pond basics

[bribones]

Ok I’m doing this from memory, as I can’t recall what I sent Ryan lol

1 building -choose a site with some shade if you can but be aware of overhanging trees etc, decide on what type of pond you want, this will depend on the type of fish you want to keep, koi require a greater depth than common goldfish, first decide what and how many fish you want to keep for koi and carp related fish that are going to reach a decent size bigger is better, minimum size should be 6x6 at 3-4 ft deep, you can get away with smaller for goldfish, decide what your going to build the pond with i.e. sunk/raised etc ,a raised pond can be made from brick or timber ,timber is the warmer material of the 2 but be aware a raised pond will freeze more than a sunken pond in the winter

Dig or build your pond and line with sand or rubber matting to protect the liner, if your building a concrete pond you must render the insides then paint with a sealer, be aware of large roots when locating the pond as well, try to allow at least 200 gallons more than you need for filtration

Once you’ve got the pond built and water in, calculate the amount of water then buy a pump and filter that is going to manage the pond plus allow a little over the top (i.e. pond =900 gallons buy a pump and filter that will handle 1000) a UV light is also a helpful bit of kit for algae, a pump that’s too small just wont work, same rule for the filter for larger ponds


Plant your pond with oxygenating plants, floating plants and marginal types if you can
This will help maintain a balance and help cycle the pond

To cycle the pond decholrinate the water and run the pond for around 2 weeks before adding any fish, don’t add too many at once but build up your stock slowly allowing the pond to adapt

Once you have your fish established treat the pond as you would a fish tank with regular 1/3rd water changes

For care of your pond seasonally I recommend this site

http/www.watergarden.com/pages/seasonal.html#winter

 

[crazyelece]

A good start, but you might want to delve into a little more detail on each part. It seems that your post would raise more questions than answer. First off this being a fish and aquarium site assume the pond is being built strictly for fish. This means plants are a side concern.

The first thing you want to decide is what style of pond best suites your location. A formal pond is suited best around formal structures such as brick houses, concrete patios, etc. An informal design is more suited in more modern style landscaping. A raised pond is typically built in a formal design.

Next you need to plan out where you want to construct the pond. Is the spot flat or sloped? If it is sloped you need to build up the lower end to make the entire perimeter level. If the ground is level you may want to use the soil from digging the pond to create a slope on one side for a waterfall. If it is very flat though a waterfall will look out of place if it is too large. Also be prepared for the fall season. If the area is around any trees you will need to plan on skimming the leaves out in the fall or net the pond so the leaves won't fall in. You also need to be prepared for predators. Racoons, cats, herons, etc. can play hell on a fish habitat. My own personal pond came under attack and 25 fish were taken in less than 48 hours. If you have a bunch of these predators in your area you will need to design protection of some sort into your pond.

After you have determined the location and style of the pond, next you need to determine the size in surface area and volume. If you wish to house koi, you will need a minimum of 4.5 ft deep. Goldfish will need a minimum of 2 ft deep. The more surface area you design in the more fish you can keep. I am drawing a blank to the exact number of fish per sq ft area but it is a highly debated topic anyway. It is probably best to research the exacts here and come up with your own personal conclusion. I always errored on the side of caution and understocked my pond. You will need to be aware here too that it is very likely that at some point in your pond's existance that the filtration/ aeration will inevitably fail and that understocking a pond can let your fish survive. Power goes out, pumps break, GFIs can trip out fairly easy, etc. and your fish will have to survive until the situation can be resolved.

After you have determined size, location, and style. The next choice is the material you wish to use. Their are pros and cons to each type of material. The most popular is rubber liner. It comes in a varitey of thicknesses and sizes. It can be cut with a knife or scissors. It is very flexible. The downsides to a rubber liner is that large ones can be heavy and take multiple people to instal. Material has to be folded at corners and can look a little funny. It is fairly easy to rip or puncture so caution must be taken around roots, rocks, and any other sharp edges. Rubber liners also are harder to fit plumbing fixtures to. Rubber liners are usually used in conjunction with a protective mat or old carpetting underneath for added protection. Concrete is also a popular choice. It is very strong and has been around since before there even was rubber liner. In order to use concrete the inside of the pond neads to be treated so the concrete doesn't leach harmful chemicals into the water. Plumbing fittings are easier to install through a concrete surface. Some downsides to concrete are it can be expensive to have a professional do the job and it is a complicated project for the typical do-it-yourselfer. Concrete also has to be secured very well or it can crack. Cracks and holes are harder to patch than with other types of liners. The last popular choice is fiberglass. It is a very good option, but can be extremely costly. It is very easy to adapt plumbing fittings and very easy to patch any type of cracks or leaks.

