Hi! Building first pond. Sort of.

[Beth_B]

For the last seven years my "pond" has been a buried 55 gallon Rubbermaid storage container (please don't laugh!) Surrounded by a bank of rocks, as many plants as I can fit and three comet goldfish. I bring the fish in every winter. The only care I've done is netting in fall to keep the leaves out, occasional vacuuming of the bottom and aerating on dry days with the garden hose. At least one of the fish is an original, so seven years old and about 8" long. I also have visiting frogs and dragonflies every year so it's been a pretty healthy little ecosystem.

This spring my pondlet sprung a leak, so I'm in the process of digging out a larger pond and don't plan on a pump and filter; however I believe that as long as I have plenty of plants and don't add any more fish, I'll be fine if my Rubbermaid pond is any indication. Local pond supply guys say 24" is deep enough for the fish to overwinter but I've got the deepest part to about 36". Haven't decided on the finished size - not large. Maybe 4x8 feet? I can run a deicer out in winter. I have lots of clean carpet, will be buying a large, heavy-duty flexible liner and am in the process of collecting and cleaning more rocks.

Does this sound workable so far? I know bigger would be better but because of size constraints I can't go much larger. I also have to put a fence around it because my largest lout of a dog will jump in and destroy everything.

Thanks! I'm learning a lot just browsing threads here.

 

[Big Lou]

Welcome Beth

 

[Tula]

Welcome

 

[Koilady]

Hi Beth. Your pond without filtration just plants should do just fine. The pond will eventually balance itself out so you should have no problems. Like you said, there will be a few fish in there to eat up the mosquito population so that's another plus. Best of luck.
Your's Koily, Lorraine

 

[Beth_B]

Thanks guys! I started digging yesterday and I'm almost done! Phew. Attached is the lout cooling off in a freshly-dug hole yesterday afternoon. I had to banish him from the dig site later. Every shovel full is loaded with glass shards (and marbles) and he wanted to help dig - not safe. I'm spending more time picking shards of glass from the dirt than actually shoveling.

I now have it almost 4' wide, 8' long and a hair less than 36" deep at the end (where the Rottweiler is). I may go another couple of feet long.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Maybe 4x8 feet?
Does this sound workable so far? I know bigger would be better but because of size constraints I can't go much larger.

4' x 8' is nearly the size of my last pond. It's a great size to work with. I think you'll enjoy it. I made the deep end 2.5' deep and the shallow end 8" deep. Wish I would've made the shallow side 12" deep, though as it would've been a better depth for potted plants. I now have a bigger pond so when I installed it I made sure to give it better depths. If you're going with potted plants, make sure to make the bottom level so they can sit nicely.

 

[sissy]

Depth is all about your weather .I went 4 ft because of our hot summers .

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Welcome!

 

[Beth_B]

JB, I looked at your pond photos. Lovely! I made the shallow part about 8" because that's what most of what I've read indicated. I used a level to make sure it was flat...hope I don't regret not making it deeper. My get up and go has got up and went for the day, I'm done digging and hauling rocks around. I'm no spring chicken LOL. I have some very large concrete planters I want to get over there, but I'll wait until next weekend when a friend can bring his tractor over to haul them for me.

sissy, yeah, I'm in mid-Michigan so we get some hot, humid days but not that many compared to you. My lots has tons of trees - too many, really - so the pond will get some direct sun but mostly dappled sun and shade in the warm months. It's in the same location as the little Rubbermaid pond so I think it will be fine.

Thanks for the welcomes! I'll try to get the liner in and fence put up this week. It's all dug and covered with a tarp so the dogs don't go digging around in there. I'm anxious to get the water in, conditioned, and ready to put my goldies back outside.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Welcome Beth!! Looks like your dog thinks hole is for him! Ha ha ha.

It's always so exciting to redo pond and make it larger. Sounds interesting with no pump just a few small fish and lots of Plants. I am sure you will have fun moving rocks and plants around to your liking. I know once I get excited about something new in yard I can't stop moving stuff around till it is just where I want it. Then the best part after it is all done is relaxing and watching the fish enjoying their new home!''

 

[Beth_B]

I can't wait to go shopping and playing with rocks and plants, colleen! And get it fenced off so the dogs don't get in there...I am semi-rural and really want to have a bigger water space to attract critters. I'm so fired up I'm already planning another small pond for the front of the house, where birds and small animals and snakes will be safer from the dogs. Especially the Rottweiler...he really is a sweetie with people and other dogs but is a very enthusiastic hunter and I'm afraid skunks, possums, raccoons, cats and other animals that wander into the fenced yard don't fare very well.

My goldfish are going to be absolutely stoked to have all this room. Their winter aquarium is 100 gallons. I am not adding any more - three is enough to keep each other company and control mosquitoes and I imagine they will get a bit larger now. I'm lousy with arithmetic - can anyone give me a guesstimate of how many gallons I'll have?

 

[mtpond]

Welcome Beth.

 

[RobAmy]

Welcome to the group

 

[tbendl]

Welcome Beth. It looks like you're off to a great start!

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Great to have you here