Hi Colyn

Progress is looking good. You have a very big property. So are you still under budget?

I was just Imagining how one would go about finding a leak with in your setup.... . It is so big, where would one start? Lets rather believe that there won't be any.

How much cement have you used so far?

Im am just over R20,000.00 now ... I will ask my accountant to calculate the bags of cement.

The No 3 pond was given the first coat of Co[rox today and looks good.

If the leaks are not ridiculous I will accept that as part of the water replacement plan.

I am confident to get home and dry under R35,000.00 for the ponds excluding fish and plants.

Hell Colyn!

Wat rook julle ouens daar in die Laeveld?
Ek soek ook daarvan...............lyk my dit is goed vir 'n man se begroting

Well Wayne I am even more confident after talking to my son ... he manages most of the buying for me. However he reckons that R35,000.0o is tight. The Coprox and stuff that is mixed into the plaster is quite expensive. He feels R40,000.00 is more realistic. If I accept his forecast then I have 180,000 liters of ponds for R40,000.00 which includes the plumbing and two pumps.

Still a far cry from what I was quoted.

I have asked him now to do a proper cost analysis and will share that once the ponds are full of water. I think that most people are getting drawn into the really expensive stuff more by group pressure than by facts.

Maybe I am a crazy old coot because I am willing to do this experiment and if it fails it will cost me a few bucks in school fees ... however if it works then many more people will be able to afford the pleasure of a pond.

As expected I have a flow volume problem ... pond #3 is now on day 9 since filling and I have zero water loss ... at least that is something to be happy about.

Pond #2's plastering is done but the weather is crap for the coprox.

Here are a few more shots. Dam #3 has been full of water for 9 days now and I do not see any leaking. There is a problem with flow volume and that will be sorted out.

How many cement and bricks went into the pond construction?

I will post the analysis at the end of the project.

Collyn, let me know when you are selling the lawnmover. You won't be needing it by the looks of things..

Today is very special day on the farm ... Pond #2 is almost full. Here is a small time line ...

What a day ... I was standing at the window looking at the ponds and thinking about the landscaping that needs to be done when this happened. A Bee Eater swooped down and settled in a nearby tree. The next moment it glided to the pond, closed it's wings and fell into the water. For a few moments I was stunned and then I grabbed my camera.

Everything was against me ... the sun is high and behind the pond, the bird is damn fast, I am not in a comfortable position and I had no idea what the light metering setting was on the camera ... but when it did it again I fired.

Technically not the best of shots but if this was and indication of what was in store then the effort I put into the ponds will be all worth while.

I am sharing these with you just for the significance of the moment and not for the image quality.



Thank you all for your patience over the past months as I posted more about ponds than birds here ... but now the good times seems to be rolling in. In my wildest dreams did I not imagine this bird to be the first to be shot at the ponds.

Hi Colyn

I think we all enjoy following the progress of your ponds and thank you for sharing it. There are already more than 300 views on your thread.

The quality of your photos are excellent and the posts on Rhenosterkop Koiponds are off great value to the forum.

You will probably walk away with the price on the best contribution. See "introduction/competitions" on this forum.