Pond problem = new opportunity?

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I have a small preform pond in my backyard that I installed in June. I've had good success with plants, goldfish, snails, water quality, etc. I go out today to see that it's lost about 5 inches of water depth. The obvious cause is a hole or crack in the liner. I emptied the pond - caught goldfish and put them in a bucket and saved as much of the water in other buckets as I could. I pulled out the preform liner and can find no cracks, holes or leaks, so there's a mystery. I rinsed and put in some more water to monitor it and see if it continues to leak. But now I'm thinking I've got an opportunity to totally redo our little pond on a bigger scale with a bigger hole and the fabric/malleable liner. I'm still thinking small, but now maybe 4-5 ft. across, some sort of bean shape maybe. I'm looking for some advice or recommendations and suggestions, as now I don't know what is ideal to have in a freeform pond. What is a must, what is a good idea, what is a fun idea, what are things to consider OR - where do I find good information about building a small pond? Also, will my two goldfish (and few snails) be ok in the bucket for a day or two? Thanks everyone! Just for fun, sharing a pic of the pond as it was before I tore it all apart.
61608453745__9E417B5E-05F1-4BDA-9992-3638FAB0A843.JPG
 

Mmathis

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Hello and welcome! Common problem! Where do you live?

  1. Hole in the liner — eliminated
  2. hole or leak in some system, such as a waterfall, stream....or somewhere in a connection
  3. low area where water can seep out
  4. plants — plants are notorious for a) sucking up a ton of water, b) finding a spot where some part of the plant touches the liner (etc.) which causes water to wick out via the plant contact
  5. evaporation — yes, it really can and does happen! With smaller ponds (like yours), the evaporation will seem more drastic than it will with larger ponds
Look for wet spots — spots that shouldn’t be wet.

It’s hard to tell in the pic, but two things stand out: one end looks a tiny bit lower than the other end (but that may be nothing more than a trick of perspective), and there are some plants pretty close to the edges (one of which is a water lily pad).

Hope you find it.....but, well, if you are considering a larger pond, maybe don’t worry about it and get to digging! :)
 
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Yep, you caught the bug. Start with a small pond, go bigger! Make sure you build it big enough this time! The bigger, the better!

Since you have your preform pulled out, maybe put it on the side and fill it back up. If it holds water or if it's at least a slow enough leak, pour the water and fish from the buckets back in. Keep an eye on the water level while the new pond is being built.

If that preform is actually OK, you can use it to make a bog filter for your new pond.
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
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Welcome to our forum!

We will help you dig and make a nice pond, how big do you want to go?
 

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