After all this has been decided upon it is time to start preping and building the pond. I will post again later on this as this is probably enough reading for everyone for awhile. Their is a reason they write books on this topic and not short stories - lol!

 

[bribones]

i quote from a well known koi keeper "dont buy a book they give all the wrong advice"

like the post says basics lol,

most folks will have a good idea as to what they want and how to build it ,i put the post in as a started for people to add into ,it was supposed t be a pinned topic growing in size as people added to it but it seems not to be

to say planting is a side concern id have to disagree a bio structure has to be established as to do it later will only upset the balance of the pond ,

william if your looking in check your messages

 

[black angel]

Its best to get info from people who have actually done all the hard graft and know from experience what works and what doesnt. Quoting from a book is all well and good but people come here looking for people who have first hand experience.
Any numpty can read a book then dig a hole, but true knowledge comes from experience.

Bri it may be a good idea to do it in sections. For instance post 1 talking about the site and costs involved. Part 2 could be the work in planning the shape and size and getting the hole dug. Part 3 the electrics for the pump sorted and installing the filter and anything else before lining the pond. Next the lining and filling etc.
I know if i want to start a pond then i would like sections for each part of the process with pics if possible. Isnt your business ponds? Maybe you could do a step by step of your next one for us all to see. just a thought

 

[mellowserra]

I really like the very basic overview as first presented by bribones. It gives the most general essential steps in constructing the pond, saving the reader unfamiliar details that will be encountered with normal inquiry.

It is most obvious to anyone interested in a pond that there are various methods of construction, simply explaining the pros and cons of each one before going into detail about installation would give the reader a better understanding of why/what of their actions.

Either way, a pinned topic that isn't overwhelmingly full of info for the pond-inexperienced would be welcome. I think as long as the topic gives readers a little bit of info (overview), touching all the basics (#fish/species:ond size, cycling, plants, filtration, types of construction/specific maintenance necessary, etc. ...) and covers the most common mistakes and biggest NO-NO's, it will be plenty sufficient. There can be a wealth of accurate detailed information found here on the forums, and for what cannot be found there will be someone knowledgeable to provide an answer.

 

[crazyelece]

"Don't buy a book, they give all the wrong advise"

I have to disagree. If you are talking about a beginner, a book is the best tool you can get. Information is the greatest help in the planning stage and the planning stage is the most important for building a pond.

I have been building ponds for the last 10 years. Mostly garden ponds built with the interest of plants in mind. I can tell you there is a huge difference in building a pond for fish and building a pond for plants. I didn't mean to imply that plants were of no concern, but plants can always be added to a fish pond but the reverse is not always the case. And if the pond's intention is to house koi plants should be left out of the picture as the little buggers will destroy them.

All the information can be overwhelming but it is better to be overwhelmed and take a step back than to think its going to be easy, throw it together, and then realise - hey, if I would have thought about that I would have built this thing totally different.

Anyway, if the detail ins't what is desired I can leave it out. Some important factors that the first post left out were. Make sure your pond is high enough so that rain water run off will not flow into it. Do not run filters and aerators in the cold weather as it will actually kill the fish by making the water too cold. If the weather gets to be freezing for long enough to freeze the entire surface of the pond use a deicer unit to keep a hole in the ice to let gaseous exchange take place. Plants don't help the pond to "cycle" they just help to use up nitrates after the biological filter converts the amonia to nitrite and then to nitrate. The fish firtilize the plants and the plants provide oxygen to the fish. You should buy a pump powerful enough to turn the water over every two hours. The bigger the pump the better. You can always put a restrictor on it but you can never make it pump more.

Also the biggest newby problem is undersizing. Ask anyone who ever built a pond and they will tell you they regret not making it bigger. Build the pond as large as possible without blowing your budjet or making it look like an eyesore.

