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In this section there is the basic information for the pond owner and for anyone planning on adding a pond to their yard.

Measuring for your Pond Liner

Depth x 2 + Length + 2 = Total Length                                                                           Depth x 2 + Width + 2 = Total Width                                                                                   You will need to round off your measurements to the nearest 5 ft. increment for total liner size

Example: 10ft. x 6ft. x 3ft. pond would require                                                                    3 x 2 + 10 + 2 = 18ft. for length                                                                                            3 x 2 + 6 + 2 = 14ft. for width                                                                                         Liner rounded to nearest 5ft. increment and you would require a 20ft. x 15ft. liner for example size pond.                                                              

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To calculate pond volume

If you have or planning on building a square or rectangular style pond the following formula will give you an approximate volume in gallons.

For measurements in Feet

Length x Width x Depth (or average depth) x 7.5 = Total in U.S. gallons                       Length x Width x Depth (or average depth) x 6.25 = Total in Imp. gallons                                                 

For measurements in Inches

Length x Width x Depth (or average depth) x 231 = Total in U.S. gallons

Thinking of creating a Water Feature

When a homeowner plans on adding a water feature to their backyard landscape, they need to first decide on what type of water feature that would like. One first should spend same time on whether they envision some sort of babbling brook, a waterfall, a soothing fountain, water garden or a pond with Goldfish and/or Koi. Any one of the features mentioned is a good addition to a backyard landscape keeping in mind to it's setting, theme and the right fit. So before you rush out and start purchasing your products for building your water feature or pond you'll need to do a little bit of homework first and make that dission on what type of water feature you'll be adding to your landscape. No matter what you decide on whether it is something small like a fountain, water garden with plants and goldfish or a Koi pond, you can give yourself endless hours of pleasure in the way of a visual experience, sense of pride and of course there is that soothing source of stress relief by the sound of water flowing, trickling or just gently tumbling over a waterfall or fountain.

Pond Planning - plan & design

The biggest and most hardest part of building and installing a water feature or pond in your yard is the planning stage, if not planned out right in the beginning you could easily end up with headaches down the road. After you have decided on what type of feature you would like there comes the searching out of materials, but you should first do some kind of budget on your water feature or pond. With planning your pond spend time envisioning where and how one would be best suited in your yard looking at all aspects that go with having a water feature added to your landscape.

Choosing your site - location

You'll want to set the location of your pond as close to your house or in the yard in which one can visually enjoy the site and sound of your water feature whether you build a small water garden or Koi pond. You will need to remember when choosing a site that it will be a major or supplement feature in your landscape but not to have it over-power the surrounding landscape in the yard. When you choose your site remember to take into consideration of the surrounding ground area, whether the ground is level or sloped, not to be placed in an area where runoff from the house roof or ground water will enter your pond. Take note of any trees in the yard and their root systems which can damage the pond sidewall as well as their roots can get in the way when digging your hole. Trees that drop their leaves and needles can easily increase your maintenance time on keeping your pond clean and clear of debris. Also, your pond should be shaped but still receive about 5 to 6 hours of sunlight a day for the water plants and for warming the water during the summer months. After you have determined the location of your water feature or pond you'll need to consider the shape and style of it. What type of pond do you desire, a formal shape with straight edges or a more natural type of pond that can blend into your existing landscape.

The best way to get a feel of what your pond would look like in the yard is to use your garden hose and lay it out and shape and size it to your proposed pond. Leave the hose laded out in the area you plan on building the pond for a few days to get an idea on how the shade pattern develops over the course of the day, making note on how long the area receives sun and shade. After a few days and if any changes were made during that course of time and you are happy with the site location use a can of black spray paint and mark the shape on the outside area of the hose, this way you'll have a semi-permanent outline of your pond.

Materials - what type to use

This is one of the most important area in beginning your water feature or pond construction is that the material you use to construct your pond. What you use will have an effect on its design not to mention your budget along with the look of your finished pond. There are a few different types of materials one can use that has been on the market and used for many years now in the hobby industry and they are briefly listed below.

Preformed Ponds

• There are a few manufacturers of preformed ponds on the market to choose from.

• Most are of the depth and water volume that is insufficient for keeping Koi but are very well suited for a few goldfish and water plants. These types of ponds are mainly used for yards with very limited space or by someone who just wants a small water feature to enhance their landscaping.

• Preformed ponds are made from a tough material and therefore are long lasting.

• They have various interesting shapes and sizes with no unsightly creases and no restriction on suitable sites.

• Lastly they are quick and easy to install without taking up very much room in your yard.

Liner Ponds - EPDM Rubber

• Firestone PondGuard  is by far the most widely used type of material used in the Landscaping and Nursery Industry of today.

• Firestone PondGuard EPDM rubber liner is fairly cheap to buy, quick to fit (depending on the size of your pond).

