BUILDING YOUR FISH POND IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD

A pond may offer a number of benefits. It can be cool and relaxing, visually appealing and it can provide the local wildlife a watering point.

For Starters

It is imperative to know the reason why you are building this pond before the actual construction. Some individuals just wanted to put up these kinds of projects without considering the comfort and safety of the inhabitants of that pond. Evaluate first these things before assembling your pond.

You can ask for advice from your pond professional or read books that are concerned on pond kits and the techniques of construction of ponds. Consult your local pond contractors who have experience regarding this field.

Now you can build your own fish pond following these planning stages:

Consider the location.

Choose a site where your pond is not near existing large trees. These vantage points will prevent root problems as well as minimizing the problem of falling leaves in your pond that may cause decaying and poor water quality. Pond plants such as water lilies need sunlight to grow. It is best to place your pond where it can be exposed to sun but not too much as it can over heat during mid afternoon or on hot days. A semi shaded place with a good amount of light coming through is sufficient enough.

Temperature extremes should be minimized on the pond. If you intend on raising and keeping fish, it is important to make the pond as deep and as large as practical. However, deeper ponds may need to be fenced to prevent accidents.

Design with purpose.

Consider electricity supply for pumps, filters, and lights when designing your pond. It is also important to look into the water supply and drainage.

Ponds must have an overflow area (a place located below the rest of the pond height) to control where the excess water should go. Overflowing may be caused by overfilling the pond with water or from heavy rain.

Screen your overflow paths to prevent any escape of small plants, fishes (and its eggs), and snails during water additions and heavy rainfall. This may also protect the local waterways from any possible escape. This is especially important if there are non local fish in the pond.

Complete preparation requirements.

It is essential to clean and rinse ponds before using it since fish and other water plants are sensitive to contaminants. "Curing" concrete ponds combined with water changes, scrubbing, filling, and painting with vinegar is also important.

Allow chloramines and chlorine to dissipate especially if you used tap water to fill the pond. One can also utilize a commercial chlorine neutralizer from pet shops to solve this problem.

Ensure that all equipment such as fountains, waterfalls, filters, and lights are working satisfactorily before adding the fish and plants.

It is also better if you allow at least one week for the plants to settle in the pond before adding the fish. Clean up the pond regularly for dead leaves as this will add unwanted excess nutrients to the water and decay it as well.

Observe proper maintenance.

A said, keep the pond clean of fallen vegetation and dead leaves. The frequency of cleaning will depend on the amount of vegetation falling into the water and on the tome of the year. Do the cleaning at the beginning of spring before the temperature of the water starts to rise.

Feed your fish and clean up the filters periodically.

Add water in the pond periodically. A normal garden hose will do. However, no more than 10-20% should be added at any time because of the chlorine levels in tap water.