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Fish Pond Construction2007-11-24 23:09:37

how do i build an outdoor fish pond that isnt too big but large enough for a few fish

Answers:

The short answer is to get a water tight container (that you either build yourself or purchase), and add water, plants, and fish. Voila! You have a pond.

The longer, more technical answer is: 1) Decide where you want it and how big it ought to be. If you want to stock koi, you need several hundred gallons, at least (mine is 3,000) and it ought to be part shade, part sun, and away from trees (unless you want to be scooping leaves out all the time).

2) Start digging - again, for koi, at least 3 feet deep in at least a portion of the pond. Keep in mind that almost no one ever wishes they would have made their pond smaller. What looks like a big hole, seems to miraculously shrink once you get fish, plants, and rocks in it! We had around a 500-750 gallon one, and the next year, immediately turned around and expanded it to a 3,000 gallon one! And, if you are anywhere where you might get predation from herons, egrets, raccoons, etc., build the sides straight - don't do any steps or ledges for plants, etc. You can put your plants on upside down buckets, upside down milkcrates, or even powder-coated metal plant stands (I've used all three), instead, and it will be MUCH more difficult for predators to get at your fish. This will make your fish calmer and more likely to be friendly when YOU come to visit them.

For a *really* small pond, you could use a half-barrel like they use for planters. They are widely available in places like Lowe's or Home Depot, as are the plastic liners designed to fit them. They probably hold close to 50 gallons, and I have one that I fed the pump line up through an old-fashioned hand pump, so it looks like water is pouring out of it, back into the barrel. I also have a marsh marigold, a water iris, some fairy fern, and 4 small (3-4") sarassa comets in there.