BonniesPlants.com

Hi Teresa,

We purchased a man-made rock to cover a well pump. The data sheet that came with the rock states it was made from construction grade GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) cast stone.

I did a search on GFRC cast stone and found that this is a composite material consisting of cement, fine aggregate, water, alkali-resistant glass fiber reinforced cement and modern high-performance polymers and other scientifically-developed admixtures.

They didn't mention what the "other" scientifically-developed admixtures were so I assume it was proprietary to their product.

So I don't know if anything in these composites would be harmful. You may want to ask the place where you plan on getting this stone who they acquire it from. Maybe you could call the manufacture and they can provide more detail. Good luck.

Thanks,
Steve

Our original pond contained a blue stone patio that also formed as the coping around the pond. The patio contractor installed the patio so it was level with the pond. Because of the way it was installed we had all sorts of run off that ended up in the pond. Not only rain, but melting snow was an issue. Ended up doing a lot more water changes.

This time the patio is being installed so its slightly pitched away from the pond. Run off now flows away from the pond.

If your concerned about using the fake stone as coping around the pond maybe construct your coping out of natural stone then feather-in the fake stone behind (further from the pond) the natural stone. Pitch the patio away from the pond so any run off always flows away from the pond. The pitch doesn't need to be extreme, a slight pitch will dictate the direction the water will flow.

Steve

fresh cement contains lime which will leak out when wet, Always cure the finished product with vinegar and water, I forgot the ratio of this but there are websites for it. when we built our cement pond we had to seal it with quik-crete which also contains lime and had to be cured.

I was thinking of an artifical waterfall i saw on a web site it is 7' long 52" wide and 53" high on top of our hill that we were making into a waterfall, to make it easier for us. I have a 3horsepower pump to put on it I think that it will make for a generous waterfall. I have access to many rocks from my friends cranberry bogs. but i'de have to back hoe some out and then into my yard so I thought i might do this man made one. It has a cut out that make it look like a cave that some plants can hide in. the rocks here in middleboro are plenty but the back hoe doesn't come cheap. I have two skimmers for the pond and an ultima ll filter. my husband decided no bottom drain. he said he'll send me in to swim and mix up the bottom. I forgot what else he decided for the pond. the filter will have a 2 horsepower pump for that so it should turn over a couple of times per day, and add to the waterfall /stream.

I like the idea please post pictures
You might want to check the need for the 3hp pump. That would be like running the AC in a house full time….ouch on the power bill……

yeah I know my bill runs $300 a month any way because the fish pond has a 2 horsepower pump/ filter running 24-7 plus my kids hang out in the garage they never turn a light off. what we have now because of the kids is a sensor and timer so the lights turn on as you walk by and off a few seconds/minutes later no waking up to lights on

I was just sitting here reading old posts and came across this thread about using manmade rocks for ponds. My whole pond is made from manmade rock. If you want to see the use of manmade rock around ponds and pools check out the site where I bought my DVD course in faux rock construction. http://jpjtechnologies.com The ingredients for the "rock" are styrofoam, portland cement, sand, polypropylene fiber, acrylic polymer admix. The admix, when cured, is basically a type of plastic. The real problem for fish would be the alkaline nature of the portland cement. However, after the fake rocks are cured (about 27 days for comeplete cure), they can be neutralized with vinegar, dried and sealed with a concrete sealer. This drastically reduces the leaching of alkalye from the concrete. My entire pond is made from these materials, sealed with a xylene (voc) based concrete sealer. The pH of the water has never been above 8.3 in the two years the pond has been in operation and I have never lost a fish (goldfish) except to predation by my turtles and the resident bullfrogs. Like many of you, large rocks are not available for gathering locally, so we must pay for them by the pound from local landscapers, who bring them in from other areas. I figured that I would have spent more than $3000 just for rock if I purchased them. Then there is the problem of moving them about. Large rocks are very, very heavy and can require powered equipment to move them. Artificial rock made with lightweight aggregate (styrofoam, vermiculite or perlite) can be up to a tenth the weight of the real McCoy. Additionally, if you are going to use boulder-sized rocks, there is the problem of subsidence (i.e. the rocks sink into the ground). Very large rocks might require a foundation to distribute the weight over a larger area. Faux rock can even be made hollow. I made many of my rocks hollow and left small openings at the base so that critters, such as toads, lizards and such find shelter and hibernation spots. During the summer almost every hollow rock with openings is occupied by insect gobbling toads. I haven't seen many earwigs in the backyard since the population of toads has gone up. Would anyone be interested in a slideshow tutorial in making fake rock? I'll put one together and post it online if anyone would like to see how it's done.

Don

Don
I would be interested.
thanks
John-Paul

laurasminskins.....You wouldnt happen to have the link to the artifical waterfall you saw on a web site I would be interested in seeing it myself

Don ....
I would be interested to

I'll check for it and get back to you they were in NY now they moved but I'll find the link and post back here

this is one....www.ArtificialRockOutlet.com..... these are for waterfalls Wishihadthat.com ...... rockandwater.com and this is the one that I found to be better ....Underwater Warehouse.com this sight is in PA.....the one about the waterfall that i was talking about his web page is down as he moved to texas and it won't be running for a while... these are the few that I found were good on prices hope this helps. I will look on my end for some other sights