An Isaan Pond

[Mendip]

This was the most exciting bit for me personally. As soon as the water level covered the waterfall intake I could test out my design. The pump wouldn't draw water at first, but just needed a lot of priming due to such a fall between the pump and water inlet. But once the details were sorted out...





I was chuffed to bits about this as there were plenty of nay sayers who said it would never work! Bollox to them!

The small patch of fresh, smooth cement on the bottom of the sticky-out bit was there to mount a light on. This light behind the pouring water looks great at night. Five years later the waterfall still works fine... to a fashion. These days the water is no longer clear and pristine and the pump takes some coaxing at times. The inlet also gets blocked.

I put a large limestone rock directly below the main stream of water to create as much splash and aeration as possible.



And so the pond gradually filled...

[David48atTD]

filter the fish shit.

The answer my friend, could be swimming in the pond.
The answer could be swimming in the pond.
(have the Bob Dylan song playing in the background)

Prawns/Shrimps ... the pond floor cleaners

[David48atTD]

I found it strangely therapeutic to occasionally sit on my own and put on a course of bricks now and again.

Are you going with this?

[Mendip]

^^ When I lived in Oz we used to catch yabbies in the farm damns in baited traps. A while ago I wondered of there was some kind of equivalent in Thailand and the only option I could find was redclaw crayfish but on inquiry the sellers reckoned they wouldn't be suitable for our pond.

Are shrimps really an option? A few more posts will soon bring things up to date and future pics will show green, algae rich, low oxygenated water. The pond is crammed with tilapia and catfish, amongst others. Would shrimps survive?

There have been many remedial works to address unforeseen problems that I'm going to address with future posts, and also our stocking, the feeding and catching of fish. Shrimps would be a very welcome addition if viable.

^ Ha ha, what a great idea! But where would I put my snakes?

[Klondyke]

These days the water is no longer clear and pristine and the pump takes some coaxing at times. The inlet also gets blocked.

To clean up the water to a certain grade, you could insert in the pump loop a sand filter in a closed pressurized vessel as used here for usage water that is possible to backwash time-by-time (ca. 10,000 Baht).

And in order not to filth the sand filter too soon and too much you can insert another smaller sediment tank with 1 -2 overflow chambers where the dirt can settle somehow and can be drained. Similarly as my fish pond:

[lom]

They must like water.

It's not for nothing that they are also known as Asiatic Water Snake

[Mendip]

It's not for nothing that they are also known as Asiatic Water Snake

Aah, I see...

You'll be telling me next that the rat snake likes to eat rats!

[Mendip]

To clean up the water to a certain grade, you could insert in the pump loop a sand filter in a closed pressurized vessel as used here for usage water that is possible to backwash time-by-time (ca. 10,000 Baht).

And in order not to filth the sand filter too soon and too much you can insert another smaller sediment tank with 1 -2 overflow chambers where the dirt can settle somehow and can be drained. Similarly as my fish pond:

We have a sand filter for the house water supply - it comes direct from a borehole that supplies the immediate area. I would worry that such a filter would restrict the water flow too much for the waterfall to work - also this water really is dirty and it would clog the filter very quickly. As you say, some kind of settling tank could work and this could be cleaned out regularly. I need to think on this. As it is, every year or so I wade around the pool with a pump and suck out the mud from the bottom of the pond and spray it around the surrounding land. Not a nice job but good fertiliser for the grass!

[Mendip]

The pond filled very slowly but all that was needed was a bit of help.



And finally it was full!



I'd taken the snake house about as far as I could. I swapped the wood form work for glass windows then decided to pay for the rendering. That is one job I have tried and failed at.

[Mendip]

We initially stocked the pond with pla nin and pla tabtim (brown and pink tilapia) fingerlings. I have since found the pla tabtim way superior for a nice fish and chips.



And of course, what Isaan pond would be complete without pla duk (catfish). The small ones were new, the big one must have been one of the original ones rescued before we drained the pond before.



This was heaps of fun for the gang. They developed a fishing technique all by their own. My daughter (the little bugger) would sprinkle fish pellets around the edge of the pond to entice the fish in, and then the dogs would pounce on the fish as they came to feed. Great fun unless you are a catfish!

Here you can see Den and Dan focusing on an unsuspecting catfish before pouncing.

[Mendip]

A husband and wife team came to render the snake house and cover my appalling brickwork. They charged 800 Baht for the day (plus materials) which was worth every Satang to save me trying to get a decent finish.

I treated them to breakfast and used it as an excuse to Christen the barbecue.



Fresh barbecued fish is all very well, but you can't beat sausages!

[Mendip]

The snake house rendered...



Painted (by my good self)...



And then some interior decorating. Another mini pond for any inhabitants, and of course an old model of the Cutty Sark to make a 'snake playground'.



And this was how things looked at the end of the construction phase. I've run out of space now so no more projects for the foreseeable future.

This was in early 2014 and I've spent the last five years gradually putting the mistakes right. Some important, others not so.

The first job was to get rid of those ridiculous heart-shaped plastic light shades that turned up one time I was away at work...

[baldrick]

all this for somewhere to float your kratong

your missus must be well chuffed with you

[David48atTD]

Mate, if that is the average water clarity over the year, I wouldn't try and improve on that ... looks great.

As does your pond set-up (below).

I like your fill height. Leaving just enough concrete lip to walk around.

Plus you have eliminated wave erosion of the Bank.

[naptownmike]

Yeah that turned out great.

I would have skipped the snake house my wife can't even look at a picture of a snake without going ape.

[Loy Toy]

I agree the pond and surroundings look fantastic.

I couldn't have the same as my dog would be in it chasing whatever was making the water move.

I've had to drag him out of the klong on many occasions when he has been chasing the water monitor lizards.

Do your dogs do the same Mendip?

[headhunter]

did you bring your fly rods with you[MENDIP] having your own catch and release pond is a dream,and not forgetting a pouch of grenadeirs.

[Chittychangchang]

Looking palatial mate!

[Mendip]

^^ HH, no fly rods and not really any room for the back cast.

It's all float fishing, not the same as fly fishing but still good fun. I pinch in the barbs on all the hooks to save having any disasters with the daughter, or dogs for that matter.

In the early days the pla nin were still quite small. The fishing gang were still tight, but methods had progressed...

Fish on! (Den is actually licking his lips here, he loved a bit of fish)



And a nice pla nin (an Isaan 'spot the ball' pic)



So I guess Loy Toy, in answer to your question, the dogs are obsessed by the fish in the pond but they never go out of their depth. They can swim no problem, but would rather let the fish come to them (or let my daughter catch the fish for them).

[Mendip]

Soon after the pond was finished the water level kept going down. I feared the worst and thought maybe there was a crack in the concrete, but soon suspicion fell on the waterfall.

We drained the water a couple of feet and the water level stayed the same without going down. Since the waterfall was built before the concrete lining went in, it was an obvious area of weakness in the watertight integrity of the pond, but all the gaps between the boulders had been sealed with waterproof grout so this was a mystery. Eventually it turned out that three beautiful sandstone boulders were the culprits. I should have known better being a geologist... these boulders were so coarse grained and porous that they were like a sponge - the pond water was just passing straight through (they would have made the perfect reservoir rock!). I had to pretty much cover them with grout and the pond has maintained water level ever since. A lesson that I shouldn't have had to learn. You can see the three red sandstone boulders at the water level in the pic above. All apart from the tops of the boulders have been grouted in.

Soon after this I had to drain the water again.

One morning I went for a look round the pond with Dan when she jumped in after a fish. After the failed fishing mission she tried to get back out but couldn't. The smooth concrete sides of the pond had become covered in algae and were as slippery as ice. Dan just couldn't get a grip on the sides and started to get distressed. I went in to get her, gave her a heave ho out, and then I couldn't get out. I'm maybe carrying a bit much weight but even so... my feet were just slipping on the sides of the pond and I couldn't get high enough to grab hold of the rim to pull meself out.

I shouted for some assistance and eventually the wife turned up, coffee in hand, and seemed worryingly non-plussed by seeing her husband floundering around in the pond on the verge of drowning. After a while the gardener came along and hauled me out - he knows which side of his bread is buttered.

Anyway, I had obviously created a death trap. The pond was drained a few feet and a metre of rough, raked concrete was put around the upper sides.





This has worked fine and now it's easy to get in and out of the pond. Thankfully back then the only way to the pond was through two gates at the car port, so no chance of children or dogs gaining access without adult supervision.

This is the most important lesson of the lot. If anyone is daft enough to build a concrete lined pond like this, please give the concrete a rough finish. Obvious with hindsight of course.

To this day Dan won't go in the pond, it must have shaken her up big time (mind you, it didn't do me any good!). The other dogs are in for a dip all the time to cool down!

[thaiguzzi]

Great pics!.
Wonderful thread.
Looks really nice once finished with surrounding greenery.
Thanx.

Here's a coupla recent pics of what happens with green algae on a concrete pathway in the rainy season wearing summer (no grip) flip flops.
Another day.
Another 6 stitches in the head....

[David48atTD]

^ Get that healed soon.

When I first saw that, thought it was your knee!

Infections in the Tropics ... not to be messed with.

[Airportwo]

Here's a coupla recent pics of what happens with green algae on a concrete pathway in the rainy season wearing summer (no grip) flip flops.
Another day.

Just come in from power washing the crap that accumulates during the rainy season from around the house, great reminder that it is worth the effort, as little joy in doing it!

[Mendip]

^^^ Not so long ago I went flying and ended up lying on the floor in our local Tesco Lotus car park.

The screed in a lot of car parks in Thailand is so smooth that in the rain, with no-grip flip flops, it becomes lethal. I often end up taking off my flip flops and walking bare foot when it's wet.

It's strange... the builders couldn't get a smooth finish on my interior house walls for love nor money.

And don't get me started on smooth ceramic tiles around swimming pools...

[thaiguzzi]

^ Get that healed soon.

When I first saw that, thought it was your knee!

Infections in the Tropics ... not to be messed with.

Sorted.
Thanx.
Only happened due to the wrong flip flops........