New to ponds Have questions

[DaCrunchyCrabby]

So after creeping around this forum for about a week I finally made an account to post and ask questions! Spring is just around the corner and I’m planning on building a pond in my backyard. I’m thinking about a 10ft long 8ft wide and 4ft deep (maybe 5 at the deepest) so around 2000ish gallons, One of my biggest questions was pond liner. If I were to dig out the pond would I just put pond liner flat on the ground and put rocks to hold it down? or would I need to double layer it or have some type of tarp? As for filtration I was planning on a DIY garbage can canister with a large pond pump (Vivosun?) aswell as a small bog (I would just have to figure out how to build the bog up). I know I want to have koi (atleast I’d like to) but have been getting conflicting information about how many koi could go in a pond that size so I was thinking about having a total of 5-7? And wondering if I would be okay to start off with 10 or so until around the first year mark, at which point I’d giveaway the unwanted ones. I also was wondering about feeding, I have quite easy access to: Hikari Gold (and Staple), Aqua Scape cold water/wheat germ, and Tropicals Koi Crossiants. I was thinking about starting them off for the first year or two on mainly Hikari gold and Koi Crossiants with a bit of wheat germ sprinkled in (until winter time I’d do mainly wheat germ) and after the two year mark switching Hikari Gold to Hikari Staple. I keep mainly amphibians and reptiles but also have a few fish tanks, I know with fish tanks you have to cycle and do water changes frequently so how would it work in a pond? And when (once everything setup and running) could I add koi, would I be able to add them right, away or would I have to wait? does a pond semi follow the same rules as an aquarium in terms of cycling and water changes? I’d assume I could just use my Python and siphon maybe 10-20% of the pond water out and into my garden every 3 or so weeks and fill it back up with water from the hose (with a 3x dose of pond prime), But before I do anything I wanted to ask you guys knowledgeable with ponds your thoughts before I did anything. Thanks!

 

[jgrandmont]

Welcome! The general rule of thumb for koi is that you need at least 1000 gal for the first one and 500 gal (I think) for each one after that. Following that rule, you could have a max of 3 koi in your pond. I currently have 10 goldfish (a mix of shubunkins, sarassas, and comets) in my 700 gal pond. Regarding cycling, yes, you should follow the same rules as for an aquarium. I'm sure some of the more knowledgeable regulars on this forum will be chiming in soon to help you.

 

[Lisak1]

Wow. You are WAAAAAY ahead of yourself with the feeding questions!

Let's start with the liner - I THINK your question is do you need rocks in the bottom of the pond to hold the liner down. Did I decode that one correctly?

 

[DaCrunchyCrabby]

Wow. You are WAAAAAY ahead of yourself with the feeding questions!

Let's start with the liner - I THINK your question is do you need rocks in the bottom of the pond to hold the liner down. Did I decode that one correctly?

I hope being ahead of feeding questions is a good thing lol! Sorry if I didn’t make clear but basically if I were to dig into the ground and outline the pond would I just lay the liner straight on the ground? (Have have rocks hold it down in place) I’m worried it would breaking either by something sharp or winter, so would I need to lay something under it like a tarp or a double layer of pond liner?

 

[Lisak1]

Ah. Yes. You need something to cushion the liner from rocks or sharp objects underneath. You can use underlayment which is sold for that purpose or some folks use old blankets, carpet scraps, etc.

The reason I mentioned feeding is you need to work through from the beginning and be less focused on the end. Fish food is relatively easy to come by but you sure don’t need to buy it before you even stuck a shovel in the ground.

Speaking of shovels - do you plan to dig this pond by hand?

 

[addy1]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[DaCrunchyCrabby]

Ah. Yes. You need something to cushion the liner from rocks or sharp objects underneath. You can use underlayment which is sold for that purpose or some folks use old blankets, carpet scraps, etc.

The reason I mentioned feeding is you need to work through from the beginning and be less focused on the end. Fish food is relatively easy to come by but you sure don’t need to buy it before you even stuck a shovel in the ground.

Speaking of shovels - do you plan to dig this pond by hand?

Yes I plan to dig by hand with the help of a few friends.

 

[Lisak1]

OK then consider this - at roughly 80 sq feet of surface area, four feet deep that's almost twelve cubic yards of soil.

Where are you going to put that?

 

[DaCrunchyCrabby]

OK then consider this - at roughly 80 sq feet of surface area, four feet deep that's almost twelve cubic yards of soil.

Where are you going to put that?

Mainly just giving it away, One if my friends had wanted most of it (why he wants to help dig) and for the rest of the soil I’d probably use for gardening and to line up one side of my backyard that dips down a lot.

 

[bagsmom]

Keep some of your soil for building a berm around the pond edges. This will help prevent water from running down into the pond when it rains. If you are making a waterfall area, remember that a large, wide berm will look very natural - and will prevent the dreaded "waterfall volcano" appearance. I dug my pond by hand, too. It is a heck of a job! It's great that you will have helpers! I'm looking forward to watching your project take shape!

 

[combatwombat]

Don’t be like me and bury your topsoil! Dig out the topsoil and set it aside. Then pile the subsoil somewhere else.