Backyard Ponds

[Pooh's Pixie]

Has anyone out there created their own backyard pond? You know, the kind with the koi fish in it? My DH would like to make one and I'm pretty hesitant. My reservations are these:
* it seems like a lot of work to maintain
* what happens when it freezes? (I live in New England!) do the fish die?
* will it get buggy?
* is it expensive to create?

I'm hoping some knowledgeable DISers will inform me!
THANKS!

 

[lillygator]

don't forget about the birds eating the fish!

 

[liamsaunt]

Or people stealing your koi! Those fish are expensive, and there have been instances of neghbors stealing from each others ponds in MA.

With a koi pond, herons are NOT your friend.

 

[MerryPoppins]

* it seems like a lot of work to maintain
* what happens when it freezes? (I live in New England!) do the fish die?
* will it get buggy?
* is it expensive to create?

*yes. Not a lot of work all the time, but infrequent cleanings, pump cleaning, etc.
*I'm in Oklahoma, so I'm not much help here. If you keep the pump running here it just freezes the top. Our fish make it through the winter. The depth is an important consideration
*if you keep fish in it, they eat most of the bugs and keeping the pump running helps too.
*not too bad if you do the labor yourself - you have to buy liner, pump, fish, plants, food (for the early days, eventually they may get enough to eat naturally)

Another note: be aware if you have small pets that if they fall in they need a way to climb out.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Thanks for the info. Keep it coming!
How expensive are Koi? I don't think we have any herons around, but we have a lot of hawks and owls (it's a wooded area at the foot of the Blue Hills)
Will I just be feeding the hawks?!

And we are planning to get a dog...do you just mean we need to ramp it out with rocks?

 

[MerryPoppins]

We just went with common goldfish. They're cheap and they grow quite large if they are in a pond. Ours are probably 8 inches long and there isn't as much investment.

We've got hawks and never had a problem with the pond. It gets hot here, so we have to be sure to offer plants for shade. I suppose that helps with predators, too?

We just sort of sloped the sides of the pond instead of making them straight up and down. I've also seen them sort of stair stepped, so a dog could swim up onto the step and get out. Ponds are slippery, so they need something to get ahold of in order to jump out. You'd never think this could happen, but our poodle went to get a drink and fell in. She couldn't get back out. It still give me nightmares. We had to take our pond apart and revamp it to be pet friendly.

 

[L107ANGEL]

Mu husband built ours so it and I love it!
Not much to maintaining it. He overflows it on occasion.
We have a heater that we put in the pond in winter but another friend lets it freeze and his koi live somehow.
I live in the woods and have only lost one koi to a raccoon.
I have no idea the cost but I know he gathered the rocks from several areas.

Good luck with yours

 

[Mom2Ashli]

don't forget about the birds eating the fish!

that is what happened to my fish.

It is a bit pricey to get it up and running but not much to maintain.

We didn't put Koi in our pond we just used Gold fish and they grow to the size of their environment. They get pretty big in size.

I can't answer about the the temp fo the water and what happens to the fish because we live in Florida. But I do know they have heaters for the water.

 

[Cruisin]

My pond is hardly any work to maintain. I only have a small pump that runs the waterfall. I clean that pump when it clogs up, keep as much debris and fallen leaves out as possible and feed the fish 3 seasons of the year. Very low work, lots of enjoyment.

I have only goldfish in mine also. I started out with the cheap feeder goldfish ( 12 for $1.44 ) I still have some of the original ones in there from 2000 when the pond was built. I have a few of the fancier finned goldfish too. Much easier to take losing a fish that only cost 12 cents versus one the cost 30 or more dollars.

I live in Canada and it gets quite cold here at times. I have a small heater that I put in my pond and I also make a tent-like covering with a tarp to protect it from the winds since we live on an open field facing to the north. In the middle of the winter when I peek in there, most of the time the water is not even frozen. Takes me maybe 1/2 hour to cover it up for the winter.

My pond is not very deep only 18 inches or so in the deepest spot and I have not lost any fish over the winters yet.

