Further Reading

Pond Planning Pitfalls & Problems

The Difference Between a Water Garden and a Koi Pond

Our Economy Pond Project

We are going to "build" our own economy pond along with you.  This is the 1st Step in the Pond Construction Process.

Here are the Decisions We've Made During the Planning Step of Our Project Pond:

• It will be a Goldfish Pond with water plants and a light fish load

• We will place it just outside our patio so the kids can enjoy it and easily feed the fish.  It will receive full sun most of the day.

• Our Goldfish Pond will be 3 feet deep.

• It will be a kidney shaped pond with an average of 9 foot width, 10 feet across and the depth will be 3 feet at all areas except for a small shelf area for plants.  9x10x3x7 = 1890 Gallons

• We are budgeting $1000 for the equipment and adding an ultraviolet water sterilizer at $400 because we want our pond to be (and stay) very clear.  Add $300 for rocks and construction materials for the waterfall.  Add $200 for initial plants and fish.  We intend to do the work ourselves but are budgeting $50 for the rental of digging equipment.

• Our total budget is $1950 for the completely finished and stocked project.

Step No. 1 - The Plan

The planning step of Pond Doc's Economy Pond Building Course is THE most important step to backyard pond construction on a budget.  Don't put any carts before any horses.  In Pond Building terms -- don't dig your hole before putting your brain in gear! 

• Decide What Type of Pond You Want
  We are working with the three basic types of ponds most often built by the do-it-yourselfer.  The water garden, the koi pond and the goldfish pond.  What you want from your pond will determine which type of pond you should build.

  The Water Garden is basically a garden and doesn't normally have fish.  Frogs will inhabit the water garden as will other home-seekers such as turtles and dragon flies that happen to come along.  The pond is built with plants in mind with plenty of plant shelves and most often located in the sun so that water lilies and lotus will bloom to their fullest.  Although the water garden does not necessarily need biological filtration it can certainly benefit from mechanical filtration to keep it clean and healthy for any animal that drinks from it or child that plays in it.

  A true Koi Pond is built with the welfare of the koi in mind and plants are usually NOT part of the equation.  Koi are playful so plants tend to become toys and, in their minds, the plants are there only for their amusement.  The water MUST stay healthy and clear for koi to live without disease and problems to the koi-keeper.  For that reason, biological and mechanical filtration are very important to the koi pond's design as is the depth and way the pond is constructed.

  A Goldfish Pond is a combination of everything.  It can have plants and koi too.  It's probably the most commonly built type of ornamental pond of all three types.  It has to be built to sustain life of many forms.  The best goldfish ponds incorporate good filtration techniques with smart design to achieve the perfect plant and fish ecosystem.  Add plants to a koi pond or fish to a water garden and you basically have the same thing. 

  The Goldfish Pond is probably the best choice for our Economy Pond Project because it combines the best of everything and, as long as it is lightly stocked, a healthy pond environment can be easily achieved within 1000 to 2000 gallons.

   

• Decide Where to Locate the Pond

There are only a few rules on where to locate your pond so basically you can locate it where you will best enjoy it!  Just know that wherever you place your pond you will be presented with a set of challenges, many of which can be easily overcome by proper planning and choosing the right equipment.  Here's what I'm talking about:

A pond in full sun will turn green, stay green and probably never balance to full clarity without the help of an ultraviolet water sterilizer.  Budget that option if you want to place your pond in full sun.  (It also can be added later).

A pond set under trees in the shade will constantly need attention, especially in autumn when the leaves fall.  You can install an optional skimmer that will rake the leaves off the top but definitely plan to cover the pond with leaf netting just before the leaves begin to fall. 

Water lilies need full sun to flower as do most flowering water plants.  If you are building a water garden you might consider placing your pond in full sun unless you plan to have plants that do well in shade.

Building a pond on a sloping terrain will cost more although it will look natural if you plan to have a waterfall cascading down to it.  The added cost will be in the wall to build the low end of the slope's sides up to hold the pond water level.

Areas to Avoid:

• Over septic tanks or underground streams
• In the path of rain runoff
• Areas where children congregate
• Anywhere water collects after a rain

• How Deep a Pond Should Be

You'll hear a lot about the depth of the garden pond.  Most often the depth of 3 feet comes up.  That is because blue herons (a common and deadly predator of frogs, koi and goldfish) can walk around in ponds that are 2 1/2 feet deep or shallower giving your fish nowhere to hide.  For that reason alone, our recommendation for any pond is to be at least 3 feet deep or the major part of it at 3 feet or more. 

