How to start building a pond?

[Lisak1]

You can indeed naturalize any plant in your pond, as long as it's hardy to your zone. You just need to be creative about where you plant it and make sure you are meeting the requirements for the plant - in other words, plant it at the depth is likes to grow. All of my plants (with the exception of waterlilies) are naturalized in the pond.

I'll say it again - avoid sand. Plants will grow just fine in gravel, or even just water. They just need to be anchored until they get established.

 

[Mmathis]

@Huy Truong Pretty much what @Lisak1 said. When you talk about plants, be aware that some plants like to have their roots in water, but their crowns above water level. What this means is that you’re going to either need shelves built into your pond or are going to have to put something in the pond for the potted plants to sit on. All of my plants (except lilies) are naturalized into the rocks that I have on my shelves — I don’t have shelf room for potted plants. My oxygenators are more-or-less naturalized on the bottom....just in the gunk that collects down there.

So, maybe do a little more research (as you did with your equipment list) and start planning now for the plants you’ll want.

Oh, and we’re still waiting for some pictures of your planned area for this pond. Pictures help us visualize and understand better what you are talking about.

 

[Huy Truong]

I'll get the pictures as soon as possible, but I've researched a bunch of native plants and how many I need, so now I am back on filtration. I really want the pond water to be clear, and I saw something called an undergravel filtration system. I really like how it looks but a lot of people criticize it, but that PondDigger guy everyone showed me praises it. I really want to use so I can have a gravel bottom, and by looking at the cons, most say it can be fixed by converting it to an upflow system. I however could not find any instructions on how to build one, and more specifically the materials required. How do you get the air to push the debris upwards. I am thinking of adding the skimmer so that the undergravel filter pushes debris up and it can be caught in the skimmer or pump and circulated through mechanical filtration to the waterfall filter. Is it possible to use all of these in conjunction? I really want the undergravel suction grid because I like its structure and how it looks, but I want to make sure everything is safe and efficient, as well as learning where to get the air for the grid. Thanks.

 

[Mmathis]

You might be thinking of a bog. Have you researched bog filtration? We have a topic on that.

 

[Lisak1]

The Ponddigger does build pond with undergravel filtration. I've been curious about it myself. My understanding is it's not air that's pushed through the grid, but rather water. The constant upflow of water is what theoretically keeps the debris from settling on the bottom. One downside I can see is I don't know that you'd want to walk in a pond with an undergravel system, but that's just my brain talking. Not sure if that's an actual issue. And a skimmer is exactly that - it "skims" debris BEFORE it gets to the bottom, which should be your goal. You don't want debris sinking if possible. Any debris that hits the bottom would probably need to be scooped out. Wet debris would just keep sinking, in my opinion. But again - just me thinking through a system like you're describing.

Anyway, water can be clear without going to such extremes. Research bog filtration. The easiest way to have a pond full of clear water if you ask me.

 

[Lisak1]

but I've researched a bunch of native plants and how many I need

How did you figure out how many you need? I'm curious where one could find that information.

 

[Huy Truong]

http://www.bonniesplants.com/how_many_plants.html
I was looking at this.

 

[Lisak1]

Thanks! I've never seen a chart like that before!

So they don't include marginal plants - that's the part I was curious about. Unless they mean marginals when they say "bog plants".

 

[Mmathis]

http://www.bonniesplants.com/how_many_plants.html
I was looking at this.

Oh. Well, be sure to do your research, because you have specifically mentioned “native plants.” A lot of pond-oriented plants aren’t considered “native,” but are in fact invasive species. Don’t you live in TX? Be sure to check the “invasive species” status because there are many plants that can’t be shipped to TX. I’m in LA, and we can’t get many plants here at all.

 

[Huy Truong]

I know, I just look at the categories and find plants native to my area. Also, I believe the marginal plants are included with the bog plants which you can find out if you click on the titles. It shows some of those plants, but they typically aren't native so I just look at the categories.

 

[Huy Truong]

Okay, so I've mostly researched plants, planned filtration and all that (I will get the photo ASAP I keep forgetting that sorry.) One more thing I'm confused on is how to edge the pond. I was thinking flagstone, but then I heard that would be easier for predators to get in, so I'm looking for alternatives. Are boulders a good alternative, and how many tons would I need? I assume you just plant them around the pond, but I also saw that you need to partially submerge them in the water to naturalize the edge and make it more difficult for predators. I'm looking for boulders, and most of the ones I find are granite, which is really heavy, so sometimes you get one boulder for the cost of the whole ton. I still need to check other rock places, but does Texas Moss Boulders work as well? They are made of sandstone so I was worried about erosion, but it is substantially cheaper than the other options available to me.

 

[EricV]

This calculator is useful for building a pond with boulders: https://support.aquascapeinc.com/hc/en-us/articles/201299880-How-much-rock-should-I-use-in-my-pond- I decreased that somewhat because I was not going to line the entire pond in boulders, just the edges.

The 1:2:1 ratio of sizes is nice to get something that's aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Lisak1]

You can use other types of rock, but as you mentioned sandstone may not be a good choice as they can be soft.

A ton is a ton. You aren't going to be using any single rock in your pond that weighs 2000 lbs all on it's own unless you plan to have some heavy equipment to move it. Most granite boulders are known as 2 or 3 man (or in my case wo-man!) boulders - meaning two or three people can lift them together by hand. We used scrap pieces of liner to make slings to carry rocks - they are much easier to lift and set if you have "handles". We also used a device called a pot lifter, which worked great. Designed to lift heavy potted plants but worked great for mid-sized boulders.

Flagstone is fine for edging a pond, but you get a very different look than you would with a boulder edge. Much more formal and the fitting is more precise. With boulders you have lots of room to play around and add plants between the rocks, etc. You do want your rock edge to be about 1/3 below the water for a nicer look. And believe me - flagstone or boulder edging won't matter if something wants to get in your pond - nature has ways of overcoming almost every obstacle.

That link @EricV shared is invaluable - Aquascape has the pond building formula down to a science. You won't go wrong by following their lead.

 

[djconroy]

Rather than a submersible pump at the bottom, I would second the recommendation of a skimmer box with the pump located there. It puts the pump in a much more serviceable location, and provides additional layer of filtration. I have found it a pain to have to service a pump in the middle of summer at the bottom of a pond.. especially if the plumbing to that pump is as stiff as 2" flex PVC is. Corrugated hose is easier to deal with but way less durable.

After ponding for 15 years and currently planning my 3rd pond, I have learned from my own mistakes. The Ponddigger videos are a great resource! Wish I'd had them 10 years ago.

 

[Mmathis]

Rather than a submersible pump at the bottom, I would second the recommendation of a skimmer box with the pump located there. It puts the pump in a much more serviceable location, and provides additional layer of filtration. I have found it a pain to have to service a pump in the middle of summer at the bottom of a pond.. especially if the plumbing to that pump is as stiff as 2" flex PVC is. Corrugated hose is easier to deal with but way less durable.

After ponding for 15 years and currently planning my 3rd pond, I have learned from my own mistakes. The Ponddigger videos are a great resource! Wish I'd had them 10 years ago.

Hey, djconroy! Welcome! Why not go over to the introductions topic and let us know something about yourself! Fifteen years of experience and 2+ ponds sounds great!