Where do I start?

[DonnaD]

I've been begging my husband and sons for a pond for 35 years, I came home the other day to find a whole dug for my dream pond, my first questions is would I be better off starting off with a pond kits since I wasn't prepared for this surprise or am I better off buying everything on its own? I know I need a 20' x 32' liner but would like info on what pump or filter would be recomended for a rather small budget, I've been collecting rock for over 30 years so the landscaping will only take manual labor. Thank you.

 

[sissy]

Welcome and they charge you 2 or 3 times more for kits .Home depot and lowes sell pond liners cheap and pumps well that will depend on how much you want to spend and filter build it your self you tube has great video's of pond builds and filters .You could get one local saves the headache if something is wrong with it and not having to mail it back .If you google pond places you should be able to find local places .I know that fish place is in PA and not sure how far from you they are .They have an online store .I have bought from them .

 

[Waterbug]

Many people start by digging the hole, adding stuff, and there in the next few years after problems start to research and learn about ponds. IMO it's better the other way around...first learn about the different kinds of pond, decide what kind of pond you want, learn about how that kind of pond is built, pros and cons of different methods. Then you'll know what equipment you'll want and can build the pond to fit the equipment and your goals.

I agree with Sissy, kits are sold to people who skipped the research and learning phase and just want a pond this weekend. Gets you a quick pond and the potential for problems.

Since I know zero about your desired pond I can't really recommend pumps, filters and such. Sorry.

 

[sissy]

just noticed also you say zone 4 yikes I hope you went deep .I know after the big mistake of buying a preformed ,I did a lot of research online and books and joined forum sights but it was to late for I had already bought koi ,#1 mistake harder to take care of and #2 they get big and are #3 they are fussy about there water conditions .But that being said I learned a lot and have not lost any fish yet .If I had the choice I would have learned first like waterbug says and no koi and not many fish ,they have babies lots of babies and you may need lots of friends to pawn them off on .To many people rush in head first and spend lots of money and get a headache and then give up because fish keep dieing or water is always green .Ponds mean work and lots of it at first to try and figure out how and why it works .Took me 8 years of learning and still learning .Don't want to scare you away but be prepared at first so you are ready for anything so you can succeed .Then you will be happy and satisfied with what you have done .

 

[addy1]

Do some reading in the construction and diy forums. There are filters you can build, some like them some don't, you can read some of the issues others have had.
I have only goldfish and shubunkins, they are pretty and easier to care for. My pond and filtration takes minimal care, but I built it that way and did not go with koi.
Koi tend to be fussy about water, filtration, temperatures.

Make your pond deep so your fish can stay out for the winter. Mine is around 5 feet or so at the one end.

 

[sissy]

wish i had gone deeper

 

[j.w]

DonnaD
Just a little tip: If you want to hide your liner edge up top you can make a little ledge like a step all around the edge of your pond and put rock down on that ledge and then at the top of that rock make the edge that goes out and over the ground. Put rocks on the top edge. The rocks on the lower ledge will be under water so no liner showing above water level. Make your pond deep like said above for your colder zone. There are diy idea's here on this forum to show you how to make your own filters. You have to decide whether you want a submersible pump or an external one. Check out some of the ponds here that others have built to get ideas on what you might like to do. Some here have bogs that they use as a filter. So many different ways to build one.

 

[sissy]

You can make those rock border things out of cement like waterbug on here makes .He has a link to them and they are done with cement and look like an L shape and hang over the lip of the pond

 

[j.w]

But sissy she has been collecting rock for 30yrs so why not use the rock. What a stash she must have. Our dream of dreams of rock Heaven

 

[addy1]

lol jw, We rock lovers would be in heaven! 30 years of rock I sure would use it.

 

[sissy]

But if she wants something that will over hang the lip of the pond she could still make those and still use all her rocks.I even made a rock garden with some of mine since I had so many pretty white quartz stones they go in that garden after cleaning .I was going to go up to the junk yard ,he is selling windshield glass he melted into rocks .Some of them are nice and large and have a greenish blue tint .He just put them for sale in our local paper for 15 dollars .Sounds like a good price to me .

 

[don't ask]

welcome
DonnaD

 

[Becky]

You're in good hands here, welcome to the group