How to Dig a Fish Pond

A nice accent to any backyard can be achieved by designing your own small fish pond. Adding a water feature fish and plants contribute a sense of peace and tranquility to your backyard making it more inviting, more romantic, and more livable. In addition to beautifying your backyard it can add value to your property. Create a low maintenance fish pond with clean lines, simple plant arrangement and a recycling water pump.

Things You'll Need

• Paper & pencil
• Garden hoes
• Flexible pool liner
• shove
• water pump
• lumber
• level ruler

Instructions

1. 

   The shape of the pond will depend on the effect you wish to create. Square, rectangular, round or oval give a formal appearance to the yard. Layout your propose pond with a garden hose to help size the area to be dig out into the desire shape. Pool depth is also a consideration a minimum depth of 18 inches is usually the norm. Purchase a pool lines from your local building center. Draw out a layout of your pond and draw the surrounding plant already in the yard. Study your layout and make adjustment as needed. Place the pond on level ground to maintain a that good sense of evaluation,so when it rains your pond won't waste a way the fish and plant life.

2. 

   Install a flexible liner is the easiest and least expensive process for installing. If utilizing a purchase liner use the flexible liner as your measuring tool. Turn the flexible liner upside down and spray paint, chalk or use the shove to trace out the flexible liner on the ground. The thicker the liner the longer it will last. To calculate the proper size for your liner, measure the width and length of the pond at the widest points, add twice the pond depth and then tack on an extra foot for overlap. If you are tracing the pre made liner add a foot from the original shoves line made. Add an outside shove line. Use 2 by 4 plywood as a level. Place a level ruler on top to level.

3. 

   If planning water lilies they will need to set in an area with full sun. Use plants grown for their foliage, instead of their flowers varies they are more tolerant and low maintenance. Place plants at random inside the fish pond. Use an empty plastic pot turn upside down and place desire plant on top of the empty plastic pot or stable flat surface rocks. Add a water pump for circulation of the water flow.