Considering a pond in the front yard

I have a planter area in the front of my house that I'm considering putting a pond in because it is such a large area (probably 6' by 20'). I don't want anything huge, but something decent-sized I can plant around.

I was considering one of these:

My other option is to just use the PVC pond liner sheeting and make my own. Something like this:

So, as far as stocking something like the first one...

I'm good with stocking fish tanks, but I've never had a pond before. When I was in middle school, my parents put a pond in a little garden area we had, but I have no idea how many gallons it was (seems like it was maybe 50 or 75?). We had two koi in the pond that lived for quite a while (from the time they put the pond in until we sold the house, so a good 4-5 years) and never got bigger than about 8-10". I know they were koi because I helped pick them out at the pet store.

So, assuming I go with the 40gal preformed liner, what could I stock it with? Winters where I live are mild, but we do drop below freezing (not far though). Summers are equally mild with temperatures rarely getting over 95*F.

 

Hello! Pre-formed pond liners are a little less work but I would rather buy the pond liner and do it myself. Since a pre-formed liner big enough to have more than 2-3 fish will be much more expensive than lining the pond yourself, I think building it yourself would be the most economical option. In a 40 gallon pre-formed liner, you can't keep any slI'm boddied goldfish (commets, feeder, shubukin) but you can have 4 max. fancy goldfish (orandas, fantails, bubble-eyes)

 

Bump?

Thanks for the input, Thetanknewbie.

 

Bump?

 

Building your own is always more interesting. Take in mind PVC liner is not antI UV so they don't last as long as a EDPM liner. EDPM is also more flexible than PVC. Koi need lots of space and yes they will grow to that of their space but from what you explained in your last pond it seems they stunted in growth which is not a good thing. 4-5 years they would be reaching close to 12 inches or more depending on the size when bought. So if planning on koi, the minimum depth is 2 feet with a bare minimum of 250 gallons per koi.

The more the better of course. The rule of thumb for aquariums does not hold for outdoor ponds so don't base stocking on the aquarium rule.

Read this for more information. https://theponddigger.com/blog/

 

I read somewhere that koi need at a minimum a 1,000 gallon pond to start and then 10 gallon extra per fish. I think that is really absurd but just putting it out there.

 

I read somewhere that koi need at a minimum a 1,000 gallon pond to start and then 10 gallon extra per fish. I think that is really absurd but just putting it out there.

If you want healthy long life Koi, then yes, 1000 gallons is required at least. I am upgrading mine to 3000 plus. Koi require the space as yes, they get big and need the space to move about. They are also big dumpers so filtration is also very crucial. Koi are not aquarium fish nor do they follow the same rules or requirements.

Read the article as it explains much more in detail.

 

I don't necessarily want koi (as beautiful as they are). That was kind of the point of my question. What else can I put into a pond given our geographic location (fairly mild winters and warm, but not ridiculously so, summers)?

 

You could do certain species of sunfish, mosquito fish, anerican flagfish, crayfish, bitterling. I kept guppies in mine and brought them in the winter

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You can also do fancy goldfish.