• EPDM liner comes in various widths ranging from 5' all to way to 50' and is mainly sold by the square foot at 5' increments.

• Not all retailers will have the available widths of liner but do carry the most commonly called for at 10', 15', 20', 25', 30' and 35'.

• The main draw back of using rubber liner is the creases it creates when being placed in the hole.

• These unsightly creases can be dealt with after liner is placed in the hole by using 3" or 6" double sided liner seam tape than with a 12" single sided tape over the crease seam to basically hide what is commonly called the dog's ear.

• Rubber liners can last for 20 plus years if they are installed propably by using an underlay first before liner is placed in excavated hole

• Underlay is to prevent any punctures to the liner from either rocks or tree roots, use of this material is highly recommended.

Fibreglass

Building a water feature or pond using fibreglass has been widely used in the past by Koi hobbyists and to this day are still holding out but not without problems. Using the material to build your pond from fibreglass matting is and can be a very labour intense job not alone the cost of using this material. For one to build a water feature from fibreglass is having the knowledge in working and applying the multiple layers of woven matting and ensuring it is done under the right conditions. The advantage in using fibreglass is that you can create any type of shape you wish and you can stop and start the building process at your leisure, except when you need to apply the finish gel coat. Having a pond built out of fibreglass will not affect your water chemistry, algae does not grow to well on it, easy to repair and can have a long life if done properly.

Concrete

Another type of building material that can and has been used is concrete or concrete blocks, is more expensive than a liner and almost equal in cost as a fibreglass pond. Using concrete for a small pond can be done without to much difficulty and can last for sometime but larger ponds should be done by a professional contractor who specializes in constructing concrete ponds. Concrete block has an advantage over the other types of material is that it can be used above ground without any type of forms. Use of concrete blocks are more so for formal shape ponds and water features and you can construct at your leisure but need to completely coat the entire inside with a plaster coat or a sealer such as Hecht rubber sealer which will add to your construction cost.

Construction - the easy or hard part

Preformed Pond

After you have spent some considerable time in deciding and planning out your water feature or pond now comes the day of starting the construction of your project and hoping everything comes together. If  installing a preformed pond this is fairy easy to do, most of these ponds should come with the basic instructions from the manufacturer for installation. In the case where you do not receive any instructional papers start off by turning the pond upside down and marking out the shape, cutting into the ground using a shovel. Start digging the area away but remember to take into account of any shelves or ledges and do not dig to the maximum depth of the pond or it could distort under the weight of the water. The use of sand for levelling out any bumps in excavation helps so the pond can sit level and flush with the ground, if it will be slightly raised mark height with wooden stakes. After pond is installed and level in it's hole back fill with the soil removed and gently pack in place as not to disturb pond.

EPDM Rubber Liner

 If you are using a liner for your project the basic excavation is almost the same as a preformed pond but in a much bigger way. Your area should be marked out by either stakes or spray can and should be a bit larger than what your pond size will be and also take into account for the pond ring.

• Depending on your ground surface one can use various materials for the collar of the pond, using treated landscape ties, concrete or landscape blocks, or built up soil from excavated hole.

• Installing a rubber liner can be done anytime of the year but is best on a dry day.

• If done during the warmer months laying it out in the sun first for a period of time this helps in the aid of placing it into the hole by making it more flexible and easier to handle.

• Be sure the side walls are as straight up and down as possible with no protruding ground debris such as sharp rocks and roots.

• Your bottom should be sloped towards the centre if at all possible for where the bottom drain can easily pick up debris.

• The application of soft sand on the side walls and bottom to fill any small holes an to give a smooth surface before liner is recommended.

• As well use an underlay made of Geotextile type material is also required or old carpet has also been used but this can over time rot in the ground.

• Place the folded up liner in the hole and unfold so it goes length ways and then unfold it width ways.

• You'll need to jump into the pond and start placing the liner and straitening out it's folds just before water is to be added.

• If there is a through the liner bottom drain ensure it is installed properly to avoid leaks.

• Create your corner folds and apply seaming tape if you are using it to keep the folds down in place.

• At this time you should be ready to start adding the water. Let the water fill and as it is rising in height gently push the bottom and side corners in place as well as trying to remove any wrinkles in the bottom.

• During this time it may be a good time in doing any type piping work for your filter feed.

• Work on a waterfall can now be started during the fill up of pond depending on it's gallonage.

• After your pond is now full of water you can finish off the edging by using either flat stone, coping slabs, treated lumber wherever will give you that desired finish look you desire to compliment your landscape.

Equipment - essential parts

This is where you will spend most of your budget in building and installing your water feature or pond. A good tip before starting your water feature or pond is to make a list of all the equipment you would want to include in your project. By doing this you won't accidentally go over your budget and it will also help you in the planning process. It's is also a good idea to check on the availability of all the items you need and if something needs to be ordered you'll have it when you are ready to get started. For there is nothing more frustrating in building a pond is when you require a particular item and finding out it needs to be ordered on sometimes it can take up to 10 days for delivery. But one has to expect these things to happen especially if constructing a large pond for there are so many items to consider.