Birds and other predators such as raccoons can be a problem. Birds I have found especially during migration season. I just cover the pond with bird netting for a bit and that seems to solve the problem.

No bug problems so far and no major water quality problems either.

My crazy cat has fallen into the pond a few times, once she was rolling around on the stones at the edge and just rolled right in Silly girl, but she loves the water anyways and just casually climbed out, like "I meant to do that"

 

[Toby'sFriend]

My neighbor has one. She is really into landscaping and flowers, she seems to spend alot of time working on the plants around the pond, I don't think she has to do much to the pond itself.

She has some kind of tent-like structure that she puts over it in the Winter, her Koi live through it. A couple of them are huge.

As for bugs, we have a huge mosquito problem out here regardless. She bought one of those backyard systems last year.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Thanks. Cruisin, I love that image of your cat! I had a cat that probably would have done the same thing. Thanks for your ideas of covering it, etc. It sounds like we're in a similar climate so that could help. I'm so happy to hear you can get cheap fish That helps!

How big is your pond in diameter? And why do you enjoy it? Just watching it, sitting around, what is it about it that you like?

 

[poohlover]

I love reading about this! I wanted to do one last summer...unfortunately my Dad ended up 7 wks in the hospital...maybe this year! We have Newfoundlands so I have figured I need to put it in the front yard...AWAY from my water loving dogs! Any advice on how deep or large to make them? Have most of you used preformed plastic "tubs" for the bottom?? Thanks for any more info!

 

[korzmom]

they can be alot of work, i had an algae problem with mine last summer, i guess it need more shade,when the water gets warm it tends to grow algae fast....i also had a problem with chipmunks...they fall in and cant swim! ewww! in the winter you need to keep a pocket of air at the bottom so the water doesnt freeze the whole way, and you stop feeding them once the water temp reaches somewhere around 48 - 50 degrees. i think this year i will add some bigger rocks around the edge, maybe that will keep chip and dale from drowning again! they are work but i think its very relaxing work- if theres such a thing. GOOD LUCK!

 

[Cruisin]

How big is your pond in diameter? And why do you enjoy it? Just watching it, sitting around, what is it about it that you like?

My pond is approximately 9 feet by 5 feet and is a sort of kidney shape. It ranges in depth from 10 inches to 18 to 20 inches approximately.

I like to go out and watch the fish swimming around in it. Fish really do have personalities and when I had sliding patio doors they would feel/hear the doors open and they would all swim up to see if I was coming to feed them. The pond is about 20 feet from the house They will only come to the top if I approach the pond from the house. If I come from the backside they will stay nearer to the bottom. You can train them to eat out of your hand if you want to.

I have some fish in my pond that were born there and are doing well. Mating fish are very interesting They can really thrash that water around and flip flop into the plant pots so that I think they are stuck in too little water but really they aren't.

I also have a small albino catfish that lives in the bottom. I don't see it very often. I have some rosy red minnows too that like to swim all together and stick closer to bottom or middle of the water level.

I have frogs that have shown up in my pond too. Last year I counted 5 frogs that I saw all at one time. Cool, different colours and sizes.

I like to see how the plants are growing and watching them flower. I like to listen to the water falling (although my husband HATES the sound of running water )

So much enjoyment from a pond with very little work (at least with mine). Well worth the effort, in my opinion.

poohlover, my words of advice as to size is to make it bigger than you thought you wanted it originally. Mine is too small and too shallow. I'd like a little more depth to put in some better plants. And of course if it is bigger you can put more plants and fish in it too.

My pond is made with a pond liner, not a prefab kind. If I were at home I would post a picture but I'm at work. Maybe I will find one and post it when I go home tonight.

 

[Cruisin]

Here are a couple of pictures, not the best ones but you can sort of tell what it looks like.

You might try posting on the Flower and Garden Forum too. I'm sure lots of people over there will have good advice for you.

A summer picture, I have it covered with the netting here but it doesn't really show:

Under the winter tent: