Display pond from MIFGS 2012

[Callan]

This is a pond I built with others for the 2012 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. In it I used two pumps and one pressurised filter. We added some huge goldfish 25-30cm for affect.

One 25000 litre per hour pump was dedicated to running the fake rock waterfall at the end and split off to feed into the top pond. The split off was approx 15000 litres to the waterfall and 10000 litres to the top pond. This allowed the top pond to fill quick enough so that it would create a small waterfall into the creek area and it then went down to a second small waterfall before entering the bottom pond. We used railway sleepers as a bridge.  The second pump was a 12000 litre per hour pump that then feed out to the pressurised filter that was part buried and partially hidden by plants. It returned back to the creek under the bridge to help with the flow in the bottom half of the creek. Both pumps were located on opposite sides of the bottom pond and 38mm flexi hose was used on the outlets. The total turn over in this pond was 37000 LPH.

This pond and display was built in 10 days and had to be fully removed after the show in 5 days. It was a lot of work.

The stone used was pink quartz and river pebble in the creek and ponds as well as the beach areas. The plants used were Liriope, (Used to hide Filter and around beach area) tropical blue waterlillies, standard lillies, Bacopa, amazon queen (Taro Plant), acoras, Dwarf payrus, Egyptian Papyrus, varigated rush and val was used in the creek to help show the water flowing through the creek.

The bottom pond had two ware spouts fitted that run from a seperate pump and the LED lights in the water spouts changed colours. These were also able to be adjusted in length and pattern via a remote control.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Callan

[GotCrabs]

Bloody Hell! You are one very patient man to do all this, this would all do my head in!

 

30cm goldfish?!!!

 

Lovin' all these photos Barry!

[Callan]

Happy to put them up to help others. Yeah the goldfish were awesome size. I managed to score a nice shubunkin and a huge whitish fantail. They were at least 15 years old but unfortunately I lost both early last year within a few weeks of each other. They had a great run though lasting as long as they did. They were the only two that survived being taken by a heron. Probably because of their size. I know the fish retailed at $125 each.

[GotCrabs]

I watched a doco not long ago on SBS about some Russian guy that went to Japan and bought Koi over there for a few thousand dollars, haha, unreal.

[Callan]

Yeah from what I have read both the UK and japan are right into their Koi and spend some ridiculous amounts of money. They have some shows with very big prize money for best in show. Its a pity that we cant have them in Victoria as well as other states. Due to the dollar factor there is no way people would dump them into rivers etc. Hopefully one day common sense will come into play and they will allow them. Even if they made people have licences to keep them. 

[jc12]

I remember helping out at Aquarama exhibition in Singapore back in the late 80s and some kois were more than USD$300k each. Beautiful but a hefty price tag.

[2OFUS]

Yeah I seen a article Afew years ago about a pure pearl white koi with a perfect orange or red (can't remember) vortex pattern on its head

It's sold for 500k usd

[GotCrabs]

Yeah I seen a article Afew years ago about a pure pearl white koi with a perfect orange or red (can't remember) vortex pattern on its head

It's sold for 500k usd

 

500k used, haha, you make it sound like it get's passed around, haha, poor fishy.

[2OFUS]

U S Dollars crabby :)