DIY Outdoor Fish Pond

Water lilies provide shade for fish during the heat of the day.

Constructing a fish pond might appear to be difficult, but with a little work over a weekend you can assemble an outdoor fish pond in your backyard. Then add some koi and goldfish to improve your backyard water garden.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Rope
• Pond underlayment
• Rubber pond liner
• Large rocks
• Decorative stones
• Pond filter
• Pond fountain
• PVC piping
• Water dechlorinator
• Aquatic plants
• Pond bacteria

Instructions

1. Choose the location and size of your fish pond, looking for an area with partial sun and shade.

2. Place rope on the ground to outline the shape and size of your pond.

3. Dig at an inward angle around the border of the rope that you placed. Add a shelf around the edges to place plants roughly 1 foot in depth and 1 or more feet in width. Make the pond 2 to 4 feet deep so that your fish will survive during the winter months.

4. Place the pond underlayment and the rubber pond liner. The underlayment is a felt-like material laid between the pond liner and soil to protect against punctures from rocks and roots. Position the liner and underlayment evenly throughout the pond. Remove any folds or wrinkles. When the water is added the remaining wrinkles should flatten out.

5. Place large rocks in the bottom of the pond. Position the decorative stones around the outer edge of the pond to help the liner stay in place while being filled with water.

6. Fill the pond with water, using a garden hose. Pull on the edges of the liner as it fills to help remove wrinkles. Wait until the pond is full before cutting any extra liner or doing any permanent stapling.

7. Trim the pond liner with a cutting utensil, leaving about 6 inches outside of the edge. Do not allow the liner to go under the water line. Use this time to arrange the decorative stones as desired.

8. Install the pond fountain. Use PVC piping to hide the wires, placing the pipe a few inches underground. Choose a fountain pump and filter based on the size or gallons of your pond. Remove algae and nitrates from the water. Clean the filter daily for the first week, then weekly thereafter.

9. Add dechlorinator to the water to eliminate any chlorine or chloramines.

10. Place aquatic plants on the shelf. The best plants to add are water hyacinth, parrot's feather, anacharis, and bacopa. These will reduce the growth of algae. Water lilies will provide shade for fish. Weigh down the plants in the water with rocks, if needed, or place aquatic plants on large rocks to bring them to the correct water level.

11. Add bacteria to condition and prepare the water. Wait at least 48 hours before adding fish.

12. Add fish a few at a time to give the water, plants and fish time to become accustomed to each other. The best fish for an outdoor fish pond are koi, goldfish, orfe and rudd. Common goldfish, killifish and guppies may eat mosquito larvae and will get along well with other fish.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not place a pond under trees. The roots could puncture the pond liner. Seasonal foliage falling into the water will cause a major clean up and contaminate the water for the fish. Arrange the pond where runoff from rain will not flow into the pond. Runoff could transmit organic waste, chemicals and fertilizers, further endangering the fish.

• Take a pH reading to find out the pH of the water. A pH reading between 6.5 and 8.4 is needed to maintain healthy fish.

• In early spring, wait until water temperatures warm into the 60s before adding fish from indoor tanks to the outside pond.

• Clean the pump filter once a week.

References

• Echters: Fish in a Garden Pond
• Pond: Fish Pond