How did everyone get started with ponds?

[sissy]

How big is your pond?

pond is now 5000 gallons + depends on where the water level is and I also have a small pond at the top and a lily pond

 

[Angie1966]

As a child my parents decided to open a "pet" shop which was connected to our home... Mostly fresh water aquarium fish, small birds, a rare gerbil or hamster, dog food, and sled dog harnesses. My dad put in a concrete pond to spruce up the entry way to the shop (our back yard). We had comet goldfish in it for a season or two, and then one year someone got the idea to get a couple mallard ducklings! I'll never forget constantly cleaning up after ducks!!! I also worked in the pet trade in my adult life, so naturally I kept aquariums on and off, and water features wherever opportunity presented itself. Now that we've built what we think will be our retirement home, we put in a small pond, and then went bigger with a 2,000+ gallon pond that we love!

Thank you for sharing your story and creating an interesting thread! Love reading people's stories.

Thanks for your story and for your kind words!.
it’s very interesting how everyone started out isn’t it

 

[Angie1966]

pond is now 5000 gallons + depends on where the water level is and I also have a small pond at the top and a lily pond

Wow that’s big.

 

[Angie1966]

Funny it all started for a Bullfrog. We had a small preformed plastic pond in the yard in a garden area that was already when we bought the house. Some time went bye and we noticed a bullfrog in this green nasty pit of water on a few different occasions. So we said lets give the frog a little better place to live. I took that out and built a 7x9 ft pond and yes the frog moved in. We loved it so much I took that out a year later and built the 18ft x 26ft pond we have now. It is the best thing we have done for the wildlife.

This is the first one I built.

View attachment 116219

That’s a lovely story

 

[Angie1966]

My first pond... well, I've always loved water, mud, frogs, fish, salamanders, etc. An old couple (late 80s) across the street, had a concrete goldfish pond that I visited, with permission, and helped around it. When they moved to a simpler living style, they offered the goldfish, just 3 or 4 to me. I must have been about 10 at the time. Mom was a biology major, so encouraged my plan. We got a concrete double washtub and with dad's help, sunk it in the ground, after a really careful cleaning. Filled, with a few plants from their pond, we let it sit for a week, then moved the fish in. They did fine for a year, then some local teenage trouble makers decided to come in while we were gone and pour oil on the pond. We came home to very dead fish. The to boys were caught and slapped on the wrist. Oh well.

I moved to aquariums for a few years, then back to ponds.

Poor fish..... that’s so sad

 

[Mmathis]

Could be the fact that it's the only GinRin (sparkly) koi to have triggered her curiosity

I like “sparkly,” so certainly can identify!

 

[Mmathis]

@RobAmy Turtles (me) and frogs (you)....I love it! And my turtles have absolutely no clue what has been done for their well-being. Aren’t we (humans) strange creatures!

 

[bagsmom]

When I was little (probably 7 or 8) my Dad took us to a plant nursery. He is a big gardener! I don't remember the name of it, but the place had plants, plants, and more plants! Also little baby chicks and ducklings. AND A POND WITH GOLDFISH! That started my love of ponds. I made do with aquarium fish in my twenties, when I had an apartment. Building a pond is expensive, so the pond dream was on the back burner for many years. Finally in my mid-40s, I decided my goal would be to save enough money to build my own pond for my 50th birthday present. I did it!!!!!!!! It was super fun! It's a good thing I don't have any more money. I'd probably hurt myself trying to dig and move rocks to build another (BIGGER) one! Welcome to the group!

 

[Angie1966]

When I was little (probably 7 or 8) my Dad took us to a plant nursery. He is a big gardener! I don't remember the name of it, but the place had plants, plants, and more plants! Also little baby chicks and ducklings. AND A POND WITH GOLDFISH! That started my love of ponds. I made do with aquarium fish in my twenties, when I had an apartment. Building a pond is expensive, so the pond dream was on the back burner for many years. Finally in my mid-40s, I decided my goal would be to save enough money to build my own pond for my 50th birthday present. I did it!!!!!!!! It was super fun! It's a good thing I don't have any more money. I'd probably hurt myself trying to dig and move rocks to build another (BIGGER) one! Welcome to the group!

Thanks for adding your story, and thanks for the welcome : )

 

[Joshaeus]

I read an article mentioning many fish breed better in water gardens, so...I set up water gardens

 

[sissy]

I have a white fish that I can tell now is part fantail part fancy tail and has one pinkish orange dot on his head .I will have to get my bigger net out and get a pic of him or her

 

[Tara]

Well I always enjoyed wildlife, I also grew up rural so childhood was spent in streams and Brooks in the summer months catching insects, frogs etc. My father has been a huge influence on my love of outdoors, sometimes after work he would come home with fish or animals for us to look at, one of my fondest memory is of an eel he came home with. He put it the bath tub for all of us to look at. It bit my sister's sleeve, and made my mother crazy that he had it in the bathroom. He took it back to the river the next day. I always wanted my own pond, so this year I took the shovel, and just started digging, better late than never, stopped digging when I felt it was big enough. I'm glad I did as it has changed the whole atmosphere of my garden for the better, it's a win for me, my family and nature

 

[Angie1966]

Well I always enjoyed wildlife, I also grew up rural so childhood was spent in streams and Brooks in the summer months catching insects, frogs etc. My father has been a huge influence on my love of outdoors, sometimes after work he would come home with fish or animals for us to look at, one of my fondest memory is of an eel he came home with. He put it the bath tub for all of us to look at. It bit my sister's sleeve, and made my mother crazy that he had it in the bathroom. He took it back to the river the next day. I always wanted my own pond, so this year I took the shovel, and just started digging, better late than never, stopped digging when I felt it was big enough. I'm glad I did as it has changed the whole atmosphere of my garden for the better, it's a win for me, my family and nature

Amazing story thanks for sharing : )

 

[GBBUDD]

I had a unusual planted fish tank that was my pride and joy but over the years of traveling it faded. I broke it down and while I was working on a 10 year old honey due list I came across this video while looking for water features in the garden and got hooked. 3 bogs and two ponds 12,000 gallons latter I have my pond . heres the hook

 

[Angie1966]

Lovely story
Wow to the video : )