ADVICE For first time Pond Builder

[scoobdoob808]

Okay so I have ordered a pond kit and it should be arriving any day now. I am looking for some words of advice from the Been there done that pond builders out there who can give me some helpful suggestions of what to do and what NOT to do before installing the new pond.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much

Jolene

[a0c8c]

Take you time installing it. And triple check for leaks, nothing's worse than coming home to an empty pond.

[rainbowgardener]

Is it hard shell or a soft liner? Especially for the soft ones, dig the hole deeper and then fill it back in with a good layer of soft sand for leveling and o be sure there are no rocks poking it.

[pondlady]

A few things I have had to learn the hard way,
1~Do not put to much shelf into it. They make to good of a dinner table for Herons and coons
2~ Do not put rocks into the bottom. They trap a lot of gunk and make spring cleaning a real workout.
3~Get a UV light, These are a must to clear up Spring Green water.
4~If you are going to have Fish, be careful not to overstock. To many fish can overload you pond filtration and turn it into a stink hole, amongst others.
Hope this helps and Please enjoy you new pond! I have 3.

[Koilady]

Hi Scoob. I agree with Pondlady. The most important thing that can be done for any pond is to make sure that you have a good bio-filter. One that is easily made and maintained with no cleaning to the bio-media which is what the good bacteria grows on to remove toxins/nutrients from the pond water to keep hair algae and suspended algae away and to keep your fish healthy.
The filter we use is a downflow so the water from the pump goes into the top of the filter where there is about three or four layers of window screening. The water flows down through the plastic scrubbies (I use these to hold good bacteria), down to the bottom of the filter then up a pipe on the inside of the filter which leads the water back to the pond.

Your's Koily, Lorraine