DIYs

Building the perfect pond for your backyard garden can be a do-it-yourself activity or you can hire a professional to do it for you. It’s really not that hard but does require some research and certain knowledge about landscaping in order to get it right. You need to get a good book and read up on it or ask some friends and professionals about the idea of building a pond in your garden. For now, here is a brief discussion on how to build that pond that you’ve always wanted in your garden.

Situate the Pond

Basically the first step to building a pond is to find a suitable spot to dig a hole in your garden. The size and depth of the pond should be proportional to the size of your garden. A liner will also be needed for the pond. You can buy and place a prefabricated fiberglass piece or have the choice of free forming your pond with rubber roofing material or similar to it. In any case, a liner is a must for ponds to keep the water from draining.

If you are planning to breed fishes in the pond, you need to consider the depth. You have to make sure that the pond is deep enough for the fishes. In colder climates, the pond should be deeper than the frost line and making sure that the fishes have still enough room to go to.

Ponds should not be placed near trees, shaded, or low areas. Plant life, especially lilies, and fishes need the warmth of the sun. Falling leaves can also accumulate fast and cause a cleaning nightmare. Low areas cause large volumes of rainwater runoff to enter the pond. Rainwater runoff may contain chemicals coming from pesticides and fertilizers which can be harmful to pond plants and fishes.

Filtration

Pexels Kris Møklebust

Building a pond also requires the owners to put some thought on how to filter off the waste that accumulates in it. A good thing to remember is that the bigger the water area, the better it can handle the waste coming from the fishes. Keep in mind that you will need to put some kind of substrate or gravel so that a bacteria bed can build up and help maintain the water in good quality. You can buy good filters and gravel in your local pet stores.

If you are building a pond to keep a school of goldfish or other kinds of fishes, wait until you have covered the bottom with gravel and placed a good filtering machine. Like an aquarium or a fish tank, you should introduce a fish to the pond one at a time. Allow some time for the environment of the pond to adjust with the population. If you dump all of the fish you intend to place in the pond, they probably would not survive the environment because the natural filtering of the bacteria will not be able to handle the waste of the fishes and their food.

Filters can also help to ensure that your pond doesn’t become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes lay their eggs on still waters, so anything that agitates the eggs will help prevent the pond from becoming a breeding ground. Filters help maintain the waters clean but regular cleaning is still needed to maintain the quality of the pond.

Keywords
Fish Pond, Backyard Garden, DIY, Landscaping, Pond Location, Pond Liner, Fiberglass, Rubber Roofing, Pond Depth, Cold Climate, Sunlight, Lilies, Rainwater Runoff, Filtration, Gravel, Bacteria Bed, Goldfish, Aquatic Plants, Mosquito Control, Outdoor Space