For Starters



It is imperative to know the reason why you are

building this pond before the actual construction.

Some individuals just wanted to put up these kinds of

projects without considering the comfort and safety of

the inhabitants of that pond. Evaluate first these

things before assembling your pond.

You can ask for advice from your pond professional or

read books that are concerned on pond kits and the

techniques of construction of ponds. Consult your

local pond contractors who have experience regarding

this field.

Now you can build your own fish pond following these

planning stages:

Consider the location.

Choose a site where your pond is not near existing

large trees. These vantage points will prevent root

problems as well as minimizing the problem of falling

leaves in your pond that may cause decaying and poor

water quality. Pond plants such as water lilies need

sunlight to grow. It is best to place your pond where

it can be exposed to sun but not too much as it can

over heat during mid afternoon or on hot days. A semi

shaded place with a good amount of light coming

through is sufficient enough.

Temperature extremes should be minimized on the pond.

If you intend on raising and keeping fish, it is

important to make the pond as deep and as large as

practical. However, deeper ponds may need to be fenced

to prevent accidents.

Design with purpose.

Consider electricity supply for pumps, filters, and

lights when designing your pond. It is also important

to look into the water supply and drainage.

Ponds must have an overflow area (a place located

below the rest of the pond height) to control where

the excess water should go. Overflowing may be caused

by overfilling the pond with water or from heavy rain.

Screen your overflow paths to prevent any escape of

small plants, fishes (and its eggs), and snails during

water additions and heavy rainfall. This may also

protect the local waterways from any possible escape.

This is especially important if there are non local

fish in the pond.

Complete preparation requirements.

It is essential to clean and rinse ponds before using

it since fish and other water plants are sensitive to

contaminants. ?Curing? concrete ponds combined with

water changes, scrubbing, filling, and painting with

vinegar is also important.

Allow chloramines and chlorine to dissipate especially

if you used tap water to fill the pond. One can also

utilize a commercial chlorine neutralizer from pet

shops to solve this problem.

Ensure that all equipment such as fountains,

waterfalls, filters, and lights are working

satisfactorily before adding the fish and plants.

It is also better if you allow at least one week for

the plants to settle in the pond before adding the

fish. Clean up the pond regularly for dead leaves as

this will add unwanted excess nutrients to the water

and decay it as well.

Observe proper maintenance.

A said, keep the pond clean of fallen vegetation and

dead leaves. The frequency of cleaning will depend on

the amount of vegetation falling into the water and on

the tome of the year. Do the cleaning at the beginning

of spring before the temperature of the water starts

to rise.

Feed your fish and clean up the filters periodically.

Add water in the pond periodically. A normal garden

hose will do. However, no more than 10-20% should be

added at any time because of the chlorine levels in

tap water.