OT Thinking of an indoor fountain and koi pond

Good thought- I plan to have a small house-attached greenhouse and had
considered that location as second choice. It may become my first choice
with the pond buried in the ground for the insulation factor. Thanks!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"Taria" wrote in message
news:RoDxj.20761$Hd.5095@trnddc02...
I like having water around but there are a couple of things you might want
to consider. Your furbabies WILL be in the water. It will happen.
It is the nature of the beast. Second thing is although you don't have
small children around there is definitely a drowning risk. Something to
consider. I see so many water features on the diy shows and wonder about
safety. I would probably opt for more of a greenhouse type room that was
glass doored off so I could have some control. The humidity is something
to consider also. You probably don't need much more humidity in your
climate. Lilly cat would love a wall of water in the house. I don't
need one more thing to clean. I do have a wall fountain and it is just
out my sewing room window. Our climate makes for different choices
though.
TAria

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. wrote:
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at
y'all and see what you throw back at me. In the entryway of a new house
there's a stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real
rocks or maybe the man-made type. Some type of lighting would be in the
ceiling or the wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside
it. There's plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of
water down the stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of
water. The water lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed
plastic/fiberglass type pond that would be fully supported or maybe
formed out of more rocks. There would be niches in the rocks for some
tropical plants- in pots or maybe planted right in depressions in the
rock... maybe some ferns and orchids or not.

Talk to me! VBG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Sounds like a lovely idea. I would love to have something like that here,
but I have 2 issues - no space and the cats would make a snack out of the
fish. I hope to make room for a small indoor water feature when we remodel,
but it is going to have to be fishless. I say first do your research so
that it is built properly and also so you know just what you are getting
into for work. Even if you enjoy it, it could still end up being too much
(BTDT with my roses). See just what you are in for and perhaps adjust the
size down if you think it may end up being too much that way you could still
have it but it may make care more manageable. Just a thought.

--
Charlotte
http://community.webshots.com/user/charh108
http://s256.photobucket.com/albums/hh171/charh108/


"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." wrote in message
...
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at y'all
and see what you throw back at me. In the entryway of a new house there's
a stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real rocks or maybe
the man-made type. Some type of lighting would be in the ceiling or the
wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside it. There's
plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of water down the
stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of water. The
water lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed plastic/fiberglass
type pond that would be fully supported or maybe formed out of more rocks.
There would be niches in the rocks for some tropical plants- in pots or
maybe planted right in depressions in the rock... maybe some ferns and
orchids or not.

Talk to me! VBG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Better drinking water than the toilet for the furbabies. I couldn't resist
this! Sounds lovely.
Gen


"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." wrote in message
...
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at y'all
and see what you throw back at me. In the entryway of a new house there's
a stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real rocks or maybe
the man-made type. Some type of lighting would be in the ceiling or the
wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside it. There's
plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of water down the
stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of water. The
water lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed plastic/fiberglass
type pond that would be fully supported or maybe formed out of more rocks.
There would be niches in the rocks for some tropical plants- in pots or
maybe planted right in depressions in the rock... maybe some ferns and
orchids or not.

Talk to me! VBG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

not to mention the extra humidity in the house getting into
all your lovely dry stash.
ewwwwwwww. nope i'd opt out of any 'indoor' water feature.
j.

Maybe I'm too practical, but you may want to consider resale value. It
strikes me that this is something that would actually detract from the
value of the house for a lot of people, kind of like a swimming pool. As
wonderful as swimming pools can be, they are a lot of work. It sounds
like there might also be some maintenance concerns here.

Julia in MN
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Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. wrote:
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at y'all
and see what you throw back at me. In the entryway of a new house there's a
stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real rocks or maybe
the man-made type. Some type of lighting would be in the ceiling or the
wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside it. There's
plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of water down the
stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of water. The water
lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed plastic/fiberglass type pond
that would be fully supported or maybe formed out of more rocks. There
would be niches in the rocks for some tropical plants- in pots or maybe
planted right in depressions in the rock... maybe some ferns and orchids or
not.

Talk to me! VBG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." wrote in message
...
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at y'all
and see what you throw back at me. In the entryway of a new house there's
a stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real rocks or maybe
the man-made type. Some type of lighting would be in the ceiling or the
wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside it. There's
plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of water down the
stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of water. The
water lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed plastic/fiberglass
type pond that would be fully supported or maybe formed out of more rocks.
There would be niches in the rocks for some tropical plants- in pots or
maybe planted right in depressions in the rock... maybe some ferns and
orchids or not.

