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Facts & Tips
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We want to provide you with as much information as possible to make your pond building experience easy. We have been designing and installing ponds since 1988, and have put together a list of useful facts & formulas. We’re even willing to give away a few tricks of the trade! If you have any questions or want some further assistance in the design or construction of your pond, please don’t hesitate to e-mail us or give us a call at 1-866-Aquatic.
For the full scoop on Designing and building a pond, click here.
Pond Design
Mark the outline of your pond with a hose, rope or spray paint. Remember, when the pond is filled with rock, you lose water volume and surface area because the rocks take up a lot of space. So if you have the room, don’t skimp on the size. Avoid hour glass shapes because they create pockets of stagnant water. The waterfall is usually placed so that it can be viewed from a sitting area. Depending on the size of the pond, incorporate at least two plant bogs, this looks much more natural than a ring of plants on a shelf around the pond’s edge.
For the full scoop on questions to ask your contractor, click here.
Digging the Pond
Don’t dig the sides of the pond straight down. Instead, create levels or tiers so that when the rock is placed in the pond it creates a more natural and gradual slope from the edge of the pond down to the bottom. Dig a couple of holes in the bottom - 12 inches in diameter by 8 inches deep- These will become your “lily pockets”. The bottom of the pond does not have to be level and can range in depth from 18 inches to 24 or 36 inches. A minimum of 24 inches is usually required for fish to survive cold winter temperatures. The pond edge must be level.
Installing the Liner
Use a felt underlay to protect your liner. The 45 mil EDPM fish safe liner can be heavy, so have a few people on hand to help you position it. It’s always best to use one piece of liner, but if necessary pieces can be seamed together using double sided tape in between the pieces and single sided tape on the top. The liner should extend about 12 inches over the sides of the pond and secured with rock. Allow 3 or 4 extra feet of liner for your waterfall.
Filtration
Biological and mechanical filtration is recommended to keep a healthy pond. A biofalls waterfall unit not only creates a natural looking waterfall but acts as a biological filter. It’s important to have filter pads and ceramic rock or bioballs in the waterfall box. Beneficial bacteria will grow on the filter media stacked inside the falls and the unit should only be cleaned out once or twice a year. The skimmer box, placed at the opposite end of the pond, houses and protects the pump. The skimmer box has to be level. The pump pulls the water across the length of the pond, skimming the debris along the surface. The leaf net and filter pad or brushes filter out leaves and floating dirt particles. Clean this out as often as necessary. In some skimmers, if the filter pads get clogged with too much debris, the water level in the skimmer could drop and burn out the pump. Pressurized Filters can be used in conjunction with biological waterfalls or without. They have one control to filter, backwash, rinse and drain your pond. There are no filter pads to clean and they are easy to service. They are more hi-tech and will be more expensive to purchase.
For the full scoop on pond filtratiion, click here.
Filtration Options
Bottom drains are recommended for ponds over 24 inches deep. The bottom drain is installed in the deepest part of the pond and is connected directly to the skimmer or an outside filter. Their purpose is to help increase the pond’s filtration by keeping debris off the bottom. U.V. Sterilizers will keep your pond water clear and eliminate most parasites that can harm your fish. It is important to purchase a U.V. that matches your pond’s water volume and your pump size, so that will work effectively.
Rocking the Pond
Use a variety of sizes and shapes when choosing the rock for your pond so you create a more natural look. Rocks like fieldstone work well for the walls of the pond. Stack some rocks so that they form “caves” for your fish. They love to swim in and out of them. The bottom of the pond can be covered with a mixture of river jack rocks and pea gravel. Don’t make it more than 1 or 2 inches, or too much debris will get trapped in between the rocks. When you are stacking the rock, make sure they are stable - in case someone has to walk on them when cleaning the pond. Plant your lilies in the “lily pockets” and fill with pea gravel.
Aquatic Plants - How to Create a Bog
Bogs contain moisture loving plants (marginals) and can be built to help filter the pond. Build a small wall separating the pond water from the bog area. The bog should be about 12 inches deep so the plants have room to grow sufficient root systems. Plants that like shallow water are planted in the bog and the area is filled to the top with pea gravel. You should only see a little bit of water on top of the stones. As the water passes through he roots of the plants, the pond is naturally filtered. And the best part is…the fish can’t eat your plants and there are no more ugly black pots for them to knock over!
Stream Design
Varying the width of the stream, putting folds in the liner, and placing various size rocks or boulders in the stream bed will create different water currents. A drop of 1 inch every 5 feet generally works best. Spraying waterfall foam under and around the rocks keeps the water flowing over top of the rocks instead of going underneath. This creates a faster moving stream with a “rapids” effect.
Leaks
It’s a good idea to mark your proper water level somewhere on a rock. Turn off the waterfall. If the water level drops just a little below your mark it could be due to evaporation caused by either hot weather or wind. If it drops a couple of inches you may have a leak. If the water level does not drop when the waterfall is off, then the leak is in the waterfall or stream. Rocks may have shifted and water is now running out a crease in the liner. The same applies to around the edge of the pond, especially if people frequently walk alongside it. Look for wet patches in the dirt or mulch. Chances are the liner just has to be pulled back up higher. It is rare to find an actual hole in the liner, but they can be patched.
Water Quality
Testing for Ammonia, PH, and Nitrites is important to insure the health of your fish. High levels can be toxic. Master kits are available in liquid or dry-tab form. Test strips which get dipped in the water are very easy to use and read the results.
Adding Koi and Goldfish
Do not overstock your pond with fish! This can not be stressed enough. An over-populated pond promotes algae problems and causes a stressful environment for the fish, which can lead to diseases. A general rule of thumb is one inch of fish per every 7-10 gallons of water, with adequate filtration. Remember, koi like more room and can grow bigger than other varieties of fish. Koi prefer long areas to swim back and forth and a depth of three feet is more suitable for them. Although koi can continue to grow in size in a small pond, they could become stressed, and this could stunt their growth internally. You can have several varieties of fish in your pond such as koi , comets and shubunkins, but keep an eye on their growth and watch out for all those babies!
Controlling Pond Algae
In order to eliminate pond algae, you have to get rid of its food source. One
way is to increase the number of aquatic plants you have in your pond. The roots
of the plants will absorb the nutrients present in the water, and the algae will
have less to thrive on.
Pond Maintenance & Winterizing Tips
Pond maintenance is a year round process but it doesn't have to be difficult.
Prepare your pond in the fall and watch it come to life in the spring.
For tips on pond maintenance, click here.
Pond Maintenance In Season
A pond is a living environment, complete with pond plants, fish and other
wildlife that depend on a well-balanced aquatic ecosystem. A few minutes a week
caring for your pond will provide hours of pristine enjoyment.
Pond Safety
Adding a pond has become one of the most popular backyard landscape additions in
the last few years. No matter how big or small the pond is going to be, it needs
to be safe.
Ponds and Backyard Wildlife
Ponds are full of life, from the colorful fish to the endless variety of aquatic
plants. But more species of wildlife are visiting your pond and are calling it
home. Birds, frogs, butterflies are just a few of the animals we welcome into
our backyard retreat. Did you know that your backyard could be certified as a
Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation? There
are,however, some visitors to the pond you don't want to see.
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