new gardener

[heather]

hi all, I would like to have a pond in my garden but just had decking put down and dont want to start pulling it up for wiring. i have read about solar pumps and filters i quite fancy this idea but dont know where to start or what to buy, i`m getting a hard durable plastic pond from ebay, i would also like a fountain, can anyone please advise. thanks, heather:

 

[addy1]

Welcome heather to the forum.

I have not heard that the solar pumps etc work that well. You could use conduit to run wires to your pond, just run the conduit to the side of the deck or try to feed it under the deck.

Post some pictures to help us see what you have, that helps us help you.

What size of pond are you buying? that makes a difference on the size of pump and filter you will need. What kind of fish, if any, are you going to put in your pond also.

 

[DrCase]

Welcome to the Forum !!!
Find a way to run power

 

[heather]

hi, the pond will be 114 by 69cms, not sure on what kind of fish to put in the pond, probably the kind that are easy to keep, lol by the way i live in scotland so the weathers pretty cold at times.

 

[sissy]

Welcome and I heard the same thing about solar not being good I had one of those solar fountain lilly pads I bought at Ollies (a store here) cheap but worked fine at first ,but had a problem with it floating to the edge and dumping the water out of the pond .I solved that buy tieing it to a rock so it could not float to the edge .But 2 months later it was getting weaker and weaker and battery replacement later still not good .My pond is in full sun so should not have been a problem .I also have seen online about battery operated pumps that run off a lawnmower type battery but not sure of that either ,I guess if your powers out for awhile might be good but otherwise no .I guess you are left with electric and that size pond should not cost to much .I see a lot who start off with goldfish here less hassle .I have them in my pond but I also have koi .Koi I find destroy plants like mine do .You shouldn't be any colder than some of the winters ponders have here .My thoughts of it are if you want it go for it and love it

 

[j.w]

Heather

 

[CometKeith]

Hi Heather, Welcome! For a new ponder I would recommend to try goldfish, but not the fancy kind. There are a lot of pretty comets and shubunkins to choose from and they won't grow as large as koi. Your pond is around 3.5 ft x 2 ft so it would be smart to stay with smaller fish and not too many. Make sure you de-clorinate the water and read something about cycling a pond on the forum. Good Luck!

 

[addy1]

My hubby bought a house, foreclosure, in cleaning up the front yard found a pond under a piece of plywood with goldies in it. Shallow preformed. They survived no light, no filter, no air added and freezing for a year plus and were healthy.
So I agree cometkeith, heather stick with goldies, and shubunkins. You will have a lot few problems then with koi.

 

[j.w]

That's simply amazing those little buggers survived. Must have lived on anything that crawled in under the boards. I bet they were happy w/ big smiles when your hubby came to rescue them.

 

[addy1]

yep agree jw, have a renter there now, he loves the pond, still no real filtering going on, or circulation but the goldies are doing great. At least they have sun now!