I have friends in Bend, Oregon who have one of these "seemed like a good
idea at the time" rock wall waterfall/fish pond in the home they built about
15 years ago. The ferns and orchids just thrive. The sound of water is very
tranquil and soothing. Is it lovely, yes. Would they do it again, no. Twice
it has developed leaks....a VERY expensive nightmare. The first one the
professionals who installed it swallowed the cost because it was still
"guaranteed", the second the insurance took care of 80% of the cost and
promptly cancelled. The new homeowner's policy premium is now 30% higher.
Insurance companies really hate large, built-in home water features. They
live in Bend, Oregon, high mountain desert, very dry climate, it's great to
keep up humidity but they have an ongoing battle with mold in some areas
around the floor. It's not leaking, it's condensation and close high
humidity. Steve has gone under the house and double insulated the
surrounding floor to help keep temperature fluctuations at a minimum, it
helped a little. They have to completely drain and clean it twice a
year....took three full days, Steve now hires it done. They still have to
maintain the filtering system weekly, about 5 times the work that my
aquarium requires. I know, I've watched him do it on Saturday morning. Pam
said he used to use a lot of $#%! words but now there's just clench jawed
quiet during this process. There's a wet/dry stick vac in the guest closet
because their doggies LOVE the convenience of an indoor pond (think hairy
clogged filters), seldom blot their lips after having a covert, refreshing
slurp and drip water over the floor....and one 100lb furry critter can't
drink unless he has two front feet in the water. He's been broken of this
habit....when anyone can catch him at it, sneaky critter! LOL They woke up
one morning to a soggy cat sleeping in a now permanent "water mark" on their
quilt. 24/7 surveillance is impossible. Probably a good thing they don't
have pets AND kids. They do have young grandkids...Note: keep sucking stick
vac and towels handy. On occasion they find a dead fish on the floor (the
permanent stains are rather interestingly fossilesque), they keep gold fish
in theirs. It's very entertaining to be visiting when Steve jumps from his
chair....."oh $#%!..... runs over and scoops a fish up and back into the
water. Amazing the old boy can move that fast!! Dinner conversations are
often dotted with a loudly blurted "Get out of the pond!!"...followed by the
sound of retreating toe nails skittering on the floor. I personally love
their waterfall/pond, I've yet to get a letter or phone call without another
hilarious (to me) pond anecdote (disaster story). The home invasion of pond
snails (who make breeding rabbits look like amateurs in the prime conditions
of a well tended environment) had me on the floor laughing tears, but then
it's not *my* house and I don't live there. I had no idea those things could
escape and climb curtains! They are in the process of building a new house
they hope to move into this coming December.....it doesn't have a
waterfall/pond. The people who bought their house zeroed in on this feature
first thing....buyer wife: "OH MY, that's just beautiful!".....smiling
seller wife: "Yes, we've always liked it." When she told me that I told her
I wasn't going to be close to her during electrical storms...she's going to
fry for that smiling lie!!

I think these water features are absolutely lovely in magazines, home shows,
TV programs and in other people's houses.....I'm sticking with my little
'tranquility fountain' and 20 gallon aquarium. Both of which are used by my
resident QI, Mister Oliver, as his primary sources of drinking water (when
he can't get outside to the birdbath), completely ignoring the $40 kitty
drinking fountain placed on the mat next to his food dish.

Val

Maybe it is not a great idea to put running water near where you would hear
it often.
The thing about constantly running water is that it causes many people to be
constantly .....uh, visiting the facilities!

Tacky, perhaps, but someone needed to mention this!
ANON in VA!

"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." wrote in message
...
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at y'all
and see what you throw back at me. In the entryway of a new house there's
a stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real rocks or maybe
the man-made type. Some type of lighting would be in the ceiling or the
wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside it. There's
plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of water down the
stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of water. The
water lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed plastic/fiberglass
type pond that would be fully supported or maybe formed out of more rocks.
There would be niches in the rocks for some tropical plants- in pots or
maybe planted right in depressions in the rock... maybe some ferns and
orchids or not.

Talk to me! VBG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Great message! You've convinced me that I'll never get the urge to have one
installed. We did look at a house once that had a hot tub enclosed in an
atrium like room in the house. The house smelled of the chlorine and
humidity. Didn't stay long at that one.

--
Kathyl (KJ)
remove "nospam" before mchsi
http://community.webshots.com/user/kathylquiltz
"Val" wrote in message
...

"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." wrote in message
...
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at
y'all and see what you throw back at me. In the entryway of a new house
there's a stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real rocks
or maybe the man-made type. Some type of lighting would be in the ceiling
or the wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside it.
There's plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of water down
the stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of water. The
water lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed plastic/fiberglass
type pond that would be fully supported or maybe formed out of more rocks.
There would be niches in the rocks for some tropical plants- in pots or
maybe planted right in depressions in the rock... maybe some ferns and
orchids or not.

