- Choose a location that gets at least six to eight hours of sun each day if you want to grow water plants like lilies and lotus. Keep your pond away from trees to avoid leaves rotting in the water and contaminating it. You can purchase a leaf net if your pond will be exposed to falling leaves in the autumn months.
Make sure your pond is big enough and deep enough to accommodate the animals and plants you plan to place in it. If you live in an area where winters are very cold, your pond should be deep enough so that the bottom foot will not freeze. Minnows only require about three gallons each, but larger fish like koi need a minimum of 100 gallons per fish. Most koi ponds should be at least 500 gallons.
Plan ways to hide your equipment and liner ahead of time. Make sure there is a low area around the pond to catch excess water and leaves when it rains heavily. Purchase extra pond edging rocks or bricks ahead of time so when one is damaged you can quickly replace it. - Do not overstock your fish when you create your pond. Pond fish breed and multiply quickly. Unless your pond has many predators or the water becomes contaminated, you will have plenty of fish within the first year. Once your pond is overstocked with fish, you can leave them and let them die out naturally, give them away, or sell them to aquariums and pond retailers. Check with the store where you purchase the fish to make sure your pond is big enough to accommodate your selections.
- At least half the surface of most fishponds should be covered with plants. Make sure your fish still have enough room to swim and feed. If floating plants like water hyacinth and duckweed get too large, you may need to remove some of them so that other plants have enough space and sunlight. Make sure your pond has plenty of aeration if you have many submerged plants like anacharis, so that fish can breathe. Keep your pond free of algae, which can suffocate fish and block light from other plants.
- Purchase a pump that turns over all the water about once every hour. Submerged pumps are placed directly in the water and pump water into the filter and the output, such as a fountain or waterfall. In-line pumps stay outside the pond so that they do not get wet and damaged. Pond filters help keep leaves, bacteria and algae out of the pond. Clean your filter with hose water if you have well water. If you have city water, use some of the pond water to rinse and scrub the filter. Chlorine in city water can kill helpful bacteria. If you live in an area where winters are extremely cold you may want to purchase a de-icer or heater to prevent the entire pond from freezing over and killing your fish.
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