jawsisabetta

I live within the city limits and I really want a pond. My dad will let me have it if I pay for the making of it. How can i make a 50 gallon and up pond??


Hello Jaws. I merged two of your threads...stocking a pond and making a pond. I think it will be a lot less confusing to other members.
Thanks
Ken

matt6765

how big of a back yard do you have? at my old house we had a huge 2 acres pond and that cost 1000s to dig

jawsisabetta

Ok. I am making a 50 gallon pond for my backyard. Are there any other fish besides goldfish and koi to put into it In the winter the temp can go as low as 10 F, and in the summer we have had temps as high as 115 F. If I do put goldfish in it, wil they survive I plan on making the pond in the shadiest part of my backyard so the water would stay like 10-15 degrees cooler.

MaddieLynn

You can't put koi in a 50 gallon pond. They need at least 1,000 gallons. The max number of goldfish you can put in there is 4. Also make sure that you have great filtration.

gremlin

You could go with a preformed pond. They can be sunk in the ground or placed on top and built up around or half and half. Mine is partially buried with a wall around backfilled with dirt. How much space do you have and what kind of budget are you on? You will want to find a place that gets at least some full sun during part of the day (mornings are best) so you can have plants in it.

jawsisabetta

My back yard is pretty small. I earn 10 dollars a week from a job from a friend. (I'm only twelve) Pretty soon my earring business will start up again, so i'll make about 40 dollars every fourth saturday. My pond could be like 6-8 feet across and as deep as i could make it. Are there any fish besides goldfish and koi that could live in a pond. Our temps are pretty extreme. 10 F in the witer up to 115 F in the summer.

gremlin

Goldfish would do fine. I have goldies in my pond and the water temp yesterday afternoon was 90* farenheit. The important factor is lots of filtration and lots of aeration. The pond will need at least a couple of hours of sun every day to keep the plants healthy. If you are worried about it overheating, put it where it gets morning sun and is shaded the rest of the day. If you have lots of filtration, you can push the number of goldfish in the pond. My pond is about 180 gallons and I probably have 14-15 goldfish in there, as well as 2 plecos, 1 CAE, a bunch of mosquito fish, and 3 american flagfish. The Plecos and CAE come in during the winter - as soon as the water temp drops to 72* - and don't go back out until the water warms up in the spring. The mosquito fish do great and actually prefer full sun. The will bask in the sun for hours. They also do a good job at keeping all the mosquito larvae eaten (and the occasional mosquito that they will jump out of the water to catch). The American Flag Fish is another native fish that will help to eat the algae in your pond. This is my first summer with them in the pond and they seem to be doing just fine. My opinion on the best fish for a small pond - goldfish, mosquito fish, american flag fish, whatever fish is native to your local area and will stay small (under 12 inches preferably).

gremlin

What part of the country are you in? Having your pond deeper will help with the temperature extremes. The water towards the bottom of the pond will maintain a more stable temp. Also, having a larger volume of water will help it stay more stable. You will need to decide if you want to go for a preformed pond or a build it yourself with a liner pond. If you go the liner route, you could dig your hole and use the dirt to build up around the edge. Then use block to make a "sitting wall" around the pond and to help hold the liner in place. The dirt will help to insulate the pond and keep the water temp stable.

jawsisabetta

I live in Oregon. How deep should my pond be? I want the biggest pond possible, so the deeper the better,

Amanda

I'm also in the process of making a pond. The most expensive part is going to be the filter for the pond. The ones I've looked at usually are around $200.
I usually say that the pond should be at least 4 ft. deep, so that it will not freeze solid in the winter.

jawsisabetta

So... Could I make my pond 7 feet across and 2.5 feet deep? About how many gallons is that?

Amanda

2.5 ft. would freeze solidin the winter, unless you had an industrial heater to warm it up.

gremlin

It should be about 1 foot below your frost line. Your county agriculture center should be able to tell you the depth of the frost line. That is how deep the soil freezes. If you go about 1 - 1 1/2 feet below that, the bottom of your pond will not freeze. You will need to have good circulation to get oxygen to the bottom of the pond. Having the pump at the bottom and the return at the top will 'stir' the water to get the oxygen to the bottom. A water fall of some type will also help to keep the surface from completely freezing over. Moving water doesn't freeze as easy as still water. I think a liner would be better in your situation than a preformed pond since most preformed ponds are not that deep.

jawsisabetta

How deep should it be in order for the pond not to freeze? Our winters are warming up, now they are about 25-35 F.

Amanda

This was addressed by Gremlin in your other thread. About 1 - 1 1/2 ft. below the freeze line.

jawsisabetta

We have a water leak that flows on to our sidewalk. The city people can't fix it, and it is a real pain. We have tested it, and there is no chlorine in it. Could we just have the wter flow in to the pond and then out instead of having a filter? Maybe cover the holes with screen? Just curious

gremlin

What kind of water leak, why can't the city fix it, and will it be a constant source of water? You should still have a filter.

As for the water leak, I would turn it into a "natural stream". Dig a shallow ditch that will direct the water where you want it to go and you could line it with rock or plant some ground cover along the edges. Let it be a water source for the wild birds and such. Are you being charged for the water? Is the leak on your side of the meter or the city's side?

jawsisabetta

The water flows through our backyard and on to the sidewalk. We would tap in to it in our backyard and make our pond there. We are not being charged for the water. The leak appeared when a new housing development was built above us. The water is always flowing, it never stops.

gremlin

I wouldn't count on it as a permanent source of water. I would more try to use it to irrigate a garden or something. Eventually, the city (or someone) will get around to fixing it and then your pond could dry up. Someone somewhere is paying for that water and will eventually get around to seeing where it is going.