Another consideration you will have with the depth is over wintering.  Depending on your neck of the woods, water in ponds can freeze down about a half foot or more during the coldest parts of winter.  Koi and Goldfish survive the winters quite well as long as they have a couple of feet of unfrozen water at the bottom of the pond.  Plan your depth according to the harshness of your area's winters.  (...another reason to dig the pond at least 3 feet deep).

Surprisingly most varieties of hardy water lilies do BEST in deeper water.  I know you say - everyone else says to put water lilies on plant shelves.  We know better!  If you'd seen the lovely HUGE blossoms on our hardy water lilies set a 5 feet deep you would be convinced.  If hardy water lilies are your thing go deeper than 3 feet.  If you don't believe me - look with your own eyes at our showcase water lily pond that is 5 feet deep.

• Decide the Size of the Pond and Budget It

Now let's take a look at the budget.  Below are a couple of good ballpark scenarios to consider.  They are very realistic numbers but do NOT reflect any labor or rocks or rockwork that you might want.  It is for the equipment only.  Basically double the price if you have labor help and add another $300 for rock or more, depending on your use of rock in the garden.  Any fish and plants you add are up to you.

Helpful Hint:  Labor to build a pond is one of the most expensive parts ---  so whatever you can do on your own will save you lots of money.

Following your budget will insure that "Mama" stays happy and your life continues as normal...

• Pond of up to 500 Gallons (Liner, Submersible Pump, External Filter, Flex Hose, Plumbing) ....Approx. $500-$600
• Add Ultraviolet Sterilizer + $170

• Pond of up to 1000 Gallons (Liner, Submersible Pump, External Filter, Flex Hose, Plumbing) ....Approx. $800
• Add Ultraviolet Water Sterilizer + $200

• Pond of up to 2000 Gallons (Liner, Submersible Pump, External Filter, Flex Hose, Plumbing) ....Approx. $1000
• Add UV Light + $400

Yes, Guys.  Size Does Matter...

Let me give you a little advice on choosing the size of your pond.  If your pond is going to have even one fish or plant pH becomes an important factor.  pH tends to be stable in larger amounts of water.  Aquariums of less than 100 gallons experience pH problems (including crashes that kill fish and the nitrifying cycle and ruin plants) more often than larger ponds.  So - if I was building a pond for some pretty goldfish and maybe a water lily or two I think I would definitely go with at least 1000 gallons but preferably 2000 gallons.  Believe it or not - a larger pond does not require as much attention.  I equate this to a small room becomes cluttered much more quickly than a large one.

Sometimes space will not allow for a pond larger than 500 gallons.  If you are placing your pond in a niche or using your pond as more of a water feature you can make it deeper to hold more gallons.  

Please also notice that I gave no budget options for an Economy Pond over 2000 gallons.  The reason is because there really are no decent filters and pumps for ponds over 2000 gallons that are not on the higher end of the pricing scale.  You'll often see the same filters we'll talk about in our Economy Pond Building Course "saying" they can do ponds up to 4000 or 5000 gallons.  How can I state this nicely......?  Forget it - I can't state it nicely.  The words I use for that are BULL!  No Way! You Gotta' Be Kidding Me! 

The facts are the manufacturers of pond equipment really have no business standards that they must adhere to with rating the effectiveness of their products.  The numbers are very over-estimated to the tune of twice as much.  Our rule of thumb on most equipment is to cut the number of gallons in half.  If a company says the filter they manufacture is effective on ponds up to 4000 gallons - take for granted that it will only do 2000 gallons with some resemblance of efficiency.

With all that said - don't get excited if you go, let's say, to one of our competitor's websites and find that they say the same filter I said you can use on a pond of up to 2000 gallons will work on a pond up to 4000 gallons.  Again - what comes to mind is Bull!  No Way! You Gotta' Be Kiddin'!  That's not reality.  It is a number stretched waaaaay beyond its limitations.

How Do I Know How Many Gallons My Pond Will Be?

If you build an exact square or rectangle it's easy.  Just multiply the width by the length by the depth by 7.5.  For example, a pond that is 8 feet wide, 10 feet long and 3 feet deep will be 1800 gallons.   8 x 10 x 3 x 7.5 = 1800. 

Most ponds, however, tend to be oddly shaped, mimicking nature.  A formula that we use to give us a fairly accurate measure of pond size during the planning stage for ponds that are irregular in shape is to use common sense.  Figure an "Average" Depth, Length and Width and multiply it by 7 instead of 7.5.  That normally gives us a pretty good idea of the size.

 

Decisions to Make Before Advancing to Step 2

• What Type of Pond You Want

• Where You Are Locating Your Pond

• How Deep Your Pond Will Be

• The Size of the Pond

• Your Budget

Proceed to Step 2 - The Design

The Design Step is where you'll choose the "look" of the pond, choose (and purchase) the equipment and design the internal workings of the pumping and filtering system.