Backyard Aquaponics
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I have a dam which is fed by a creek which only flows after a couple of days rain. The dam measures 24ft x 45ft by 7 ft depth.

I am planning to introduce silver perch. Before I introduce the fish, I need to waterproof the dam. At present the dam fills up to the top following significant rainfall. After a period of 5 days, the water level drops by 5 ft leaving the water at a steady depth of 7ft.

I need to waterproof the upper area of the dam in order to increase the volume of water (I will also be installing a solar pump to circulate the water back up the creek and down into the dam). Can anyone offer advice on the best/cost effective method/material. Clay/pond liner? Would it be feasible to dig deeper into the dam and paste the upper side walls with the excevated clay? Can anyone suggest a manufacturer of dam/pond liners? I am located on the sunshine coast. I have attached a pic of the creek and the dam. This picture shows the constant depth of the dam.

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Simon

am jealous...thats one hell of a fish tank man

Simonj, for some reason bentonite rings a bell. I think we used it to seal a clay dam once.
Will have a look and get back

Yep, just google it and have a look

Look on the www.permaculture.org.au site fro discussions on sealing of dams. Bentonite is discussed regularly, though I don't think it is cheap. I think it is a type of clay.

http://www.bentoniteproductswa.com.au/h ... tonite.htm
This should get you there

Hi guys,

Thanks for that.

I think that the Bentonite option may be a pricey. I am not sure whether this clay is mined around the sunshine coast which can only add to the cost.

Have you considerred a liner simon?

Hi Bunderburg Kid,

Yes one day it will be a huge fish tank, at the moment its a stinking quagmire.

S

Hi Veggie Boy,

Yes I have considered a liner. Can anybody recommend a manufacturer for quality vs price?

SG has your best price option, dig out some of the bottom, and plaster that clay up your banks, that will keep more of the water in.

If you want to make it an AP system, lay down some plastic, truck in some pea gravel, and run a pump to the top of the plastic liner, cycle it for a couple weeks, stock your dam, and plant stuff in the gravel.

Hi Simon,

I've been talking to a hatchery about my order of Silver Perch, and they said I was not allowed to put them in a dam, something about DPI rules. I didn't worry about it too much as my fish are going into a tank, but I just thought of it with regards to your dam.

Maybe you should call DPI and get the info directly from them before you put fish in your dam and get in trouble for it

Have fun with the waterproofing!

You won't want to hear this but I will say ianyway. The leakage could be aywhere in the pond. It could be in the bottom and if there is ground water feeding it that at is the point of equilibrium. However if theat is the case, the fix can be easy if you are willint to try it. My father-in-law had the same problem witha pond for watering cattle. So siomeone suggested getting 3 or four pigs to wallow in the mud. After three months, (the bacon and pork chops were great!) he filled the pond and it held water. That was 6 years ago in West Texas (very hot and dry). You could go with the liner but think of the porkchops!

I've also heard of the pig method of fixing leaks in ponds. It sounds odd, but it's a traditional method of pond-repair/building here, probably nearly dead now with the advent of liners and concrete. I did a quick look for a reference. Here's a snippet for you...

Pond preparation

Another application for the pig tractor is in pond preparation. In this case the wallowing and rooting behavior of the pigs, along with their manure and trampled crop residue combine to make a watertight pond bottom.

In my family's case, we have had very good results turning boggy garden areas into ponds. First, we turn feeder pigs into the garden and let them eat crop residue and weeds. The pigs love to wallow and root in the boggy areas. After the area is thoroughly worked over by the pigs, we use a grader to scoop out the pond. We then return the pigs to wallow some more.

The combination of compaction and gleying (similar to gluing) of manure and plant residue creates a perfect pond bottom that holds water for years. Any time the pond starts to leak, we'd just put a pig or two in there for a few days. Ponds usually leak at the water level, and that's where the pigs do the most good. Half in and half out of the water they lay there for hours just slicking the pond side to a impermeable surface, fixing leaks we can't see.

The pig method sounds interesting but I think that I would have problems pursuading the wife.

I think that the waterproofing is an issue at the higher edges of the dam, however, it would be disappointing if I were to dig deeper only to remove the lower waterproofing. If it worked it would certainly be the most cost effective solution.

Jaymie, do you know off the top of your head what fish can be placed in a dam in QLD? I originally wanted barras but was informed that this was illegal in Southern QLD. My neighbour has silver perch but then again he has lots of things in his garden which he shouldn't

S

:snorting: :snorting: :snorting:

Awww....c'mon.