How to Make a Backyard Goldfish Pond

Goldfish ponds add beauty to the garden and provide us with an ongoing education about aquatic life and the ecosystem. In addition to being fun to watch, goldfish help maintain water features by eating mosquito larvae that would otherwise mature into pests.

Things You'll Need

• Spade
• Level
• Pond liner
• Sand
• Goldfish
• Fish food
• Electric deicer

Instructions

1. Choose the site of the pond. Pick a location where the pond looks like a natural part of the landscape.

2. Select the type of pond considering your budget, the size and the durability of the product to find a type that meets your needs. Choices include earthen bottom, concrete, fiberglass or PVC liner.

3. Excavate the pond site with a spade. The hole and the ground around it must be completely level. Line the base of the pond with damp sand before inserting the liner for a good fit.

4. Fill the pond gently. You must have 5 times more water than inches of fish. Therefore, if you have five 4-inch goldfish, you must have a 100 gallon pond.

5. Introduce the goldfish by letting the bag holding the fish float in the pond for an hour. This time allows the goldfish to acclimate to the pond's temperature.

6. Feed the goldfish in the spring and fall when water temperatures are above 50 degrees. Make fish fend for themselves in summer by eating insects and their eggs. Cease feeding in winter when goldfish are dormant.

7. Protect goldfish from freezing temperatures. Some ice formation is OK, but solid ice prevents toxic gases from escaping. Install an electric deicer, or chip a hole in the surface of the ice periodically.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not install your pond directly beneath deciduous trees, or you face a constant leaf litter battle.