Building my first pond.

[EaglesFan]

OK, well I'm new to this so any advice is greatly appreciated. I started digging the pond in the corner of my backyard away from direct sunlight. I will try and get some pictures up tomorrow after i get back from practice. But for the size if i remember correctly it has a 8ft length and a 6ft width. I don't know about how deep i should go. And that's what I'm up to at the moment. Here are my questions:

1) How deep should i go?
2) Recommended filtration?
3) Type of fish and plants for my area? (New Jersey)

Any construction tips are welcomed =]

 

[sissy]

depend where in NJ you are NJ shore area northern NJ or central NJ I lived in Edison and we used the footing theory frost line that is I know footings in Edison had to be 48 inches.Not sure that was right but we just made a section of the pond 4 ft. rest was any depth you choose .Winters there can be pretty wicked not like really northern states but below zero for sometimes a week

 

[DoDad]

If you want koi about 3.5 to 4 feet deep with pretty steep sides..
I can't tell you what the filtration should be till I know the gallons.
It's better to oversize filtration than to undersized it.
It will also be nice if it had a bottom drain to go to the filtration,

 

[sissy]

I have koi and my pond starts at 2 ft and goes down at the other end to 4 ft gradual drop .Fish in the winter are almost always at the 4 ft. section

 

[EaglesFan]

Well i live in northern NJ, Passaic County. I think I'll go with 4ft depth? I was thinking I should do steps like 2ft then 4ft? And I'm not sure what kind of fish i want. I've kept aquariums since i was 11 (now 16) so i have a average understanding of fish, but i think i want to start with a beginner pond fish.

Thanks for the help =]

 

[sissy]

I guess that would be goldfish .My pond starts at 2 goes to 4 and watch if you have raccoons do not give them places to step into the pond .I have koi and goldfish but koi get bigger than goldfish and can outgrow the pond fast .Not sure about there cold temps in NJ and how goldfish would hold up but know a few here that have them and they work out fine .Koi can take cold better

 

[EaglesFan]

Well i happen too know of a raccoon by me so maybe it should be 4ft everywhere? And if Koi can survive the cold better I'll go with them. How many Koi can i fit in a roughly 1,500gal pond?

Thanks for all the help Sissy. =]

 

[sissy]

I have 6 in 2000 gallons but my first 2 fish where small now they are around 2 ft long . Raccoons are sneaky devils .We had them in NJ too but since moving to VA I have not seen one ,Not sure how gold fish in NJ would work out but a lot here seem to have them .I have goldfish here in my pond and they seem fine

 

[EaglesFan]

Alright cool. Thanks. Any ideas for filtration and any other maintenance needs?

 

[CometKeith]

Hi Eagles Fan, The easiest fish to maintain are goldfish. The easiest pond to maintain is where the bio-load is not too big. The more fish you have and the larger they are then the harder it will be to keep a nice balance. I think shelves create a lot of benefits; a place to place your plants, shallower areas that some of your smaller fish may find more interesting, and a way of creating more surface area relative to the volume of the water in your pond so your pond does not become oxygen deprived. Probably for northern climates like ours you should shoot for 4.5-5 ft at the deepest part. Also sorry but even though the Eagles are supposed to win the Super Bowl according to their head coach, they will not have a chance this year against some of the stronger NFC teams like the Chicago Bears.

 

[sissy]

they have great plans on this sight for home made filters I am trying 2 different ones I found on here and the pumps I get at harbor freight cheaper and just as good as the expensive ones .I have one pump 6 years old from there

 

[EaglesFan]

Hey CometKeith, Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to got with shelves maybe first one at 3 then at 6 just for safety purposes. Thanks Sissy i will have to check those out.

P.S. ...We will just have to wait and see huh Comet? All i want from my team is at least 1 damn ring before i die lmao.

 

[sissy]

oh no now it's football fan against football fan .You will find one that works for you as everyone has different kinds but it comes down to what works for you and your pond and also your money .Always comes down to money you want to put out . And don't forget fish have babies .I have 7 new babies this year I have to find homes for .6 koi now and now I forgot raised sides of pond and it has more water now thanks to storms .

 

[CometKeith]

Eagles Fan, yes we got ours back in the 80's. Actually any team would be better than the Packers. I'm still waiting on the Cubs though. It's been 101 years since the last one. I have two shelves like you described. The Raccoons that visit get trapdoor snails, but no fish. Good luck with your pond.

 

[addy1]

eaglesfan, my pond is around 5 -6 feet at its deepest. My shelf is around 2 feet deep. Deeper than herons like to stand in. I added a walk out area for any critters that decided to fall in, a slope from inches to 2 feet deep in about 5 feet of length. The shelf ended up being made for the wall between the bog and the pond. But it is working great for the lilies, lotus etc that I am growing.

I have just goldies and a shubunkin, the pond froze over solid with around 8 inches of ice covering it. With a very light fish load the ice melted and the fish are alive.

With the shelves it is easier to get out of the pond if you fall in lol, ow it is very difficult to extract your body.

Keep up with the great plans and post any questions, you will have a great project at the end.