Ponds anyone?

[cnspotts]

We''re in the early stages of planning a water garden, koi, or turtle pond of some sort for our home. I''m curious if anyone here has one, what type, and any advice to offer. What would you do again, or not do again?

The whole project scares me a bit because there is so much information online and so many different ways to build. We''re leaning towards large and concrete, at least that''s the plan for now. Any pictures would be appreciated as well. Thank you!

 

[eks6426]

I''m also in the process of planning a water garden/pond. From what I''ve been reading the liners actually do better long term than the concrete. How big are you making yours? Did you figure out a brand of pump/skimmer/filter etc.?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Our friends happen to have a water garden company! Theirs are beautiful! Theirs are done with liners, not concrete. Here is their site just FYI:

http://www.libertywatergardens.com/shop/index.php

 

[Lynn B]

My husband dug a pond at our old house... it was very BEAUTIFUL, full of flowers and plants, and stocked with koi. We loved eating dinner outside on the patio beside the pond, it was very relaxing. But the pond was A LOT of work. When we moved last year, I asked him if he was going to make another pond at our new house, and he said in a split-second, "No way!"

 

[oshinbreez]

We have one, and we enjoy it. But it is A LOT of work. Would I have another? Nope.

 

[WTNLVR]

I have had a large aquarium for many years and thought it would be cool to get a pond installed. After doing alot of research I decided not to because of the huge amount of work involved. Also, we have hawks, racoons, cats, etc.. that would eat any fish we put in it. I guess it comes down to how much time you have to work on the pool, what type of setting are you in i.e. rural, or more citified and thus less predatory animals. Pools are also a safety risk for young children. Just some things to think about.

 

[oshinbreez]

One of the neighbors dogs also likes to use the pond to cool off. She''s stolen several pumps.

 

[Moikoi]

my 12,000 gallon pear shape koi pond.

 

[VegasAngel]

I dont have one but I would LOVE TO. I told my husband I wanted one if we ever bought a house with a yard that would be able to house it. Now that I have a daughter I'm too afraid she would fall in it. Definitely looking forward to seeing pictures. Moikoi that is cool! Probably so relaxing to sit outside, feed your koi etc..

 

[Moikoi]

keep in mind that a koi pond is completely different from a watergarden gold fish pond.a koi pond needs to be 6-8 ft deep at least 5000 gallons with big filter system. a watergarden can be shallow like 2 ft deep.please do a lot of research

before you start building a koi pond,it''ll save you lots of money in the long run.

 

[cnspotts]

Oh, Thank you!
I''m so happy to see some responces, plus I''ll be checking out those links too. I love the picture of your pond Moikoi, what a great place to spend some time!

Like I said we''re still in the very early stages of considering if this is something we want to undertake. Both dh & I grew up with pools so we''re used to having "water" around. Also we have fish tanks so we''re both familar with the upkeep & chemistry part of keeping things alive and healthy (he has salt water, I have fresh). As much as I''d love a pool I think we''d actually get more enjoyment out of a "pond" since a couple of our favorite places to visit around town are the Turtle/frog pond at the zoo and the Koi pond at the Botanical gardens. We have plenty of space to build (dig) and realize the "bigger the better" when it comes to water maintenance. We also intend to put a large portion of the water in our basement and pipe it through to a fountain that will spill into the pond on the otherside. The whole pump plan is husband''s part of the project. I''m development and labor.

We''ll definitely have to decide what our pond will be holding, I''m leaning towards turtles and plants, maybe just some goldfish for mosquito control. Other than an owl there seem to only be squirrels around here, maybe a redtail hawk too. We rarely get below freezing for more than a couple days (though say that around my bare peach tree, darn it). We''re planning on the depth being knee deep to 4ft with an island in the middle, a fountain that flows into it and all of it set within a barrier wall with "green areas".....if we go with turtles. No wall if we do not, naturally we''ll fence the property.

The "wish list" is that there will be low platform deck that steps up from a concrete & grass patio with a firepit area near or beside the "water thing". We already have a deck off our house with a wall and soon it will have a pergola. Essentially it''s going to be one giant outdoor room, great for entertaining. I''ll be taking pictures as things happen, right now there is not a time frame.

 

[monarch64]

Our next door neighbors have a beautiful koi pond in their back yard, we actually get to see it every day because the fence between us is low enough that when walking along it you can glance over and admire them, and also we have a great view of it from our second floor bathroom, lol! When the weather is nice and we have the windows open, we can also enjoy the gentle sounds of the water rippling and also hear the fish when they are feeding or playing. They are very enjoyable fish, as our neighbors have told us, and have "personality." The neighbor guy is retired and spends most of the day tending the fish pond, though, it seems to be a little labor-intensive. They have about 14-16 koi that I've been able to count. It's mesmerizing to watch them, though...so peaceful when they are calm, and so fun to watch them when they're feeding or playing (or whatever you call it when they're jumping around and being very active!)

