Deep enough?

[Lisak1]

NO NO NO! Three feet is PLENTY deep! Here in the Chicago area there are LOTS of ponds that are only 24 inches deep that over winter fish with NO PROBLEM. And not just goldfish - great, big koi for 20 or more years! Stop digging! You're fine!

Never take pond advice from a landscape guy. Unless you also take landscape advice from a pond guy.

 

[Tula]

NO NO NO! Three feet is PLENTY deep! Here in the Chicago area there are LOTS of ponds that are only 24 inches deep that over winter fish with NO PROBLEM. And not just goldfish - great, big koi for 20 or more years! Stop digging! You're fine!

Never take pond advice from a landscape guy. Unless you also take landscape advice from a pond guy.

While I agree his fish will be fine, I can not imagine my koi in a 24 inch deep pond.....their body depth alone is probably around 10 inches

 

[Dosry5]

NO NO NO! Three feet is PLENTY deep! Here in the Chicago area there are LOTS of ponds that are only 24 inches deep that over winter fish with NO PROBLEM. And not just goldfish - great, big koi for 20 or more years! Stop digging! You're fine!

Never take pond advice from a landscape guy. Unless you also take landscape advice from a pond guy.

But he told me put in two fountains last year!

If 2 feet in Chicago can be enough, I think my sheltered 3 ft shouldn’t be a big problem!

 

[Lisak1]

@Tula I hear you, but these fish do great. And they are BIG koi. I personally prefer a deeper pond as I love to watch my fish swim up and down as well as cruise along under the surface. But in a shallower pond your fish are always near the surface - really a very nice way to view fish.

 

[j.w]

@Dosry5 Awwwwwwwww, what's a few more sore muscle's? Dig it down more now so later you don't have to sit there and think "I sure wish I would have made it deeper,lol!" I have many thoughts like those now about other things that I wish I would have done way back when

 

[Dosry5]

@Dosry5 Awwwwwwwww, what's a few more sore muscle's? Dig it down more now so later you don't have to sit there and think "I sure wish I would have made it deeper,lol!" I have many thoughts like those now about other things that I wish I would have done way back when

I know I know....I stand there in the hole leaning on my shovel and keep thinking that I should do it now rather than complain later......but then I bend over and am reminded that I’m in my 40s now.....

 

[poconojoe]

I know I know....I stand there in the hole leaning on my shovel and keep thinking that I should do it now rather than complain later......but then I bend over and am reminded that I’m in my 40s now.....

40's! Come on! You're still a young pup!

 

[Mmathis]

40's! Come on! You're still a young pup!

Agree! I was 40 when I had our son (and now I know why younger people should be the ones having and raising kids, LOL!)!

 

[j.w]

I wish someone would remind me that I was still in my 40's @Dosry5 even if it is a lie!

 

[poconojoe]

As far as how deep to make it, I can tell you about my experience in zone 6a. My pond slopes down, so it varies in depth. Only the deepest part is about 3 feet and that's not a really big area down there. It's 1500 gallons and I have about 30 fish (over populated, I know ). The four largest koi are 18"-20". We get some serious winters here in these mountains and I've never had a problem. Once my de-icer failed and I needed to get a hole in the ice for the gasses to escape (the aerator wasn't keeping an open water spot). We had a bad cold spell and I needed to install a new de-icer. I used a very large hole saw to drill slowly as not to stress the fish. The point is that the ice was only about 5"-6" thick to my surprise. Maybe the water stays a bit warmer because the pond is under the surface of the soil.

 

[poconojoe]

When I decided to dig our pond (1500 gallons), my wife and her mom swayed me away from digging it by hand. I rented a small machine called a Terra Mite. It's basically a mini backhoe with a large lawn mower engine. It was great and especially helped with a couple large boulders. It cost $300 for the weekend. We'll worth it I must say. After that experience I definitely wouldn't do it any other way.

 

[johnnyi]

I know I know....I stand there in the hole leaning on my shovel and keep thinking that I should do it now rather than complain later......but then I bend over and am reminded that I’m in my 40s now.....

I'm 63 and just finished the big dig and I'm in no kind of good shape.

John

 

[Dosry5]

I'm 63 and just finished the big dig and I'm in no kind of good shape.

John

I’m a 43 yr old man with the lower back of an 11 year old girl! It was the digging plus putting most all of the dirt into a wagon and pulling that damn thing to the other side of the house to build up a landscape berm the wife wanted. Probably over 50 trips. Broke a brand new shovel and demolished a pair of gloves....q

 

[addy1]

When digging it is like it will never end.

 

[myswtsins]

I'm all about putting the work in now so you don't regret it later! Even just one smaller section where the fish can retreat to will help. And it will keep the pond cooler in the summer too.

BTW my father was 42 when he dug what was going to be our 1st pond (about 1500g) in a single afternoon! Then he dug what actually become our 1st pond at 46, also by hand but at over 3k plus a 9x7x5 pit it took like 2 days. My dad is my hero!