Building a garden backyard pond step-by-step

Series on how to create a pond

Autumn Pond Maintenance

As autumn approaches, our pond enters its last scene her before the final curtain of winter approaches. Even at this late stage, the story could still have two endings, either as a tragedy or with the pond’s players living on happily ever after.

Everything in the garden . . . → Read More: Autumn Pond Maintenance

Building a Bog Garden

When building a pond, we generally have a good idea as to how we want it to look when completed. Our pond size will determine how many fish can be stocked and the pond’s shape and design will be a guide as to how it should . . . → Read More: Building a Bog Garden

Building a conservation pond

Conservation / Wildlife Pond

A wildlife pond is best suited to an area of garden set aside as a conservation or ‘back-to-nature’ area. It may be a part of the garden where you choose not to mow the grass, but let it shoot up to provide cover, . . . → Read More: Building a conservation pond

Building a Garden Pond for Koi

The objectives of designing a koi pond

A koi pond is designed and built with displaying the koi in a clear and healthy environment being the main objective. Everything is planned with the koi in mind.

As koi are unlike any other pond fish, the design of a . . . → Read More: Building a Garden Pond for Koi

Building a Garden Pond from Scratch

Introduction:

Whether it is an inbuilt desire to return to the comfort of our pre-born amniotic beginnings, or connected to the fact that our bodies are predominantly made up of water, the evidence is clear- we are irresistibly drawn to water.

Holidays by the sea, weekends up at . . . → Read More: Building a Garden Pond from Scratch

Building a Pond with Waterfall

A waterfall makes a very natural addition to a pond, with many ponds integrating one when constructed. (They can be added at a later date, but this poses many practical obstacles). It makes sense that having taken the step of introducing a pond into a garden, . . . → Read More: Building a Pond with Waterfall

Buying Pond Fish

Most pondkeepers have experienced some problems or have heard of other people’s experiences when it comes to stocking a pond with fish.

You have designed, purchased and installed a landscaped garden pond. It has been planted for a couple of weeks, the pump and filter are installed . . . → Read More: Buying Pond Fish

Choosing Pond Pumps

Pumps:

If you’re considering building a pond that features a fountain or waterfall, or are looking to install a UVc and filter, then you’ll need a pump.

A pond pump has a demanding role, pumping continuously through a 12 month rolling contract in extremes of temperature, handling unmentionable . . . → Read More: Choosing Pond Pumps

DIY Pond building

Any aquarist who is fortunate enough to be able to keep fish inside in an aquarium and outside in a pond soon starts to see the many parallels between keeping fish in both environments. The fish are fed an artificial diet, the water is circulated through . . . → Read More: DIY Pond building

Feeding koi pond fish

Pond fish such as koi, gold fish and shubunkins are all related to the carp which is naturally a grazing fish, constantly feeding as it picks its way through the silt and debris in a pond. They do not have a stomach, and do not digest . . . → Read More: Feeding koi pond fish

Golden Orfe (Ide) Leuciscus idus

More golden than a goldfish and at times too swift for the eye to follow, the orfe is a very popular and undemanding pondfish.

The orfe (or ide) is quite a distant relative of the carp and is more accustomed to the dynamic life of a flowing . . . → Read More: Golden Orfe (Ide) Leuciscus idus

How to build a garden pond

Your garden is the blank canvas onto which you will plan your new pond. Every garden is unique, with opportunities and constraints as to where you can site a pond.

A pond should be planned primarily where it will be viewed and enjoyed the most, and if . . . → Read More: How to build a garden pond

Keeping Goldfish in a pond

The goldfish can be regarded as the standard bearer of all ornamental fish. Initially kept and prized by the wealthy rulers of China over 1500 years ago, their legacy for us today is the world’s most widely kept pet, probably the first ornamental pet fish in . . . → Read More: Keeping Goldfish in a pond

Koi – Nishikigoi – Cyprinus carpio.

Koi or nishikigoi (Japanese for coloured carp) originate from the paddy fields of Asia and Japan. Like most ornamental pond fish, koi were discovered quite by accident as coloured genetic mutations (accidents of nature) from native black carp which the farmers had introduced from Asia.

The carp . . . → Read More: Koi – Nishikigoi – Cyprinus carpio.

Managing Pond Water Quality

Keeping fish is not like keeping any other pet, such as a cat, dog, rabbit or guinea pig If four-legged pets take a disliking to their surroundings or become stressed in their environment in which their owner wishes to keep them, they can retreat for cover . . . → Read More: Managing Pond Water Quality

Nuisance Pond Algae | Green Water | Blanketweed

Green water and pond algae problems such as blanketweed and string algae are annoying. The most common problem that ponds experience surprisingly does not relate the to fish, but to plants, – and unwanted ones at that, such as green water and blanketweed.

The most common problem . . . → Read More: Nuisance Pond Algae | Green Water | Blanketweed

Pond filters biofiltration.

Pond Filtration:

All living animals produce waste which is toxic and must be excreted. If such waste is allowed to build up once excreted, then it is likely that health problems will follow. This is true for pond fish just as it is for slums in city . . . → Read More: Pond filters biofiltration.

Pond Fish Food. Health, Growth & Colour

We eat on average, 3 times a day, and according to a survey on lifestyle, we can expect to spend a total of 5 years of our life eating. Quite a full time occupation!

Pond fish are quite different, and compared with our gastronomic timetable, their eating . . . → Read More: Pond Fish Food. Health, Growth & Colour

Pond lighting advice ideas

Lighting

Lighting can be used to convey different moods to a pond and the surrounding garden. Subtle down lighting to create a glow from behind rock work or an evergreen shrub to cast its haunting silhouette can add a placid mood while brighter and more direct lighting . . . → Read More: Pond lighting advice ideas

Pond Plants Planting a garden pond

In a planted pond, the aquatic vegetation will play a number of roles.

1. Functional. The pond water will have a tendency to turn green or be invaded by blanketweed and just as in a garden border, desirable plants should be chosen to compete against these unwanted . . . → Read More: Pond Plants Planting a garden pond

Spring Pond Maintenance

Springtime is the launch pad for life in the garden. All life in the garden has spent the preceding cold winter months in slumber, resting and recuperating ready to burst into life in spring. The water garden too has been experiencing a period of inactivity and . . . → Read More: Spring Pond Maintenance

Sterlets Tench – Bottom Feeding Pond Fish

The Sterlet – Acipenser ruthenus

The Sterlet can be described as a prehistoric fish which dates back to the dinosaurs. Its ancient ancestry is also quite clear when looking at its body form, looking completely alien in a pond when compared to other traditional pond fish.

The Sterlet, . . . → Read More: Sterlets Tench – Bottom Feeding Pond Fish

Summer Pond Maintenance

This is what we’ve all been waiting for. Preparing the garden pond through any winter worries, ensuring that the fish have come through their ‘rest period’ free from any health problems. Spring has seen the aquatic plants re-potted or trimmed if necessary and the new shoots . . . → Read More: Summer Pond Maintenance

Testing Pond Water Quality

What is good water quality?

Good water quality is a measure of how suitable water is for keeping fish healthy. There are a number of simple tests that can be carried out on pond water to determine whether it is suitable. The first thing to do upon . . . → Read More: Testing Pond Water Quality

Winter Pond Maintenance

To a certain degree, a laissez-faire approach with our pond may be justifiable in the winter, as there is little that fish require from us over this fallow period. However, there are a few simple measures we can take to ensure that, even after the harshest . . . → Read More: Winter Pond Maintenance



Kill blanketweed and string algae.