 

[black angel]

I'm sure between all you pond builders you can come up with a good *basics for beginners post* from both sides of the atlantic.
Just keep the posts coming and i'm sure it could be expertly patched together by Ryan or another mod.

 

[andywg]

Just to quickly say that merely running the pond for two weeks will not cycle it. You need a source of ammonia to enable the relevant bacteria to develop and seed the filter media.

A test kit is a good idea as well to moniter the levels through a cycle.

 

[crazyelece]

With a pond it isn't needed (the ammonia that is) as long as you stock slowly and monitor the water. A pond's volume is so much more imense than an aquarium that the filters have time to build up with the stocking. The polutants won't get too high unless you dump 30 or so fish in at the same time. Also there are a few companies out there that make filter starters that help jump start the biologicals but you should do a bunch of research first because there are many more bad or defective solutions than there are good ones. The best way to cycle is to add a fish or two at a time at about 2 to 4 week intervals until it is stocked to the level you desire.

 

[bribones]

Do not run filters and aerators in the cold weather as it will actually kill the fish by making the water too cold.

i think 2 posts might be in order lol a UK version and a US version ,i run my filters and pumps all year round always have done as do many other pond keepers within the uk

most books i find are aimed at non novice builders ,most pond builders will be happy to dig a hole add some padding and a liner this is all very well and in most cases is more than enough,when you move onto koi keeping it gets a little more involved,but saying that ,how many keepers want to go to the expence of building a purpose built koi pond

like yourself crazyelece i work for a landscaping firm and yes my job is pond/water features

a lot of our clients want the basic hole in the ground pond with plants and fish with only a few requiring built stuctural ponds

the whole idea is to create a balance between an artificial environment and nature ,if you add plants at a later stage you end up with green water until the plants become established adding them beforehand eliminates this problem,ive always used a fishless cycle to establish bacteria into the water and then added fish slowly

i have koi and most my plants survive the onslaught while others do not but plants and fish go hand in hand and will provide natural food for the fish

here in the uk often more than not where to build the pond isnt a choice nor is size as we often have limited space or options ,the pond basics are just that ,give people a starting point and the questions will come later

ive had 4 ponds in 25 years each getting bigger and more advanced as ive learned the needs of my fish ,i prefer my pond to be topped up with rainwater but you have to be aware of chemicals in the soil (i think thats what you where aiming at)

just as a side note the avarage size pond we build is 6x6 (limited space) wed all love a pond like ryans ,i would myself but 2 kids dictate otherwise ive got my next one planned out but thats not for another 15 years

 

[crazyelece]

I remember the first pond I built for my grandma. It was 4x4x18". Tiny little thing. The one I just built at my house is over 1200 gal. My next one is going to be over 8000 for koi. They just always seem to need to be bigger!

You'd be surprised about the UK vs US. From my experience the UK has the advantage. I usually design my ponds now with fish (and koi in particular) in mind. I like my ponds to be deep, not only giving me the oportunity to house koi, but also for predator protection. I also usually incorporate plants into a bog garden area so as to help remove nitrates but be removed from the area holding the fish. Basically I use the plants as a stage in the filter line before the water returns to the pond.

I am going to try and add some links that proved useful to me and surprisingly some of the good stuff I found was from the UK.

Koi Cymru
Olympic Koi Club
Practical Water Gardens

 

[Paul_MTS]

a single piece of advice...

Buy once it's cheaper!




to explain a bit.....buy equipment that takes you to the max of your budget. buy cheap kit now and you'll be buying again in a year or so. Spend out once on the best kit and have it last for donkey years.

 

[Cat]

We keep our pump and filter on all through the year to,we also find that the koi never touch the water lillies but when we put new plants in they rip them out.

Good thread bri

 

[bribones]

cat where you been hiding ?

good advice paul but its not always a choice ,im guilty of doing it myself but another point is you buy what you think will do the job only to find out it doesnt
maybe a product review pinned topic or sub forum is in order

with a pump bigger is better but you can overkill unless its got a variable output
id say the same for filters im onto my third one in a year and the first 2 wernt non too cheap,the main problem for newbies is the limited advice/instructions or specifications that comes with the stuff

 

[Cat]

I've been around bri ,but not found much on here to reply to,my fish are doing fine,my pond is flurishing,so took my chat elsewere

But I read the pond section every day,seems like ryans deserted us I do think your pond basics should be pinned