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Construct Your Own Water Garden
The Basics Location The first consideration is the location of the pond. Decide if the pond is to be a focal point. If so, then it should be located by a patio or deck area where people can relax and enjoy the tranquil setting. Ponds can also be placed in a flower garden area where it can be enjoyed privately. No matter where it is placed a few basic guidelines should be followed:
Size  What size should the pond be? Before digging, it is best to measure and determine what size liner you will need. Visit the water garden outlet to find out the available sizes. The liner must fit the pond and overlap the edges for proper fit. To calculate, determine the longest length and widest width. Decide how deep you will dig. (See #3 on building codes.) Length of Pool + (Depth X 2) +2’ = Length of Liner Width of Pool + (Depth X 2) + 2’ = Width of Liner Pools of water at ground level have an illusion of appearing smaller; so, whenever possible, make the pond larger. Leave room for marginal plants that will give the pond its personality
Construction - With Liner Material
Construction- With a preformed pond
Sizing a Pump This section will assume that only aquatic plants are going to be present. It will not matter whether the pond has a liner, or is a preformed pond. It is recommended that the water in a basic pond be turned between 1 1/2 to 2 times per hour. A 500-gallon pond should have at least a 750 to 1000 gallons per hour pump. When sizing a pump for a pond there are a few other considerations. How high will the pump have to pump water? Will there be a waterfall, a fountain, and/or small statuary? Will there be filters? All these variables reduce the amount of flow, which could affect water quality and clarity. In most situations, adding 25% more pump capacity would be adequate. Therefore, using the example of a 500-gallon pond with a 3’ waterfall, the pump’s flow rate should be a minimum of 750 gallons per hour. When a biological filter is used, care should be taken not to oversize the pump. Biological filters require a certain amount of flow. Check with the manufacturer of the filter for correct pump size. The basic formula to compute the gallons of a pond is: Length X Width X Depth X 7.5 Fish can be added in a few weeks after the chlorine and other additives have left the water. Fish add a completely new dimension to a pond and pond care. Fish will require increase control of water quality. Biological filtration is needed to convert ammonia produced by fish weight, decomposing fish food and plant material. In nature, ammonia is evaporated from the surface. But the small surface area of the garden pond does not efficiently remove ammonia. Ammonia can be toxic to fish and can kill them in low concentrations. A pond with fish, koi and/or goldfish, is the ultimate in having a pond. The additional care that is needed to have a healthy pond outweighed by the joy that fish bring to the pond. One last note about fish: add only a few at a time. Ask the store how long fish have been in stock and choose fish that are not "brand new". This way you know that you will have healthy fish, free from disease. Before adding them to the pond, isolate them for a couple of weeks to make sure you are not adding sick fish to your pond and contaminate the current stock. Water Quality Submerged Plants Add one bunch of submerged plants for every one to two square feet of pond surface. A
pond in the shade for only three to four hours of sunlight will need less, while a pond
with greater than seven hours of sunlight will require more. A pond with a 4’X8’ surface in six hours of direct sunlight will require 32-64 bunches of submerged plants. Scavengers The same guidelines as submerged plants: one to two scavengers per square foot. Examples of scavengers are snails, tadpoles, and clams. Pond Surface Covering the pond surface is done by using lilies or floating plants. Shading the water keeps the water cooler (beneficial for fish), and limits algae growth. Coverage should be 50-70% with smaller ponds under 1000 gallons having more coverage. Large ponds require a lower percentage. Examples of surface covering plants are water lilies, water four-leaf clover, floating heart, snowflake, water poppy, and water hyacinth. The minimum direct sunlight for any pond is three hours if you want good blooming aquatic plants; more is better. Having more sunlight normally means not having many trees. The falling leaves can seriously change the ecology of the pond. If a pond has the possibility of leaves getting into the pond, cover the pond with garden netting. Obviously, try to keep the pond away from trees. Fish Fish are an integral part of balancing a pond. They keep submerged plants from growing too much and will eat some of the algae. Fish also keep mosquitoes and their larvae out of the pond. Some examples of fish are goldfish (Shubunkin, Fantails, Comets), and koi Pumps and filters are highly recommended. A pump will keep the water recirculating. Connecting a fountain or waterfall to the pump discharge will oxygenate the water, as well as add the sound of rushing water to the pond environment. Both you and your fish will enjoy having these additions. A filter will collect decaying organic matter. Recirculating the volume of pond water through the mechanical filter should