Do it yourself?

By: Walter Oldenburg

Avoiding shortcuts

I started my pond in the spring of 2004. As the pond developed and the design came to realization, I found mistakes in my thinking. Don’t tell Lin I said this, but I really didn’t do my homework as thoroughly as I thought. Before you install your pond, it is important to realize......DON’T…. That is, not until you research and become a little knowledgeable in pond construction and the components you assemble.  After all, your pond is more than just digging a hole and throwing a liner, rocks, a pump and some fishies together. 

Here are three options for your pond. 

1. First you can hire a contractor/professional who does this for a living. 
2. Secondly, you can buy a kit, with all the components designed to work flawlessly together. ps. Comes with instructions.
3. Lastly, you can venture on your own like a strong willed animal seeking a never ending adventure and locate a hodgepodge of parts and try to make them work like I did.

The biggest disadvantage to buying separate components is that you are on your own once you begin. Whatever money you saved may be lost trying to piece all the components together. Mark my words, forgetting the smallest of components such as screws, piping or fittings will cost you time lost in traveling to your local hardware store. Not to mention, you will have to stop the installation process and leave your help waiting for your return while they raid your refrigerator.

If your refrigerator isn’t stocked and you do want to save some money and you have done your homework, then separate components can work for you. Another consideration is the components you assemble together. The quality of the components can make or break the success of your project. 

Consider the most important components such as the liner. Sure you can buy pre formed ponds, or pour concrete. The most versatile liner and most popular is made of flexible rubber usually 45 mil thick. They come in many sizes, and can be custom ordered as needed. Their flexibility allows for a variety of shapes to accommodate your own personal taste and vision. Another consideration to choosing your liner is it must be strong, resistant to degradation, and must be fish friendly. You should expect your liner to last at least 20 years, so chose wisely.

Do not cut corners……A friend of mine had used his old pool liner to replace his old pond liner. Shortly afterward he noticed his fish gasping at the surface for air, only to loose 2 of his largest fish. Apparently the pool liner was treated with a chemical to retard algae growth, which ultimately led to the demise of his koi.

Your pond is after all a self contained ecosystem. Either with or without fish it is still important to keep your water clean and healthy, which leads us to the importance of filtration. 

Look for a filtration system that will create the biological balance needed for ponds, and is easy to clean. We bought a skimmer that went in the pond. Every time we had to clean it meant going into the pond, getting our feet wet, dragging it out of the pond to clean the filters and going back in to place it again. It got old after awhile. 

Manufacturers are recognizing the maintenance aspects, and now place filters in the skimmer boxes that mount to side of your pond liner. They use the skimmer as a mechanical filter to get rid of the major debris. They have also incorporated bio material in the waterfalls boxes, so they not only create the aesthetic effect, but also maintain a natural balance needed to keep a healthy and beautiful pond.

After our pond was built we noticed our koi slowly disappearing. Not from the blue herons that ate 9 of our fish, but from algae growth. We watched our pond slowly clouding up and turning green. We soon learned you can place ultra violet light which destroys the little boogers (fungi and protozoa) that make the water green. UV light has two primary uses in fish culture: Controlling green water and disinfecting the water supply. Manufacturers of skimmers, filters and waterfalls are now incorporating the UV lights in their units, which will require a source of electricity to operate but well worth the investment. Another application is the inline UV light which retrofits right into your water line. Our pond cleared up in 3 days and we were back to watching our ponds pets swimming happily again.