Overview
We had been in our new home for a year when I decided to start my first pond. That was back in the Spring of 2001. The pond was about 15' x 6' wide or so and 3&1/2' deep and planted over the septic pipes that I ran into while digging.
I really enjoyed the little pond all Summer and through fall and then the big winter came w/ lots of snow. I left the pump and filter running all year long w/ no problems.
Then I decided a few years later that maybe it was not so good of an idea to have a pond right over the septic pipes in case there was ever a problem and the pipes needed replacing. Really just used that as an excuse to make a bigger pond across to the other side of the sidewalk. The new pond I dug is about 15' long x 7' wide and 3&1/2' deep at around 2400 gal.
Back in Nov. 2013 I added a net to cover my pond and keep it safe from the heron. It's high enough so I can just lift up the excess hanging net around the sides and clip it above so I can get in there and do any maintenance that is needed.
Pond rock edges
Here are a few of my fish buddies/plants and other critters that make my pond their home.
Plants:
Water Hawthorne
Creeping Jenny
Forget Me Nots
Parrots Feather
Tall Creeping Water Primrose
Sedge(Variegated)
Water Iris
Water Lilies
I really enjoyed the little pond all Summer and through fall and then the big winter came w/ lots of snow. I left the pump and filter running all year long w/ no problems.
Then I decided a few years later that maybe it was not so good of an idea to have a pond right over the septic pipes in case there was ever a problem and the pipes needed replacing. Really just used that as an excuse to make a bigger pond across to the other side of the sidewalk. The new pond I dug is about 15' long x 7' wide and 3&1/2' deep at around 2400 gal.
Back in Nov. 2013 I added a net to cover my pond and keep it safe from the heron. It's high enough so I can just lift up the excess hanging net around the sides and clip it above so I can get in there and do any maintenance that is needed.
Pond rock edges
Here are a few of my fish buddies/plants and other critters that make my pond their home.
Plants:
Water Hawthorne
Creeping Jenny
Forget Me Nots
Parrots Feather
Tall Creeping Water Primrose
Sedge(Variegated)
Water Iris
Water Lilies
Planning and Construction
I searched forever in books, online and asking questions to others who had ponds before me before I got out my shovel and started digging under the south window corner next to the garage. As I was digging I ran into sewer pipes to the septic system. Oh well figured I would just lay the liner on top of them and there would just be a hump. Who would see it and who cares? Laid the protective blankets,rugs,whatever I had on hand that I thought would protect the liner. Not many rocks in our sandy soil so not really much of a problem to the liner. Then I found a really good deal on rocks for the edging around the pond at a nearby concrete company. They let you forage through their piles of all different sizes/shapes of rocks to handpick each one you wanted. You wore a hard hat and climbed up the mountains of rocks and all at a cost of about $7. a truck load............what a deal! Hubby helped me haul them asking my approval each time he found a neat rock. They had a washing station set up right there where you could drive your truck and hose off all the rocks you had collected. Brought them home and laid all the rocks out in the driveway and hosed them off again each one individually so they were nice and clean. Before I finished the pond I made a ledge like step around the edge of the pond to set the lower level of rocks on so they would hide the liner at the top of the pond. Then when I added the next layer of rocks on the very top edge of the pond it would look more natural and hide the top of the liner.
Laid the liner in the pond as perfect as I could get it and started filling and fixing the liner as it filled so it laid just the way I wanted. After that settled for a few days I then added all the rocks in place. Next I made a filter using a big black 20gal plant pot. Drilled more holes in the sides and bottom for flow. Put in a cut circle of Matala filter media on the bottom of the pot. Put in my Pondmaster 2400gal mag-drive submersible pump and surrounded it by more media on the insides and then another cut circle of it laid so it fit really snug on top w/ a slice in it so pump hose and cord would fit out of it. Hose would go to waterfall which I made of rocks piled on dirt w/ a bowl dug out for water to pool into.
Added various plants around the edge and water lilies and some floating duckweed for fun and food for the future fish to nibble at. We have well water so did not have to add any dechlorinator to the water. Let the pond sit like that for awhile and tested the water and one day decided to take the plunge and buy 12 little feeder goldfish. They flourished and multiplied just a little as I never fed my fish at all while in that 1st pond above the septic pipes. They did just fine living off plants and algae and any bug/worms that fell into their home.
Laid the liner in the pond as perfect as I could get it and started filling and fixing the liner as it filled so it laid just the way I wanted. After that settled for a few days I then added all the rocks in place. Next I made a filter using a big black 20gal plant pot. Drilled more holes in the sides and bottom for flow. Put in a cut circle of Matala filter media on the bottom of the pot. Put in my Pondmaster 2400gal mag-drive submersible pump and surrounded it by more media on the insides and then another cut circle of it laid so it fit really snug on top w/ a slice in it so pump hose and cord would fit out of it. Hose would go to waterfall which I made of rocks piled on dirt w/ a bowl dug out for water to pool into.
Added various plants around the edge and water lilies and some floating duckweed for fun and food for the future fish to nibble at. We have well water so did not have to add any dechlorinator to the water. Let the pond sit like that for awhile and tested the water and one day decided to take the plunge and buy 12 little feeder goldfish. They flourished and multiplied just a little as I never fed my fish at all while in that 1st pond above the septic pipes. They did just fine living off plants and algae and any bug/worms that fell into their home.
