft) deep. My wife really wants it more for growing her various lotus plants, I want the waterfall for the relaxing sound and a few fish but nothing I have to really maintain.

  20. #20
    Thailand Expat
    aging one's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    22,620
    I have had several really nice Czech friends here over the years. One thing they all had in common was a great sense of humor and a deep hate for the former soviet union. You are another kettle of fish. We will be sparring now comrade...

    Quote Originally Posted by JPPR2 View Post
    Sorry BB, Your thread has been "Klondyked".
    Yup sorry Buck..

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889
    Quote Originally Posted by JPPR2 View Post
    Sorry BB, Your thread has been "Klondyked"..
    I am just happy there is someone out there willing to defend my fashion honor.

    Quote Originally Posted by JPPR2 View Post
    Btw, How deep is your Koi Pond BB?
    24 inches deep.
    If you are not planning to become serious about growing koi, 24 inch deep should be plenty . Right before we left for the US last time, I threw in the pond a couple of fancy gold fish and 8 fancy tail guppies so that they will eat the mosquito larva while we were away for a few months, I did not expect to find any of them alive by the time I came back.
    Right as we were preparing to return, covid 19 hit and we ended up being away for two years. When I came back, much to my surprise The goldfish were three tines their original size , and there must be without any exaggeration a thousand guppies in there.
    So I don't know how less work than doing nothing you could possible do LOL The only thing is that without running a filter while I was away the water got green and I am having a heck of a problem getting rid of the algae without nuking the water with chemicals and endanger killing the fish.
    I will take this opportunity to talk about filtration.
    I am running the water trough a UV lamp that kills algae, and once I get the waterfall going full speed ,I hope the additional filtration does the trick. Before returning the water from the filter and UV to the pond via the waterfall the water goes through a bio ball tank,
    Building a small koi pond waterfall.-bio-2-jpg
    The bio ball create a very large surface for bacteria to grow, eating the nitrates and nitrites and further cleaning the water.
    The tank is one of those square planters you can buy at any nursery store that sells plants an planters. I plugged the hole and water proofed the inside with waterproofing paint, and cut a spillway in the front. .
    The PVC pipe returning the water to the Bio-ball tank is connected to a tee at the bottom with two pipes extending from either end cupped on the ends, the two pipes have holes drilled along their length squirting water all along the bottom of the tank . forcing it tp rise trough the bio-balls to escape from the spillway on the top

    Notice the electric plug next to it? It is a Wifi enabled device that I can control via my smart phone from anywhere in the world. So if I ever get stuck away from home again, I can turn the filter on and of from wherever I am. Even though it is supposed to be for outside , I will build a roof over it to keep it.
    I have left the connections to the filter under the waterfall flexible, because my next project for the pond will be to set another planter/tank behind the bio-ball tank two to three times the size, fill it with pea gravel and have it cascade into the Bio-ball tank. I am thinking of growing some lettuce feeding from the nutrients in the water (goldfish poop)
    anyway that's the plan

    PS: important to mention, as I found out the hard way, that since the Bio-ball tank is higher than the pond, when I turned the filter off at night all the water from the tank was siphoned back into the pond, creating three problems. 1) I would have to refill the tank every time , 2) the Bio-balls would dry up killing all the Anaerobic bacteria and 3) the siphoned water would back flush some of the filter crud back in the pond,
    Solution
    Building a small koi pond waterfall.-bio-balls-jpg
    I drilled a hole on the top elbow at a downward angle, squirting water on the top and also aiding in the aerobic bacteria growth. When I turn the filter off, air from that small hole brakes the syphon.

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Last Online
    30-04-2022 @ 02:44 AM
    Posts
    11,204
    Why do you need to turn the filter off?

  23. #23
    Thailand Expat
    Buckaroo Banzai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Last Online
    03-08-2023 @ 01:50 PM
    Location
    My couch
    Posts
    4,889
    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    Why do you need to turn the filter off?
    If I really had expensive koi , running the pump 24/7 would be required to circulate the water , but with goldfish and guppies ,that's not a problem.
    I am afraid that if something went wrong while I was asleep or away , it would drain the pond out. I guess a water level switch should be my next in my to do list..
    In my boat bilge I had a float switch to pump the water out , I guess I can run the pump through something like that. I will think about it,
    Any ideas are always appreciated.
    Last edited by Buckaroo Banzai; 20-06-2021 at 07:01 AM.

  24. #24
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Last Online
    Today @ 01:37 PM
    Posts
    24,744
    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    Notice the electric plug next to it? It is a Wifi enabled device that I can control via my smart phone from anywhere in the world.
    I am guessing that is a powerboard - which is almost as bad an idea as its connection to your power outlet - it may be undercover , but being outside it will become a home to ants or other insects

    and unless you run a VPN server which you use to access your home network and then control your "wifi switch" , you have a exploitable hole in your routers firewall which is probably already logged on the Shodan Search Engine

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat Fondles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    Chonburi, Thailand
    Posts
    7,860
    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    it is definitely not a fashion statement.
    When ever I do work I always wear socks because when I sweat, which is often in Thailand, my feet sweat, and i hate the feeling.
    I don't know how the Thais do it wearing those ninja outfires.
    My neighbor wears a hat , a Ninja mask, a long sleeve shirt, and a light jacket, and she is comfortable. I wear as little as legally possible and I am dying.
    Fucks me how they do it but the guys at my work are dressed from neck to toe in leather with balaclava's on their head welding 12 hours a day.... helmets are not ventilated either.

Page 1 of 5 12345 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •