Adding a Fish Pond to Your Garden Landscape

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Many homeowners take pride in designing and maintaining their own landscapes and gardens. There is a lot of hard work involved and a lot of money spent, but owners definitely reap great benefit as well. Adding a fish pond, or water garden to your property will not only make it more appealing to the eye, it will also increase the value and equity of your home. Not to mention the enjoyment and relaxation you will get from the addition.

Once the decision has been made to incorporate a fish pond into your landscape design, the next step is to determine the exact placement of your garden pond. It’s important to place it where you’ll always be able to see it from inside the house, or other areas of the garden. You should take into consideration the lay of the land, so you don’t have to worry about possible contamination from runoff, or other yard debris.

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Fish pond and pond plants



Fish pond pump



You also need to decide what type of organisms you plan to have in your pond. Most typical garden ponds, or water ponds as they are often called, are filled mainly with goldfish and underwater plants, such as water lilies. They tend to do well in most climates. You should plan on this type of fish pond being at least two feet deep for best results.

If you decide you want a koi pond, then you will need a considerably larger space, and a depth of at least three to four feet. The bigger and deeper the better, because koi tend to need a lot of room as they grow. You will be limited as to the types of aquatic plants you can have, due to the fact that koi tend to eat many types of water plants. If you want a garden for looks, the typical water garden pond would probably be your best option, not the koi pond.

No matter what type of fish pond you plan to have, size is very important. The larger the pond, the more plants and fish you can put in it. It is better to build it too large, than too small, and not be satisfied with the results of all of your time and labor spent. Basically, no matter how big it is, you will always find you wish it were bigger.

For step by step how to build instructions and general information, you can visit watergarden.com/pages/build_wg.html. This site is a good information source for beginning gardeners, as well as the experienced. They will walk you through how to plan your fish pond, shape it, hook up filters, add waterfalls, and what chemicals and plants you need to add to ensure that your fish survive the transition to their new home and stay healthy once there. They also provide information on pond kits to help you get started with your project, if you decide to do it yourself. Most kits come with the pond liner, underlayment, pump, filter, all the plumbing pieces you will need, and chemicals to treat it with. Basically, all you do is set it up. This would be a good option for someone with no experience, as all of the equipment is already included. It is also budget friendly, as buying the kit is cheaper than purchasing what you need piece by piece. The added bonus is that most of the kits are for above ground ponds, so you eliminate the financial expense of either having to rent the equipment to dig your pond, or hiring someone to do it for you.

Another good how to site to help with your fish pond building experience is clearwaterlandscapes.com/water_features.htm. They offer helpful information on landscape design, and average pond costs. This site also has good information on how to maintain your fish pond as well.

You of course, don’t have to purchase a project kit to build your own pond. You can do online research, library research, and talk to some locals in your area to find out more information. Depending on what particular issues you have to deal with, your pond may cost you anywhere from $3000 to $10000 or more. It all depends on the size you want, the land condition where you are placing the pond, the types of plants and fish you want in it, etc. Regardless of the expense, it will be cheaper in the long run to build a fish pond that will last that may be more expensive, than to constantly have to spend money on maintenance issues for one that has not been well-built. This is an issue where the old cliché you get what you pay for comes into play.

Incorporating a fish or koi pond into your landscape can seem like a daunting and expensive task, but it well worth it. You will be able to enjoy it for years to come, and will be happy you made the decision to go ahead. As with any major project or home renovation, just make sure you are well informed and make smart decisions about getting what you want. If you hire someone to do this for you, you want to make sure that they are well-qualified, either by checking references with other customers, or possibly even contacting the Better Business Bureau for a reference. If you prefer to do it yourself, the websites listed in this article can be good starting instructions for you to use. Just have a good plan in mind before you start, including the budget you have, and your overall goal.

Most of the factual information from this article was obtained from researching the internet and using the following sites: watergarden.com/pages/build_wg.html, clearwaterlandscapes.com/water_features.htm, whatprice.co.uk/gardening/pond.html

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Adding a Fish Pond to Your Garden Landscape

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