Kept it simple....next to the pool.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1462305274.jpg

I like the IDEA of a pond with a foot bridge, koi, lillies, and stuff.

But I HATE the sound of frogs, smell, algae, and having to clean dead stuff out of water. I think I'd probably make a dry pond. That sounds much better to me.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1462307415.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1462307477.jpg

I put in this free standing pedestal type off of our two patios. Really nice sound to mask traffic. Also right outside our master bedroom.

I pulled power and fresh water supply over, it's nice to be able to add water without dragging a hose over. I also poured the larger concrete base. Just felt like it needed a little more height and slightly bigger footprint. Plan is to eventually tile the bigger base. It runs on a 620 GPH pump.

This is in full sun the majority of the day. Algae grows fast! We use a Beckett fountain care product rather than chlorine. Easier on the surrounding landscape and birds drinking the water. I drain it every couple of months and clean with bleach, then start over with the algae care.

Really a nice addition to our patio area. Worth the effort!

Cooper

I admit the green frogs get a little annoying, but it's only for about a week in the spring. You aren't the first person to mention smell here, but my pond doesn't smell. I don't think a healthy one does. Not sure what you mean by dead stuff.
Maintaining a pond is a hobby, like gardening. It's definitely not a hobby for everyone.

We don't notice any smell from our pond unless you get your hands wet and smell your hands. Or if the dogs have been drinking the pond water their breath smells like a pond instead of the normal sweet smell from a dogs mouth. :rolleyes:

I got a microscope for Christmas a couple of years ago and I looked at several samples of pond water over the course of a summer. I expected to see all kinds of microscopic critters swimming around and was surprised at how lifeless it was.

for noise reduction, it has been found that bushes with leaves work better than sound walls or fences .... if you have a bare fence, noise bounces off of it. place bushes, in front of it, I was going to say ivy, but that stuff escapes and goes down stream to creeks and takes over....

Yes, now that you point that out, it makes a ton more sense to me.

Lot of inspiration here!

I have to keep reminding myself that my space is very small.

I have some left over copper sheet. Maybe I can add something to a fountain to make it louder.

FYI: They make a super concentrated blue dye product (comes in a small bottle) you can add to your pond/water feature to control algae, instead of chlorine. The dye is compatible with aquatic creatures....unlike the chlorine.

Ponds are fun but can be a lot of work. They sometimes need daily attention if the water is warm or you have fish, lily pads, turtles, overhanging vegitation etc. We have a simple two tier fountain on a timer and it sounds nice in the courtyard and is very easy to maintain. Total volume is only about 3 gallons so we just flush it out weekly with fresh water and sometimes give it a little scrub in the summer months. Easy breezy and honey likes it a lot.

More gallons= more maintenance

My pond near my front yard...in a gated courtyard.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1462322968.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1462331004.jpg

Ceramic basin I think I found at a garden store... antique hand water pump at a garage sale or junk shop - can't remember. Pump is super cheap fountain pump like at home depot. Abalone shells have been collected from the beach over the years. Whole thing is maybe a foot and a half around. Can't remember why I put it up on the Cedar blocks - statuary is garden store clay something or another...
I've had this basin and other parts in a variety of configurations over the years - this is just the current one. Water is blue from a splash of cool mist fluid to keep the iron pump from rusting. I drop a bromine spa pellet in to keep algae away. It runs an little more than a trickle, so not really a sound mask, per se...

Wall fountain that runs off a timer (on/off) and additionally gets topped off with a drip irrigation line tied into the landscape irrigation so it never needs manual refilling.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1462366831.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1462278403.jpg

The honeymoon is over. The frogs mated yesterday and their constant trilling is gone. There are thousands of frog eggs in the pond and the only sound is the trickle of the waterfall. It's fun watching this little ecosystem go through its seasons.