Vicious Fishes Pond Design
Established in 1991, Vicious Fishes is entering our 15th year in Indio’s Coachella Valley (near Palm Springs, CA).
By Tim Cummings
Posted: October 1, 2005
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| An excavation crew works to sculpt the pond’s shape by hand, working quickly to complete the project in one day. | Established in 1991, Vicious Fishes is entering our 15th year in Indio’s Coachella Valley (near Palm Springs, Calif.). We specialize in high-end pond and aquarium design, installation and maintenance.
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| Large boulders are placed with heavy equipment before the excavation work begins. | This project was for a local architect, with whom we have previously worked, at his personal residence in La Quinta, Calif. We wanted to create a dramatic entryway with a flagstone path leading to the front door, flanked on both sides with a pond. While we wanted to incorporate a waterfall it was important to keep the view of the pond from the windows adjacent to the front door. We like to keep our waterfalls in scope with the size of the pond. We incorporated waterways at the front and rear of the pond to move the water underneath the flagstone pathway to the other side of the pond.
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Overlapping sections of geo-textile
underlayment and EPDM liner are
laid on top of the land bridge that will receive the flagstone and complete
the pathway to the client's front door. |
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| Construction on the project pushes into the desert night, allowing crews to check submersible lighting function and placement. |
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Aquatics, marginals and
stonework help to naturalize the feature and add visual interest. |
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| The completed entryway pond leads to the front door of private residence. It provies a dramatic entrance down a land bridge made of flagstone, flanked by exotic tropical plantings. | Specifications
Designer/Installer: Vicious Fishes
Contact Information: (760) 347-8717, www.viciousfishes.biz
Location: Indio, Calif.
Dimensions: 18 feet wide by 30 feet long, 36 inches deep at the deepest point.
Volume: Approximately 12,000 gallons.
Construction: The pond required a 45-mil EPDM liner over a geo-textile underlayment, covered with 13 tons of rock and gravel. The pond installation took one day and ran into the night.
Equipment: The project uses an Aquascape large skimmer and standard Biofalls, operated with an Aquascape 7500 pump with an AquaUltraviolet 25-watt UV sterilizer.
Each issue, Water Garden News will showcase a noteworthy water feature. Featured submissions from designers/installers will receive a certificate of recognition and $250. To submit a water feature, please send multiple photos of the water feature, a brief description (about 100 words) about what makes the feature special and any challenges inherent in the design or installation of the feature, and a list of specifications, including designer’s name; location of pond; size and depth of water feature; equipment and accessories used in feature (liner, filters, pumps, etc.); number of hours to construct the pond; material costs or retail price of the pond; and other interesting features. We will try to return photos, but we do not assume responsibility for submitted materials. Submissions will be featured solely at the editor’s discretion. Please send to: Water Garden News, Designer Showcase, 3 Burroughs, Irvine, Calif., 92618 or via e-mail at tbarthel@bowtieinc.com.
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