I have friends in Bend, Oregon who have one of these "seemed like a good
idea at the time" rock wall waterfall/fish pond in the home they built
about 15 years ago. The ferns and orchids just thrive. The sound of water
is very tranquil and soothing. Is it lovely, yes. Would they do it again,
no. Twice it has developed leaks....a VERY expensive nightmare. The first
one the professionals who installed it swallowed the cost because it was
still "guaranteed", the second the insurance took care of 80% of the cost
and promptly cancelled. The new homeowner's policy premium is now 30%
higher. Insurance companies really hate large, built-in home water
features. They live in Bend, Oregon, high mountain desert, very dry
climate, it's great to keep up humidity but they have an ongoing battle
with mold in some areas around the floor. It's not leaking, it's
condensation and close high humidity. Steve has gone under the house and
double insulated the surrounding floor to help keep temperature
fluctuations at a minimum, it helped a little. They have to completely
drain and clean it twice a year....took three full days, Steve now hires
it done. They still have to maintain the filtering system weekly, about 5
times the work that my aquarium requires. I know, I've watched him do it
on Saturday morning. Pam said he used to use a lot of $#%! words but now
there's just clench jawed quiet during this process. There's a wet/dry
stick vac in the guest closet because their doggies LOVE the convenience
of an indoor pond (think hairy clogged filters), seldom blot their lips
after having a covert, refreshing slurp and drip water over the
floor....and one 100lb furry critter can't drink unless he has two front
feet in the water. He's been broken of this habit....when anyone can catch
him at it, sneaky critter! LOL They woke up one morning to a soggy cat
sleeping in a now permanent "water mark" on their quilt. 24/7 surveillance
is impossible. Probably a good thing they don't have pets AND kids. They
do have young grandkids...Note: keep sucking stick vac and towels handy.
On occasion they find a dead fish on the floor (the permanent stains are
rather interestingly fossilesque), they keep gold fish in theirs. It's
very entertaining to be visiting when Steve jumps from his chair....."oh
$#%!..... runs over and scoops a fish up and back into the water. Amazing
the old boy can move that fast!! Dinner conversations are often dotted
with a loudly blurted "Get out of the pond!!"...followed by the sound of
retreating toe nails skittering on the floor. I personally love their
waterfall/pond, I've yet to get a letter or phone call without another
hilarious (to me) pond anecdote (disaster story). The home invasion of
pond snails (who make breeding rabbits look like amateurs in the prime
conditions of a well tended environment) had me on the floor laughing
tears, but then it's not *my* house and I don't live there. I had no idea
those things could escape and climb curtains! They are in the process of
building a new house they hope to move into this coming December.....it
doesn't have a waterfall/pond. The people who bought their house zeroed in
on this feature first thing....buyer wife: "OH MY, that's just
beautiful!".....smiling seller wife: "Yes, we've always liked it." When
she told me that I told her I wasn't going to be close to her during
electrical storms...she's going to fry for that smiling lie!!

I think these water features are absolutely lovely in magazines, home
shows, TV programs and in other people's houses.....I'm sticking with my
little 'tranquility fountain' and 20 gallon aquarium. Both of which are
used by my resident QI, Mister Oliver, as his primary sources of drinking
water (when he can't get outside to the birdbath), completely ignoring the
$40 kitty drinking fountain placed on the mat next to his food dish.

Val

On Feb 28, 10:43*am, "Leslie & The Furbabies in MO."
wrote:
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at y'all
and see what you throw back at me. *In the entryway of a new house there's a
stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real rocks or maybe
the man-made type. *Some type of lighting would be in the ceiling or the
wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside it. *There's
plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of water down the
stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of water. *The water
lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed plastic/fiberglass type pond
that would be fully supported or maybe formed out of more rocks. *There
would be niches in the rocks for some tropical plants- in pots or maybe
planted right in depressions in the rock... maybe some ferns and orchids or
not.

Talk to me! *VBG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Hi Leslie,
If the water is going to be less than 24" please don't put koi in
there. A koi needs 1000 gallons for the first fish and 100 gallons
for each additional fish, to be able to grow and develop properly.
They will tolerate shallow water for awhile, but will start jumping
and you'll end up with fish out of water.
There are some very pretty goldfish that would do well in shallow
water and are
also very pretty. I have three ponds: one for just frogs, one for
goldfish and another
for koi.
Bonnie
NJ

Good info! I hadn't gotten that far in my research, so I wasn't aware of
Koi and there environmental needs. Thanks! I'm sure glad I brought this
idea to the quilting frame for some opinions and advice!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"Bonnie NJ" wrote in message
...
On Feb 28, 10:43 am, "Leslie & The Furbabies in MO."
wrote:
I have had this idea haunting me for some time and want to toss it at
y'all
and see what you throw back at me. In the entryway of a new house there's
a
stone wall- maybe to the ceiling and maybe not- maybe real rocks or maybe
the man-made type. Some type of lighting would be in the ceiling or the
wall to spotlight the area and probably a window beside it. There's
plumbing behind the stone wall and it creates a flow of water down the
stones- maybe a trickle or three or maybe a fair amount of water. The
water
lands in a small koi pond- possibly a preformed plastic/fiberglass type
pond
that would be fully supported or maybe formed out of more rocks. There
would be niches in the rocks for some tropical plants- in pots or maybe
planted right in depressions in the rock... maybe some ferns and orchids
or
not.

Talk to me! VBG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Hi Leslie,
If the water is going to be less than 24" please don't put koi in
there. A koi needs 1000 gallons for the first fish and 100 gallons
for each additional fish, to be able to grow and develop properly.
They will tolerate shallow water for awhile, but will start jumping
and you'll end up with fish out of water.
There are some very pretty goldfish that would do well in shallow
water and are
also very pretty. I have three ponds: one for just frogs, one for
goldfish and another
for koi.
Bonnie
NJ