be one to two times an hour. To assure complete filtration, locate the pump and filter at one end of the pond. Run discharge tubing to the opposite end of the pond. This method will assure that the entire pond is filtered. Biological Filters and UV Clarifiers Enhance the biology of the pond by using the methods listed above. But for added filtration use a biological filter. These are usually placed outside the pond. They consist of different layers of filter media to catch debris, and provide a stable environment for "good" bacteria that will convert poisonous fish wastes-ammonia, into fertilizer. These are designed for various pond size (by gallons). All will require a pump to deliver the water to the filter. Most filters allow the water to return to the pond by gravity. It is not uncommon to have a mechanical filter and a biological filter functioning simultaneously. Often, one pump with diverters and control valves can control the flow of water to both filters. Advanced pond ecology is easily achieved with a little research and by asking questions. Products are available today that will cure any pond problems so that you can be assured of having a fun and enjoyable water garden. Eco balance is the secret of water clarity. Helpful bacteria such as Mico Lift and Ultra Clear are very important in adding and keeping proper bacterial activity in your pond. With these products and a Ultraviolet Clarifier: ponds that are in full sun with no plants can have clear water for fish viewing, such as in Koi ponds. Regular use and the proper balance of fish -filtration-and pump size can allow many enjoyable hours of fish watching. Algae is Your Friend Don’t become alarmed at the sight of green water (algae) in your pond. Algae, simple forms of plant life, naturally occur wherever water and light exist. Instead of considering algae as a pond problem, you can learn to recognize and appreciate your algae as a friend—a friend who’s telling you what is happening in your pond. Ponds containing natural life are not intended to be crystal clear like swimming pools. Once your oxygenating grasses and water lilies become established, the water will begin clearing, even overnight in some cases. As long as your pond is properly balanced and the bottom waste removed monthly or quarterly, it will never become stagnant. Whatever you do, don’t change the pond water. You will only start the "balancing" process all over again. After the first weeks, most ponds remain balanced for years. A little patience goes a long way! Your newly established pond will begin developing a hard biological waste center on the bottom of the pond. This sewer, which includes fish droppings, dead leaves, dirt, and waste from the air, is broken down in the water and offers nutrients for the plants. To be healthy, all ponds need a certain amount of bottom waste. If the bottom waste, particularly in the fall and winter, is so rich that the grasses and water lilies can’t consume it fast enough, then algae will result. Monthly vacuuming of about 70 percent of the bottom material or the addition of sludge consuming bacteria is the usual formula . Vacuuming more often only disturbs your pond unnecessarily. Types of Algae There are hundreds of colors and types of algae. The invisible spores that start algae are borne by the wind. The color depends on its geographic region. Soil or water alkalinity/acidity and temperature play their parts in the color of algae. FREE-FLOATING ALGAE This green water algae is prevalent during the first 90 days of pond balancing, or on occasion when the weather turns suddenly warm. A free-Floating algae signifies a gas problem. A low oxygen/high carbon dioxide problem, or a high nutrient content in the pond’s water. Green water is nature’s way of balancing the pond in the beginning. If the green water doesn’t clear up after 60 to 90 days, you may need to take a closer look at the pond components and make some of the following changes to achieve pond balance:
HAIR ALGAE This type of algae forms in all types of ponds, even in balanced, clear ponds. It is recognizable as big clumps of long, stringy algae. Too many nutrients in your pond result in the formation of hair algae. The most probable source of excess nutrients are fish food, a build-up of dead leaves or plant material on the bottom of the pond, and fertilizer or dirt drainage into the pond. This type of algae is highly prevalent in the spring. The easiest method of controlling hair algae, you should occasionally vacuum the bottom of the pond, watch the amount of food you’re feeding the fish, and remove any fallen leaves from the pond’s surface. There are certain chemicals that will control what is commonly know as string algae. Be sure and read the warning on kinds of plants affected and be sure the products you use are not harmful to your fish. GREEN SLIME You’ll recognize this familiar green growth that’s found on the sides of ponds, troughs, or barrels for example. This form of algae is one of the pond’s stabilizing forces, and your pond will not be healthy until a good layer of slime develops. Slime produces 60 percent of the oxygen in the pond. If you scrub down this slime, you’ll be taking away a stabilizing life force. Always remember: not all ponds in every location perform the same. They are as individual as you are.
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