 

[Moikoi]

cnspotts

you must first decide on a turtle/frog pond or koi pond. if you try to keep kois in a watergarden,koi hobbyist would call that "cruelty to animals". koi needs 500 gals or more per fish. even with my 12k gal pond i wouldn''t keep more than 18-20 adult fishes in the pond. if i built another pond, there''re many things that i would do differently.

 

[monarch64]

moikoi, your koi are very beautiful, and so is the home you''ve made for them! I''m astounded at the kind of work that goes into all of this. I''ve never asked our neighbors how many gallons their pond is but it''s huge and deep and they use one of those solar covers during cold Chicago winters and the fish always come to life every year so I think they''ve done it right. Your pond is really gorgeous and looks like a work of art...

thanks for sharing your pics!

 

[Moikoi]

Date: 6/3/2007 2:46:50 AM
Author: monarch64
moikoi, your koi are very beautiful, and so is the home you''ve made for them! I''m astounded at the kind of work that goes into all of this. I''ve never asked our neighbors how many gallons their pond is but it''s huge and deep and they use one of those solar covers during cold Chicago winters and the fish always come to life every year so I think they''ve done it right. Your pond is really gorgeous and looks like a work of art...

thanks for sharing your pics!

thanks M64

sounds like your neighbors built the right type of koi pond "deep"

they will need it especially in Chicago winters. non koi people just freak out

when i tell them my pond is 8.5 ft deep.

i still need to hire some people to do landscaping around the pond.everything cost money

wish i was a do it yourself type of person,that sure would save me a few bucks.

 

[eks6426]

My husband and I just put in a test run on a pond this year. We did it Memorial Day weekend. I used one of those prefab liners...36" across and 24" deep. It''s small I know but we built a mini waterfall out of some sandstone we had in the yard. I put in some plants from a friend who has a pond. We built our own filter (lava rocks & scrubbies in a small plastic box with the pump at the bottom) and put in 2 small goldfish. We''re testing how much work this will be before going bigger possibly next year. Even as small as it is, we like the peaceful waterfall sound and watching the 2 fish. In less than a week we got some frogs now which are amazingly loud.

 

[belle]

Date: 6/4/2007 9:12:14 AM
Author: IslandDreams
My husband and I just put in a test run on a pond this year. We did it Memorial Day weekend. I used one of those prefab liners...36'' across and 24'' deep. It''s small I know but we built a mini waterfall out of some sandstone we had in the yard. I put in some plants from a friend who has a pond. We built our own filter (lava rocks & scrubbies in a small plastic box with the pump at the bottom) and put in 2 small goldfish. We''re testing how much work this will be before going bigger possibly next year. Even as small as it is, we like the peaceful waterfall sound and watching the 2 fish. In less than a week we got some frogs now which are amazingly loud.

actually, a small pond won''t be a good test to the upkeep of a larger pond. as cnspotts correctly stated, bigger is better (eco system wise). i''m not saying that you must have a bigger pond, just pointing out that a smaller version is not indicitive of the maintenance of a larger version. you''re pond sounds very nice island. i have no doubt you will enjoy it! watch out for those frogs though! they can take over FAST. they lay tons of eggs (which will change your waterscape) and those turn into more frogs...which lay more eggs...which turn into more frogs. you get the picture. this is one of the reasons that a bigger pond is easier to maintain.

best of luck with your new pond and enjoy!

cns....it sounds like you are very prepared to get a pond. if you''re not afraid of getting mucked up by some pond scum now and then, a pond will be very enjoyable for you. they are not self sufficient, so if you want the beauty and the tranquility that is possible with a pond, you need to be ready to keep up with it. ....or hire a pond keeper.

otherwise, it will just become a nusance.
there are many, many references for building and keeping ponds out there and i would suggest you really take time to wade (ahhaha) through them. you will have many years of enjoyment from a good pond setup.
best of luck!

 

[cnspotts]

Thanks again for all the advice!

Moi, I love your fish, they are so beautiful!

We''ve been talking it over and are definitely leaning towards turtles (sounds like frogs will show up) for the pond which will be about 20ft x 10ft, about 2ft deep in areas to 5ft deep. About 4500 gallons outside plus whatever kind of holding tank for the basement, I''d like about 1/2 that much inside if possible.

Right now it''s too hot to even think about digging out a pond. This project won''t even get started until late this year or next year after lots of research.