How deep is your pond?

[brokensword]

I changed my answer - wasn't sure if you meant "how deep is the DEEPEST part of your pond?" or just generally how deep. Mine is multiple depths, so I included them all!

yeah, I was trying to word it to be a bit more specific toward 'deepest' but I realize a lot of peeps have multiple levels. I asked because of another thread, one that was questioning if they could keep their fish overwinter in less than 18" of water. So, probably that was my aim...probably.

 

[addy1]

Like the probably

 

[j.w]

yeah, I was trying to word it to be a bit more specific toward 'deepest' but I realize a lot of peeps have multiple levels. I asked because of another thread, one that was questioning if they could keep their fish overwinter in less than 18" of water. So, probably that was my aim...probably.

Guess the depth and weather together are the concern. Where I live if I had fish in the under 12" depth my little pond would not freeze solid but I would need to run either an aerator or a small bubbler fountain to keep a hole open if it did freeze some.

 

[secuono]

4.5 feet. Anything deeper is no good for cleaning or catching. Anything less than 3ft is no good for koi.

 

[Lisak1]

Anything less than 3ft is no good for koi.

That's a myth that's been proven false by dozens and dozens and dozens of ponds that I have personally visited in the Chicago area. Most ponds here are built at 24 inches deep and koi overwinter in them just fine. And we know winter here. I've visited ponds that have big beautiful healthy koi that have been in the same pond for 30 years.

 

[secuono]

That's a myth that's been proven false by dozens and dozens and dozens of ponds that I have personally visited in the Chicago area. Most ponds here are built at 24 inches deep and koi overwinter in them just fine. And we know winter here. I've visited ponds that have big beautiful healthy koi that have been in the same pond for 30 years.

That's nice. But most shouldn't do 3ft or less, as they're already doing too small of a pond length and width. Check FB for that mess. And less than 3ft is a lot easier for predators to catch fish in. The more water, the more buffer and the easier it is to keep fish.

 

[Faebinder]

That's a myth that's been proven false by dozens and dozens and dozens of ponds that I have personally visited in the Chicago area. Most ponds here are built at 24 inches deep and koi overwinter in them just fine. And we know winter here. I've visited ponds that have big beautiful healthy koi that have been in the same pond for 30 years.

When talking koi it’s best to think 100+ years age. By then the old koi doesn’t tolerate cold as much in a 2 foot pond and is itself likely larger than 2 feet in length.

I’m just saying, 30 is not the end age.

Another thing that matters is the overall volume of the pond. 24 feet is comfortable if the pond is 5000 gallons vs just 1000 gallons. The cold won’t be able to freeze up the bigger pond.

 

[Lisak1]

That's nice. But most shouldn't do 3ft or less, as they're already doing too small of a pond length and width. Check FB for that mess. And less than 3ft is a lot easier for predators to catch fish in. The more water, the more buffer and the easier it is to keep fish.

I'm all about build your pond big enough for the fish you intend to keep. 100% my mantra. However, I'd be willing to bet that most fish that get taken from a pond are snatched at the surface, not the bottom. Depth makes no difference if they voluntarily come to the top. And any predator that can go two feet deep after fish can go three feet or four feet or five feet.

There are many reasons why people don't want to go deeper than 2 feet - kids, pets, too hard to dig, local ordinances, etc - and the constant "ponds have to be deeper than 3 feet for koi" can be really discouraging. Honestly I think most garden pondkeepers are better off sticking with goldfish, but if you can build the volume but don't want to (or can't) go deeper, koi will do just fine.

When talking koi it’s best to think 100+ years age.

I don't know many people who are building with the idea of enjoying their ponds for 100 years, though. Would you say a 30 year old koi is fully grown?

 

[BKHpondcritters]

I have an area in the middle of my pond that's 3 feet deep, but the vast majority of it is about half that, and I can honestly say that the koi don't hang out in the deep area for the most part - they do laps all around the length of the pond. They often swim right up onto the shallow shelves where part of their body is even up out of the water & don't seem to care. Only when the water is very cold in the winter, do they go down to the deeper area & hang out there (or in the fish cave that is on the side of the deep spot) but when they're active - nope. I don't think it would matter how deep I made that area.

 

[addy1]

I built for now, dug till I got tired of digging and ran into a wall of granite type rock. Ended up with a decent sized pond, stuck with shubunkins and some goldfish.
The pond is about 5ish feet deepest, goes up to 1.5 feet or so. My walk out area.

Works perfect for me.

 

[Mr. Green Frog]

That's a myth that's been proven false by dozens and dozens and dozens of ponds that I have personally visited in the Chicago area. Most ponds here are built at 24 inches deep and koi overwinter in them just fine. And we know winter here. I've visited ponds that have big beautiful healthy koi that have been in the same pond for 30 years.

You really should be below the frost line for your area as a minium. Get a cold enough snap, and it'll freeze deeper and deeper. If people can drive on a lake with a pick up truck, that's probably 12" of ice or more. If you have a 2' pond, then less than a foot is available to the fish at those same temps people are driving on lakes/ponds. Get an extended period of truly cold temps where the average is well below freezing, you'll have issues.

 

[Mr. Green Frog]

I'm the only one deeper than 6' apparently. Rented a mini excavator (Kubota U17 IIRC) and ended up with a "V" shape taper at deepest point, somewhat offset but near center, with a 4' x 4' trench at the tip of that V meant for the pump or a spot to give larger creatures to actually dive into.

Was in the lower section of the pond and ran out of reach with the U17 when digging it, and I think that has around 12' of reach. If water is near upper limit of pond banks which it currently is (still well below crest's threshold), that trench is over 15' deep. But a large swath of the pond is closer to 3' or between 2 and 3' to allow egress.

 

[corgi]

14'

 

[brokensword]

14'

did ya vote? I only see the GreenFrog man's vote for over 6'...

 

[BKHpondcritters]

You really should be below the frost line for your area as a minium. Get a cold enough snap, and it'll freeze deeper and deeper. If people can drive on a lake with a pick up truck, that's probably 12" of ice or more. If you have a 2' pond, then less than a foot is available to the fish at those same temps people are driving on lakes/ponds. Get an extended period of truly cold temps where the average is well below freezing, you'll have issues.

Yes, but those lakes & ponds that people are driving pickup trucks on, generally aren't being 'winterized' to the extent that most "backyard, ornamental ponds" are. Leaving the waterfalls running, or installing bubblers to agitate the water and running deicers when necessary will keep ice formation to a minimum. Now, if you turn everything off, walk away & let nature take its course - yeah, there could be a problem. People with shallower ponds in cold regions need to think about, take precautions & prepare for dealing with freezing temperatures. But it can - and IS - being done all over, very successfully. I used to 'pond' in Chicago, so I understand dealing with winter. There are literally hundreds of 2' deep ponds all over the Chicago area with fish that overwinter just fine. Would deeper be better? Easier? Maybe, maybe not. But it certainly is 'doable' at 2 feet of depth.