Choose your equipment carefully and you'll enjoy your water feature or pond more, plus if you have Goldfish and/or Koi they will stay happy and healthy. Below will be a brief list of the equipment needed for mostly the larger ponds but will do even for smaller ponds. One thing to remember before you start buying what you need make sure you know the gallonage of your pond as well as explaining if asked what your water feature will mainly be used for.

Bottom Drains

• This usually not needed for small ponds of less than 1500 gallons but ensure you are using a good submersible pump.

• For ponds that are above the 1500 gallon size it is recommended that a bottom drain be installed, two bottom drains for the much larger ponds of 5000 gallons and up or even three can be used.

Skimmers

• Smaller ponds can use a floating type skimmer for the removal of surface debris and it also relives the surface tension of the water.

• Side wall skimmer used in the swimming pool industry work fine for the medium size ponds.

• There are various manufacturers of side wall skimmers for the larger size ponds and they are available with at least three different size weirs which are fitted for gallonage and water flow.

Pumps

• For the water gardener submersible pumps are the most commonly used and there are many brands to choose from.

• Ponds that are a bit more extensive, using an out of pond pump is best suited. Choosing the right pump for your pond can be the most frustrating decision to make at times, you need to know your gallonage, how much flow are you expecting through your filter and waterfall. Need to also take into account your pipe size, fittings and length of pipe from pond to pump and height pump needs to push the water to filter, this is mainly for pump feed filters.

• It is best to use pumps that are specifically designed for Koi ponds and it should last for at least five or more years.

Filter

• If your water feature is to contain fish use must have a filter of some sort to be able to provide good water quality for your fish's health and survival.

• In pond filter work fine but are best suited for the small water garden containing Goldfish and plants.

• Your pond which will have Koi and plants or just Koi without plants should be a size that is enough to handle the fish load.

• One thing people tend to not take into account when installing a filter is that Koi grow and they can double their size or more in a year.

• Without having a good size filter for your pond will do nothing but give you headaches down the road and all sort of problems, from unsightly water to fish health ending up altemintly death of probably your favourite Koi.

• There are two types of filter set ups, pump feed or gravity feed filter.

• Can either purchase one of the many commercial manufactured filters available or can design and construct your own which would fit your particulacar pond design.

• For use of filter media you have various types to choose from in this area as well, they all have their pros and cons, one would just research and decide what is best for them and their filter set up.

UV Light and Air Pump

• These two items are sometimes overlooked when building a pond at the start.

• Installing a UV Unit and having an Air Pump can be done afterwards but it is usually wise to include in your list of equipment needed.

• A UV Light unit should be one that is rated closely to your pond size even going past the rated size won't hurt.

• An air pump comes in handy for providing the extra needed air into your pond during the hot summer months when the oxygen content in the water become low for your fish.

• Also, during the colder Winter months when you raise the air stone to just a few inches below water levle and depending on the strenght of the air pump will prevent ice from completely forming over the surface thus leaving an open space for any toxic gases to excape.

Some Pond Keeping Tips

1. Having a quarantine pond or tank is essential nowadays for pond keeping, easier to treat one or two sick fish in a small pond than a larger one. Plus when purchasing new Koi it is wise to isolate them for a period of time before introduction to your other Koi, this is for the prevention of any new ailments.

2. Changing water because of build-up of pollutants, caused by feeding, the amount you you need to change will vary, depending on the severity of the problem.

3. Remember when changing the water it will affect the make-up of your water chemistry in the pond in addition may stress your Koi. Test all water parameters after any water change is completed no matter how small or large of a change.

4. A long shallow stream bubbling over rocks and flat surface may be good for oxygenation as well the looks of your pond the thin surface area of the water absorbs heat during the summer creating that algae bloom in ones waterfall.

5. When you purchase your Koi or adding a new one, make sure the water temperature in the pond is the same as where the Koi was last. If not, then float the koi in the bag in your pond until the fish can acclimatise.

6. When salt is added to your pond the only way it is removed is through partial water changes, this will dilute the salt concentration.

7. when adding water to your pond and to minimise chlorination problems in the pond water, always use a de-chlorinater and spray the fresh water from the mains.

8. When cleaning your filter media do not be too thorough may disturb the colonies of bacteria, rinse media in pond water and flush away the silt. Never scrub or use detergent to clean filter media.

9. When installing additional electiral outlets for your pond be sure you GFI outlets for all electrical equipment.  

Suggested Equipment for Different Size Ponds

To be added soon

Temperature Conversions

SEASONAL CARE FOR YOUR POND - coming soon

KOI VARIEITIES - coming soon

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