Gold Fish Care

Steps for Building a Pond

The first step to consider is to decide what type of pond you want to build. You should consider what type of Taquatic life you want in the pond. Is it going to be a home for goldfish? Or, is your main concern for the aquatic plants? Perhaps you only want the pond for the sound of a waterfall. Each type of pond should be planned for its specifi c features. Keep in mind that the most common mistake water gardeners say they made when building their first pond was making it too small. A small pond limits the number of fish andplants you can add.

POND

A goldfish pond is different from a water garden because goldfish limits the amount of plant life to be grown. Goldfish also eats some plants. A goldfish pond should also be larger because goldfish grow quite large despite the size of the pond, it is recommended that a goldfish pond be no less than 1000 gallons in volume, the bigger the better. It also needs to have an area of the pond atleast 3 feet deep, 4 - 5 feet may be better.

WATER GARDEN

A water garden typically contains both goldfish and a variety of aquatic plants. Water gardens in moderate climates usually need the pond area to be atleast 2 feet deep. Colder climates require extra depth to provide atleast 12" to 16" of water below the freeze zone.

The second step in establishing a new pond is to select a proper location.

Ponds can be a great enjoyment if they are installed close to the home. Select an area where you can see the pond round-the-year. Ponds are great attracters of wildlife including birds and butterflies. Position the pond where runoff from rain will not flow into the pond. This may carry fertilizers, chemicals, and organic debris into the pond. It may be necessary to alter the terrain to accommodate this. Avoid placing a pond too close to trees. Falling leaves and other debris will need to be removed from the pond. You will want to place your pond where it will receive atleast 4 to 6 hours of direct sun if you want grow waterlilies. Shade is fine for fish-only ponds. Water circulation is notessential, but the use of a pump will allow you to keep more fish. It will also keep your plants healthier.A pump is required to run a filter, fountain, or waterfall. The sound of running water adds greatly to the enjoyment of the pond. Most ponds will benefit from the use of a biological filter. This is essential if you are keeping koi or more than a few goldfishes. We have several types of biological filters to choose from.

Now you need to determine the size of your pond or water garden.

The best way to do this is to use a rope or water hose and lay out the shape on the ground. A pond for goldfish or water lilies need only about 2 feet deep for zones 5 or greater. Ponds built in colder areas may need more depth to keep the pond from freezing. Ponds built for koi should be close to threefeet or deeper to allow larger fish enough space. The biggest mistake that most people make is building the pond or water garden too small. A larger pond is more stable and easier to maintain. Keep in mind that a finished pond or water garden will be about 30% smaller than you visualize it. After you have laidout the shape, measure the maximum length and width. Add the depth twice to these measurements plus a foot or two for overlap and this will give you the pond liner size.

Dig the pond or water garden to the desired shapeand dig ashelf around the perimeter of the pond about one foot deep and one or more feet wide. Dig the remainder of the pond with a slight slope to the end opposite the waterfall if one is included in the design.

Position any external pond filters and/or pond skimmers and level these in their proper location. Pond skimmers should be buried to the proper level beside the pond. A ditch should be dug to facilitate plumbing from the pond to the waterfall or external pond filter. If a pond skimmer is being used, dig a ditch to the external pond pump and from the pump to the external pond filter or waterfall. If you are using a submersible pump in the pond skimmer, then the ditch will be from the skimmer to theexternal pond filter or waterfall.

Line the pond or water garden excavation with pond underlayment

This can be cut with scissors or a utility knife. You may want to tape small pieces if any, together in order to keep them from moving when the pond liner is placed.

Place the rubber pond liner into the excavation and unfold.

Position the liner evenly in the pond. Try to minimize folds and wrinkles. But some will be necessary. After the water is added, the folds should flatten out.

Pond waterfalls and streams can be excavated now. An external pond filter or waterfall tank can be positioned to create the first waterfall. This can be placed to spill directly into the pond inwhich case, the pond liner is held against the pond filter until you are able to stack stone from the pond shelf up against the pond filter to create a waterfall. If a small pool or stream is desired then excavate several inches deep to the desired size and shape. Position the underlayment and pond liner allowing extra material to overlap several inches into the pond.

Plumbing from the pump can be brought over into the stream of pool. Or if using an external pond filter, this will be the start of the waterfall. Streams should be dug wider than the finished size to make room for stone that will be placed into the stream for the edging. Stone can be secured to the liner with mortar or expandable foam. This will hold back the water allowing it to spill over the stone creating the waterfall. Connect the pond liner to the skimmer, if one is being used

following the manufacturers directions. Place the pipe or tubing in place leaving a few inches extra to make your connections later. Place the stone or other coping around the edge of the pond or water garden. Arrange the coping stone around the edge of the pond and fold the pond liner behind the stone slightly above the water level. It is usually not necessary to mortar the stone into place if it is of sufficient size to be stable. In case of small stones or if people will be walking around the edge, then mortaring the stone may be required to ensure stability. Backfill with soil to hold the pond liner against the stone. Fill the pond with water for a few inches from the top and then make corrections if necessary to ensure that the pond is level. As the pond is filling, remove wrinkles and make folds as necessary.

Other methods of edging the pond or water garden. For most installations having a stone necklace around the pond or water garden does not create a natural appearance.If your goal is to make your pond blend into the landscape in a natural setting, then you will want to consider other methods of edging the pond. Besides the traditional method of edging with a thin stone on the edge overlapping the pond, you can also use one or more layers of stone built from the shelf.

This provides a greater natural appeal and will allow the water to fluctuate without seeing the liner. You can also create a cobblestone beach edging by placing a large stone at the inner side of a large shallow shelf and filling the area with gravel and cobbles.

You can naturalize this area by planting shallow water plants This will create a better natural edge with plants partly in and partly out of the water. You can plant bare root plants directly into the gravel or place the plant with some soil still attached into the gravel. This will help the plant to establish itself.

Add dechlorinator to the pond to remove any chlorine or chloramines.
Add aquatic plants as soon as possible after constructing the pond or water garden.
Add packaged bacteria to seed the pond filter and pond. Fish should be added a few at a time over several weeks to allow the bacteria to establish in your water garden.

The most important plant is Anacharis.

This is an underwater plant that produces nutrients that would feed the algae. For ponds and water gardens under 25 square feet, use one bunch for every square foot of pond surface area. For ponds 25 to 100 square feet, use one bunch for every two square feet of surface area. For ponds 100 to 300 square feet, use one bunch for every three square feet of surface area. Use one bunch for every four square feet for ponds over 400 square feet in size. If you are keeping koi, then a smaller upper pool or plant protectors will be needed to keep them from eating the Anacharis.

The next step is to add water lilies and other plants with surface leaves to provide shade to approximately 66% of the surface area if in full sun. If less than full sun, then less coverage is acceptable.