There are many factors to consider when creating a fish pond design. There is nothing worse than installing a fish pond and having problems with location of the pond. Building many fish ponds myself, I would like to share my expertise with you. I have made mistakes, but have learned from them doing research with other pond builders. Here are the major factors to consider before you start building your own fish pond.
- Location of pond-First and foremost you must consider the location of your pond. Pond should be located were it will get some shading from the afternoon sun. Consider yourself sitting in the full sun unprotected, the same goes for fish. If you have ever fished in a lake were the sun is brightly shining, how do you find the fish? Right, in the shade. It is important to watch your afternoon sun and where the shadows are cast, this will help determine location of your pond.
- Type of soil-Another important factor to consider is the type of ground that you will be digging your pond in. Is the ground rocky or just dirt? Unless you own a backhoe, you probably are digging your fish pond by hand. That is why soil type is so important. If you have easy digging then you could use the prefab type liner, but for all my ponds I prefer the rubber liner. The rubber liner gives you more flexibility with your design.
- Electrical to your pond-You need to consider the electric power to your pond. You will need a circuit for your pond for the pump motor that will take the water from your pond through your filter media. Other electrical items to consider are lighting, UV clarifier, and any other items that might need power. Remember not to locate your pond to far from the electrical supply, or the cost will be more depending on distance. Be sure to consult an electrician if not sure of yourself with electrical.
- Pond filtration-There are many ways you can do your filtration, but what I suggest is to base your choice on the size of your pond. Naturally a larger pond is going to need better filtration. Many larger ponds use a skimmer box along with a waterfall which contains filter media. My rule is to always size your filtration to the next size based on the number of gallons of water in your pond. There are many types of filters available; pressurized, non-pressurized, above ground, in the pond filtration. If you base your filtration on gallons of water you will be fine to select the proper system.
- Pump motor-There are basically two types of pump motors; submerged and above ground. I have used both types. Here are a couple things to consider. If you have a large pond and it is over 4′ deep you might want to stay away from the submerged type of pump. For obvious reasons like, maintenance which requires pulling up your pump can be quite a difficult task if you need to wade in water that might be over your head. In this case you would need an above water pump. If your pump is accessible by hand a submersible pump will work for you.
As you can see, there are many things to consider when creating a fish pond design. I have just shown you the major factors to consider. There are other things to consider once you have your pond installed. For more information on ponds and fish visit Taking Care of Koi Fish.