Building a Pond: Step-by-Step Guide
Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff
Have you ever fantasized about sitting in your
living room or on your deck and looking over a clear, peaceful body of water?
You may be dreaming of a backyard pond. A pond can reward your family with all
sorts of benefits, from providing a peaceful place to meditate to attracting
birds and other backyard visitors.
Building a pond does not have to be an impossible
dream. Nor does it require a pond-building specialist. Careful planning before
installation lessens the work as well as the cost. The bigger a pond is, the
easier it is to maintain, so plan the largest pond your budget and landscaping
will allow.
We
built a pond specifically for you to see what is involved in this process. Keep
in mind several things when planning your pond:
|
|
Location: We chose a
place on our property with a good mixture of sun and shade. We also chose
to build our pond on a natural hill so we could put in a waterfall using
existing terrain.
|
|
|
Style/Size: We
wanted a rock-lined pond and decided on a 2,400-gallon size (see our pond
specs, below).
|
|
|
Maintenance commitment: We wanted a very low-maintenance pond.
|
|
|
Whether you want fish: We chose to have fish since it was the perfect way to
bring life into our pond and our backyard. Fish also eat mosquitoes, eat
algae and help fertilize plants.
|
|
|
Whether you want plants or not and what types are
appropriate for your climate: We
wanted hardy plants that would survive our cold winters and provide natural
filtration.
|
|
|
Whether you want a waterfall or not: We decided that a waterfall would be worth the extra work
because we wanted its soothing effects.
|
|
With
some initial decisions made, we needed to consider:
- What depth would we
need for the fish? In northern Wisconsin, we need
at least a 48" depth.
- How many levels would
we need for plants? We chose two levels
since we wanted bog plants as well as lilies.
- What would be the
most comfortable way we could enjoy the pond and feed the fish?
Before
After
Step-By-Step
Instructions
Step 1 - Marking
Contours: We marked 2 levels since we
wanted bog plants as well as lilies. In northern Wisconsin, we need at least a 48" depth
for fish to survive winter.
Step 2 - The Digging: With the help of friends we dug the pond in a weekend.
Excess dirt was used to build falls, elevated areas, and to level the pond's edges.
Step 3 - Installing
Equipment: Our 2,400 gallon pond is
low-maintenance because of the top quality Skimmer/Falls system we used.
Step 4 - The Liner: After the liner was placed over the pond, one side was
secured as the rest was gently formed and folded to fit pond curves.
Step 5 - Adding
Structure:
We covered the liner and edged the pond with 15 tons of
rock, carefully building the waterfall, plant ledges, and fish hiding places.
Following are the components that went into this pond
Koi: We have seven
Assorted Butterfly Koi and one Black Koi. They quickly learn to eat from your
hand, making them quite a joy to feed.
Azoo Growth Plus Koi Food: We chose the best food we could find to keep our fish healthy.
Bog
Plants (Yellow Iris, Pickerel Rush, Variegated Sweet Flag), Floating Plants (Parrot's Feather,
Water Hyacinth), Water Lillies (Albert
Greenberg, Rembrandt, Chromatella)
Plant Baskets: For easy
placement, maintenance, and removal of plants.
Microbe-Lift Concentrated Aquatic Planting Media: Easy to work with and specially formulated for aquatic plants.
Aquamax Pump 3700: The
ideal pump would be the same gph as the number of gallons or larger. Since the
Aquamax 2100 was too small for our 2,400-gallon pond, we chose the next size
up. We went with Aquamax because it is very energy efficient.
Skimmer filter: Easy to
remove skimmer basket makes maintenance a breeze. The skimmer also houses our
pump and UV unit.
25W UV Unit: Efficient
and effective for keeping our water clear
Pond Filter: Provides a
soothing waterfall as well as biological and mechanical filtration.
BioBalls: This
biological filtration media was chosen for the living ponds Filter. It was
placed in mesh bag included with the filter.
Activated Carbon: This
filtration media cleared discoloration in our well water, which has high iron
content. 3.5L fits perfectly in the 11" x 11" media bag
EggLite
Submersible Kit: We tuck this
compact light system among rocks and decorations to add dramatic evening
lighting.
Pond Liner: One 19' x
21' piece and one 10' x 10'. This liner is particularly rugged and long-lasting.
Liner Underlayment:
Three 10' x 15' pieces of underlayment help prevent roots and rocks from
puncturing the liner.
Flexible PVC Tubing: 50
ft. of this heavy-duty tubing runs underground from the skimmer to the waterfall.
Handi-Foam Black Straw:
An absolute necessity to keep waterfall rocks in place.