Building a Pond: Step-by-Step Guide

Building a Pond: Step-by-Step Guide
Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff
Have you ever fantasized about sitting in your living room or on your deck and
looking over a clear, peaceful body of water? You may be dreaming of a backyard
pond. A pond can reward your family with all sorts of benefits, from providing a
peaceful place to meditate to attracting birds and other backyard visitors.
Building a pond does not have to be an impossible dream, nor does it require a
pond-building specialist. Careful planning before installation lessens the work as well
as the cost. The bigger a pond is, the easier it is to maintain, so plan the largest pond
your budget and landscaping will allow.
We built a pond specifically for you to see what is involved in this process.
Keep in mind several things when planning your pond:
Location: We chose a place on our
property with a good mixture of sun
and shade. We also chose to build
our pond on a natural hill so we
could put in a waterfall using
existing terrain.
Style/Size: We wanted a rock-lined
pond and decided on a 2,400-gallon
size (see our pond specs, below).
Maintenance commitment: We
wanted a very low-maintenance
pond.
Whether you want fish: We chose
to have fish since it was the perfect
way to bring life into our pond and
Helpful accessories
We also found we needed some accessories that
would make maintaining our pond simple. For
general maintenance:
Kneepads
Skimming Net
Heavy-Duty Aqua Gloves
Pond Netting, to make fall leaf clean-up easier.
Telescoping Net
Mosquito Dunks, for summer mosquito control.
PondCare Pond Master Liquid Test Kit, to keep
the pond and its inhabitants healthy and to keep
the water crystal clear.
API POND ALGAEFIX®
API POND POND SALT
Refractometer, to test the salinity of the pond
water. A little salt is good for the fish while too
much will kill the plants.
Building a Pond: Step-by-Step Guide - Page 1 of 5
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prohibited under copyright law. Site content, including photography, descriptions, pricing, promotions, and availability are subject to change without
notice. These restrictions are necessary in order to protect not only our copyrighted intellectual property, but also the health of pets, since articles or
images that are altered or edited after download could result in misinformation that may harm companion animals, aquatic life, or native species.
our backyard. Fish also eat
mosquitoes, eat algae and help
fertilize plants.
Whether you want plants or not
and what types are appropriate
for your climate: We wanted hardy
plants that would survive our cold
winters and provide natural filtration.
Whether you want a waterfall or
not: We decided that a waterfall
would be worth the extra work
because we wanted its soothing
effects.
With some initial decisions made, we needed to consider:
What depth would we need for the fish? In northern Wisconsin, we need at
least a 48" depth.
How many levels would we need for plants? We chose two levels since we
wanted bog plants as well as lilies.
What would be the most comfortable way we could enjoy the pond and feed
the fish?
Before
After
Step-By-Step Instructions
Building a Pond: Step-by-Step Guide - Page 2 of 5
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prohibited under copyright law. Site content, including photography, descriptions, pricing, promotions, and availability are subject to change without
notice. These restrictions are necessary in order to protect not only our copyrighted intellectual property, but also the health of pets, since articles or
images that are altered or edited after download could result in misinformation that may harm companion animals, aquatic life, or native species.
Step 1 - Marking Contours: We
Step 2 - The Digging: With the help of
marked 2 levels since we wanted bog
plants as well as lilies. In northern
Wisconsin, we need at least a 48" depth
for fish to survive winter.
friends we dug the pond in a weekend.
Excess dirt was used to build falls,
elevated areas, and to level the pond's
edges.
Step 3 - Installing Equipment: Our
Step 4 - The Liner: After the liner was
2,400 gallon pond is low-maintenance
because of the top quality Skimmer/Falls
system we used.
placed over the pond, one side was
secured as the rest was gently formed
and folded to fit pond curves.
Building a Pond: Step-by-Step Guide - Page 3 of 5
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prohibited under copyright law. Site content, including photography, descriptions, pricing, promotions, and availability are subject to change without
notice. These restrictions are necessary in order to protect not only our copyrighted intellectual property, but also the health of pets, since articles or
images that are altered or edited after download could result in misinformation that may harm companion animals, aquatic life, or native species.
Step 5 - Adding Structure:
We covered the liner and edged the pond with 15
tons of rock, carefully building the waterfall, plant
ledges, and fish hiding places.
Following are the components that went into this pond and where you can
find them online:
Koi: We have seven
Assorted Butterfly Koi
and one Black Koi.
They quickly learn to
eat from your hand,
making them quite a
joy to feed.
Bog Plants: (Yellow
Iris, Pickerel Rush,
Variegated Sweet
Flag), Floating
Plants: (Water
Hyacinth), Water
Lilies: (Albert
Greenberg,
Rembrandt,
Chromatella).
Microbe-Lift
Concentrated
Aquatic Planting
Media: Easy to work
with and specially
formulated for aquatic
plants.
Azoo Growth Plus
Koi Food: We chose
the best food we
could find to keep
our fish healthy.
Plant Baskets: For
easy placement,
maintenance, and
removal of plants.
BioBalls: This
biological filtration
media was chosen for
the Savio
LivingPonds Filter.
It was placed in mesh
bag included with the
filter.
Building a Pond: Step-by-Step Guide - Page 4 of 5
Unauthorized use of any images, thumbnails, illustrations, descriptions, article content, or registered trademarks of Foster & Smith, Inc. is strictly
prohibited under copyright law. Site content, including photography, descriptions, pricing, promotions, and availability are subject to change without
notice. These restrictions are necessary in order to protect not only our copyrighted intellectual property, but also the health of pets, since articles or
images that are altered or edited after download could result in misinformation that may harm companion animals, aquatic life, or native species.
Savio Skimmerfilter:
Easy to remove
skimmer basket makes
maintenance a breeze.
The skimmer also
houses our pump and
UV unit.
Drs. Foster & Smith
Premium Activated
Carbon: This filtration
media cleared
discoloration in our
well water, which has
high iron content. 3.5L
fits perfectly in the 11"
x 11" media bag.
Pond Liners: One 19'
x 21' piece and one 10'
x 10'. This liner is
particularly rugged
and long-lasting.
Savio 26W UV Unit:
Efficient and
effective for keeping
our water clear.
Handi-Foam Black
Straw: An absolute
necessity to keep
waterfall rocks in
place.
Liner
Underlayment:
Three 10' x 15'
pieces of
underlayment help
prevent roots and
rocks from
puncturing the liner.
Flexible PVC Tubing:
50 ft. of this
heavy-duty tubing
runs underground
from the skimmer to
the waterfall.
Building a Pond: Step-by-Step Guide - Page 5 of 5
Unauthorized use of any images, thumbnails, illustrations, descriptions, article content, or registered trademarks of Foster & Smith, Inc. is strictly
prohibited under copyright law. Site content, including photography, descriptions, pricing, promotions, and availability are subject to change without
notice. These restrictions are necessary in order to protect not only our copyrighted intellectual property, but also the health of pets, since articles or
images that are altered or edited after download could result in misinformation that may harm companion animals, aquatic life, or native species.