Ponds can be hard if ya don't know what you are doing.
When I first started I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. Even though I did hours of reading and I had all my thoughts drawn out on paper. I found myself in the biggest project that I had ever tackled in my whole life. Ladies never under estimate yourself. You can do anything you put your mind to. But this was pushing it. Course I have learned from the school of hard knocks and earned every bit of patience that I put into it. There was every kind of set back such as when I put the lining in it sprung a leak. So I had to bucket out all of the water, then head back to Home Depot to only stand in line after line. Course when I brought it home they cut it 7 feet to small!!! Needless to say I made due and put the lining in anyway. Who needs a 20-foot pond anyway! Putting in a pond takes patience and diligence! If you need advice, I can give you pointers on what not to do. ha ha ha! Below are a few of the pictures and advice I did manage to learn from this event.
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First take a garden hose and make the desired shape of your pond. When you have decided on the best shape, take a shovel and dig the outline. Now that you have a basic idea of the shape, Now put your gloves on cause this is going to take a while. You need to make sure that your hole is at least four to five feet deep. You want to make sure your little fish have a place to go when the top freezes over. Also make sure that your pond has ledge so that you can stack your rocks a couple inches down into the water. This enables you to hide the black liner.
Remember when digging the hole that you need to make sure your liner is going to fit the depth verses the sides. Measure by using a flexible measuring tape. Measure from one side down into the hole then to the other side following all ledges. Say your hole is 8 feet. Now add one more foot per side for over hang of your liner. Got to make sure your pond isnt going anywhere.
Now that you have dug the hole and your liner sized, now comes sand. You need at least two inches of sand all the way around the hole. Make sure all sharp rocks and debris are taken out and away from your pond area because they will cause BIG problems later. My theory is, if you can jump around your pond barefoot, then it is ready.
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The Big Unfolding!
Now is the time for the big unfolding! Take your liner lay it carefully in the hole folded. Then slowly unfold your liner. (Do Not Leave Liner in Sun cause it will start breaking down) Now take your shoes off so that you are just wearing your socks. Carefully step inside and press the sides of your liner against the walls of your pond making sure that you got it where you want it. Once you add water that is it, unless you feel like pumping it all out again to adjust it again.
Now for the moment you been itching for, the water! Get that hose out and start filling your pond up. As it fills arrange your liner by unfolding all the creases. You want it to be as smooth as possible. Something I have learned is that a crease can act like a sive and suck all the water out! Yikes!
Now that you have that taken care of the water. Pour two inches of pebbles into the bottom of your pond. Make sure they are washed cause you will have a mess if you do not. Sometimes they have oil and gunk on them that you do not need in your pond. Do not spend a fortune on glittery rocks cause you are not going to see them after all the plants drop on them. It is also good to add a bit of clay to your pond. This gives your plants something to latch onto. You really don't have to put any dirt in but your plants will like it.
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Let's Rock and Roll
Now that your pond is full, place stones on the ledge like a layered cake around the edge of your pond. You want them to go a couple of inches down into the water to hide the plastic. Do not worry about the black plastic deep under the water. A green algae should start to grow in a healthy pond to disguise the sides. Now all you got to think about is water movement.
Every pond needs some sort of movement. If you don't have movement the water just sits there stagnant and attracts mosquitoes. Waterfalls can be challenging but they will look and sound better than just a little frog spewing water. I have not advice on waterfalls other than pile up rock and find out what is best for you. Just make sure that your water doesn't roll off the edges.
As for filters, so many folks spend a fortune on filters and pump gadgets. Do what you feel is right. I personally don't have a filtration system in mine. I do have a couple of air plants that keep the water clear.
If you take care of your pond, have a couple of fish and plant the right plants, You shouldn't have to much problems with filtering algae. Now if you have big fat fish I say get a filter. Not that I am Miss Organic, I do suggest you get a tester and watch the water levels of your pond before introducing plant life and fish. It will take a week or so for all the chlorine to dissipate. Start with plants. When you see the plants are doing well for about a week or so add feeder fish. You can pick them up at your local pet store for like 20 cents a piece. One fish likes 1 to 2 square foot of room. But do not add more than 5 fish to a pond that is less than 10 feet. Your ammonia levels will go up and they will start to float to the surface. Or will start jumping out. No lies! They will jump out of the water. Would you not jump out as well if the water was burning your gills. Immediatly add chlorine diffuser
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Raccie the Racoon!
Say you got problems with critters eating your fish. Well, you can get a dog to scare away the critters or you can put a pot in the middle of the pond so that the fish can hide in it. Most critters will not get into water they can not stand in. But sometimes you have to know that you might loose a few fish by a Raccy racoon. Hey, we are not the only folks that like fish. Some folk say Fox Urine does the trick. Just do not pour it in the water. Ha!
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Flower Power
Plants are an important part of making a fishpond beautiful as well as healthy. There are so many water loving plants and they are so easy to grow. I have chosen water lettuce, Water Hyicithn, a lilly pad and serveral other kinds of plants that will multiply. I also hope to buy a Bradford Pear to help shade the pond. If the pond gets to hot it will cook your fish as well as your plants. So make sure you have plenty of floating plants to shade the water. Remember light grows algae and Algae is a pain to get rid of. Key is being natural and to have plenty of movement in your water. In fact certain plants can help you with you algae problem. Ponds happen naturally every day and they don't need chemicals. Chemicals are only a band aide drug and can hurt your eco-system. Sometimes the problem can usually be solved by something really simple.
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Lights action camera!
Under water lighting can give such a romantic glow to your little water garden. It is also really cool to see your fish at night. Point your light at a waterfall or a cluster of plants to set them off. Were Finally Finished!
Now that I am done with my fish pond, I look back at all that heart ache and say it is well worth it. Every thing I learned with this pond has helps me somewhere else in life. Now I sit back on summer evenings with my friends and just relax. Nothing more soothing than the sound of water gurgling over rocks. I hope your pond turns out just exactly like you like it. I know I have left out big chunks of info. Hopefully as I continue to learn I will post.
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