Common Mistakes

[Anthony]

It is so often that we hear of people complaining of nightmare ponds that cause them nothing but grief. What are the most common pond construction mistakes that lead to these problems.

 

[sissy]

over feeding the fish and not testing there water

 

[j.w]

I hate to keep talking bad about rocks on the bottom of a pond cuz some people like them and seem to be able to deal w/ it somehow but to me it is a nightmare once the muck builds up and it's up to you to fix it. And if you ever notice when a lot of people are first building a pond they always talk about the rocks they are going to put on the bottom of their brand new pond and some of us cringe. At least rocks tho are not really a construction problem cuz you can remove them, takes time and energy but you can fix it.
Another thing IMO is not digging it deep enough for the area you live in for freezing weather or hotter weather. The deeper the water the warmer in winter and cooler in summer the fish will be down under.

 

[addy1]

Trimming the liner too quickly, let things settle, then trim or roll the excess under for later use.

 

[fishin4cars]

Leaving the water running when topping off or filling
not using declorinator
Over feeding
water testing
overstocking
stocking to many fish before the pond cycles,
not enough plants,
inadequate filtration
Not deep enough
low oxygen levels
over treating with chemicals before knowing what is needing ton truly be treated.
Not quarantining a fish before putting it in the pond

 

[sissy]

Not checking your hoses at the beginning of the season especially if you use a submersible pump and not storing your pump properly when you store it away for the winter ,Now I just lower mine to the lowest part of the pond and leave it .

 

[j.w]

Also if you don't slope the edge of your pond so water runs out and down instead of into the pond w/ sand and runoff mucking it all up that can cause you a pain in the butt.

 

[stroppy]

not installing a bottom drain ... and too many fish for size of pond as others have already said rocks on the bottom of pond too

 

[cobbler]

Not that it's too late or anything, but what is the minimum depth a pond should be in say, West Virginia? lol

 

[sissy]

mine is 4 feet and wish I could have gone to 5 feet ,but since I'm only 5 foot 2 inches tall I would have had to stay in the pond with the fish or figure a way out LOL I like 4 feet but still wish I had gone slightly larger ,I can since I have extra liner rolled up on the sides ,but just to lazy to try it .After last winter I did invest in a pond heater 750 watts at petmountain.com it was 30 dollars .I live near the NC border but still gets good and cold during January and February .Koi like deeper water it seems since they stay at the deepest end all winter .Koi also need more care more filtration and more aeration more more more when it comes to koi .I don't have a bottom drain as I have already seen several fail on ponds if they are not installed right and I do not have a skimmer since I have no trees with leaves or needles to fall or blow into the pond .

 

[taherrmann4]

You are probably in zone 6 so 3' or 4' is fine. If you can go 4' I would, if your restricted because of the ground you are digging in is either rocky or just a lot of clay 3' will be fine.

 

[ididntdoit99]

Another thing IMO is not digging it deep enough for the area you live in for freezing weather or hotter weather. The deeper the water the warmer in winter and cooler in summer the fish will be down under.

For sure! I know that one from experirence, I only went about 2 feet deep and said "oh I dont have any problem bringing them inside for the winter" well that was a total pain IMO. it was hard to catch allthose little guys. So this year i pulled it all up and dug deeper.

 

[whiskey]

my blunder....no bottom drain .....theres always next year.