Noob looking for some guidence

[Tazzmacd]

OK so I want to get a pond in the back yard. Going to do the work myself so can you guys maybe point me in the right direction. Some general thoughts that I have on it.

The over all size, rather large, at least 16' X 20' maybe bigger.
Depth, no deeper then 24", I beleive that there is a by-law here that states that a pond cannot be any deeper then that so that is what it will be. Will have 3 shelves for various plants to be planted on.
Will have a water fall, or 2.
There will be some fish, just not sure the kind yet.
Will most likely have a stream incorporated also, so might have a smaller area with a water fall that feeds the bigger pond.

My questions are, where is a good spot to get the under pad and liner at? Checked out the price at Tera's and well I think they were rather expensive at I believe $0.89 per sq ft.

Secondly, pump size? I am thinking roughly a 4500-7500 gph pump, that big enough, too big? Good supplier for the pumps? Before I forget, prefer a supplier in the Toronto-Hamilton area if they are here.

Anything that I should or shouldn't do? Warnings pitfalls that would most likely occur that I could avoid?

The pond construction will begin in the spring so I have most of the winter to gather the items I will need so I can begin in April, maybe March depending on how the weather is.

Oh the size of my backyard, roughly 90'X50' form the deck, hence why I can put in a nice big pond.

Cheers!!

Pat

[Terri]

Hi Pat, welcome to the board :-) Is that Burlington Ontario?

24" is not deep enough if you want fish - no matter what kind, especially if you choose to go with koi. Reasons: not deep enough to over winter fish; shallow enough to cause rapid tempature flux during the warm months(as short as they are here) which can(will) cause undue stress to fish and some plant species; shallow enough to allow for preditors to engage in fishing.
The deeper you can go the better, check with your local by-law office if you wish, but if you have a fenced yard with a lock on the gate your pretty good to go. Typically here in Ontario you want to be no less than 4 feet deep, double the depth of our frost line, if you plan to have fish which will stay in the pond through out winter.
Another thing to keep in mind, gental sloping sides and shallow shelves are also an invitation to preditors like herons and raccons, so if at all possible keep the sides at a steep slope and do not have a plant shelf that goes all the way around the pond and try to make those shelves inaccessible or uninviting to critters from the ponds edge.

You want 40mil EPDM liner. We have a good friend who can give you a good price on liner and underlayment.... email me terrijohn@sympatico.ca and I will send you his contact details.

You may want to (seriously) consider incorporating a bottom drain into your pond design. This will make your life much easier when it comes to pond maintenance. There are several retail BD available but there are simple do-it-yourself drains which are not so costly. Having a BD will give you more options as to pump and filtration to be used. If you haven't browsed through the Puddle's Construction pages, have a look at what Ian and I have done with two of our ponds... http://www.backyardpuddle.com/construction.html ... there are also a few DIY filters there that might interest you. Also think about a surface skimmer, store bought or DIY, it's one design element that every pond should have. Pump choice, I would suggest you look into external pumps, over all they are more cost effective and give you more options as to plumbing to/from the pond. Not knocking submeribles, they have thier use in any system, but you're limited and they generally cost more to run.

Have to run,... there are several members here who I'm sure will be along to share their ideas/experiences with pond building. Kudo's to you Pat for not jumping in with both feet.... planning is an important part - saves you money and headaches down the road ;-)

[Merlin]

Hi Pat welcome to our pond. :-)

I believe Terri has covered most things, I was going to say a minimum of 3ft deep but not knowing your climate, I would go with Terri on the depth, I know that will add to the work and the cost, but your fish will appreciate it more . If you can post a drawing on what you are planning we maybe able to off better advice on pumps filters etc. One thing I will mention is if you can plan something in to use as a quarantine holding area for any sick or new fish you will not regret it.:-)

Please keep us informed.

Merlin

[Jackie Ramo]

Welcome to the board.

I think we are assuming it is Burlington Ontario and not Georgia but given that, I live not far in Toronto and my pond is 5 ft deep. Actually by going deeper, you solve so many problems some that Terri covered but also water volume, the larger it is the easier it is to maintain. Preditors and temp shifts as well as the general health of the fish. And by Temp shifts I mean hot as well as cold.

You are making a wise decision in doing the research over the winter and taking the time to plan. Most of us dig and hole, fill it and regret it as we have to do it all over again.

[luke frisbee]

2 ft deep? up there?
lemme guess, ya got kids that need a peice of ice to practice their hockey skills, EH?
Don't build a hockey rink...build a lake

[Tazzmacd]

Now this is interesting, I have been told that I could build one 2 feet deep without any issue and it wouldn't freeze fully, the top foot but not the whole thing if I kept the water running all year. Was also told that the steped down sides was needed to have flowers and plants like lily and grasses along the upper edge which is something that both my wife and I would like to have to make it look more natural.

Hmmm......almost as bad as marine aquarium hobby. So many different opinions and set ups to research and pick out the one that is best for me.

Do you happen to have some links to other sites with maybe garden pond information? The more information I can read the better for me is the way I see it.

Spent a year or 2 reading everything that I could on marine aquariums, now that I am ready the tank will go in I hope next couple of months then the rest of the building takes place.

Cheers!!

Pat

[Jackie Ramo]

Pat, a search of the net will give you literaly hundreds of options... I have shelves in my pond which is a water garden, just a deep one. Mine is extra deep because I chose to have koi in it. If you choose a smaller fish such as wakin, goldfish, shubinkin, than 3 ft will be fine although deep is better in the long run.

Personally I'd not run the system all winter at 2 feet although I do run mine all winter at 5 ft. The cold water flowing over the fish day in and day out will stress them and drain their resources. Pieces75 just deepened and expanded his pond this year because he was losing fish every spring in his shallow one. He did not run the system all winter though.

Every pond is different, so don't worry, continue researching and you will find the right mix for you.

http://jackieramo.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_DSCN0925.JPG

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