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.