Fish Ponds in the Backyard

[Tidybuoy]

Anybody have a great pond to show off? I have a very small pond but I hope to build a much larger Koi Pond someday. I had a 100 gal aquarium when I was much younger and I find this to have the same entertainment value for me.

My pond is made of a large barrel (3' in diameter, which is much larger than the standard barrels that they sell at Home Depot. It's 2' deep). It has about 50
goldfish.

I have something in mind for the other side of my yard, but I always like to see what other people have done.

[pwd72s]

The raccoons of your area are going to love it...

[Tidybuoy]

It's been about 7 years & no raccoons yet. We really don't have raccoons in Fresno, just possums. My fish have survived but I have had to add some on occasion - I just use feeder fish which are about $0.10 each and have lasted much longer than anything I have had before. Koy did not do well at all but this pond is too small for them. The feeders are very happy.

[dd74]

Heron or any other good-sized bird? They'll get what the raccoons miss.

[JoshB]

Koi ponds are a lot of fun but be prepared for a lot of strong opinions of how best to set one up - especially in Cali. Lots of super nice ponds out your way and big dollar fish dealers.

Here is a pic of my setup - 3600 gallons, 20x15x3 kidney bean shape, epdm 45 mil liner, two 3 inch bottom drains, Aqua Ultraviolet Ultima 4000 filter with 2" head, Sequence 6000SEQ23 External Pump, Aqua Ultraviolet UV Light 80 watt and a big air pump for a couple airstones in the pond.

Some things I learned the hard way are -

-have to have bottom drains and make sure the bottom of the pond slopes toward them
-pump/filter capacity to turn the water over every 2 hours
-at least 3 ft deep with straight sides to deter predators
-uv light a must for clear water
-don't buy too many fish

[dd74]

Wouldn't you guys rather have a Jacuzzi?

[Tidybuoy]

Originally Posted by JoshB

Some things I learned the hard way are -

-have to have bottom drains and make sure the bottom of the pond slopes toward them
-pump/filter capacity to turn the water over every 2 hours
-at least 3 ft deep with straight sides to deter predators
-uv light a must for clear water
-don't buy too many fish

Good job!

I learned long ago that good filtering was important if you (and the fish) want to enjoy the pond . My current filter on my tiny barrel pond has an out of the tank, media filter with an ultra-violet light. The pump pumps 600 gal an hour which enables me to have the filter quite far away (behind the fence). There is also a large cement building block in the bottom which gives the fish a place to hide and makes for a good plant stand.

When I build my Koi pond, I will take your advice.

[Tidybuoy]

Originally Posted by dd74

Wouldn't you guys rather have a Jacuzzi?

Why not both?

[dd74]

Originally Posted by Tidybuoy

Why not both?

Personally, I don't like koi or fish ponds. So I have a Jacuzzi.

[JoshB]

You guys might get a kick out of this website - probably the best koi dealer on the east coast. Crazy what some of these fish go for!

http://www.nishikigoiofniigata.com/

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by dd74

Wouldn't you guys rather have a Jacuzzi?

NO.

We have a fish pond. I have never understood sitting in a tub of water.

[Bill Douglas]

Here's my pond.



It looks a bit humble compaired with you guys. I have the mesh on the top because this cat used to be a wild cat who survived by eating my fish haha. Now he's a pet cat.

[scottbombedout]

I love my pond, was looking at some Sturgeon today. Beautiful beautiful fish.
Was put off by the fact that you are supposed to have a net over the pond because they like to jump out.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

NO.

We have a fish pond. I have never understood sitting in a tub of water.

Maybe that's because all you've ever done is "sit" in a tub of water...

[dd74]

What's the allure of that? You can barely see the fish. At least from this angle.

[austin552]

I would rather sit in a fish pond than someone elses hot tub. Had a couple bad experiences.

[tomphot]

Here is my back yard pond - about 3500 gal. What you can't see to the right on top of the hill is a bog filled with Iris, then a 25' stream and a 2 stage 6' water fall.

I too have a steep drop off - have seen the Heron out there a number of times over the past 8 years but he can't get to the fish.



Nice Pond Josh - I need to see it sometime.

[crustychief]

An Egret is eating my Koi!!

Only feeders for me.

The small upstream pond. Each is about 300 Gallons, I have a four foot waterfall.

[Tidybuoy]

Looks great. I wish I had a sloped yard, you really have more options.

[crustychief]