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I was just wondering what other folks think about the expression; every ponder wishes they'd gone larger!
Have fun!
Have fun!
They say size doesn't matter...
- Thread starter brokensword
- Start date
When we built our first pond, after having had indoor tanks for so long, we thought 1,200gls was huge and we were certain we did not need it any larger. ...but then I learned about koi!
I learned that koi have names that determine their color and traits, and I wanted more than my 1,200gls could host, and so we took down a shelf, and enlarged the bottom to get an extra 300-500gls, which in terms of fish tanks seemed a lot, but we soon realized it still wasn't enough...so we hired "professionals" (biggest mistake of our lives) and decided on a complete redo.
The pond sits in between two staircases, so the space is limited.
We ended up with a 3,800gl pond and at first when we look at it, it looked like a small lake, the fish had a lot more room and we were happy
...and then the fish started growing and the small lake didn't look so big anymore...we couldn't add on so we decided to get rid of part of the deck in the backyard and build a second pond.
You'd think that after redoing the first pond three times, that we'd have learned a lesson and built it right, but no, as we were digging we thought it was going to turn out much larger...we had to keep it narrow enough so that we could cover it with the same mesh we have on the other pond but I wish we had made it bigger.
It turned out to be 5400gl ....we're adding a bog in Spring, that should add around 1000gl (if hubby figured right) but even then I wish my 12 babies had more room
I learned that koi have names that determine their color and traits, and I wanted more than my 1,200gls could host, and so we took down a shelf, and enlarged the bottom to get an extra 300-500gls, which in terms of fish tanks seemed a lot, but we soon realized it still wasn't enough...so we hired "professionals" (biggest mistake of our lives) and decided on a complete redo.
The pond sits in between two staircases, so the space is limited.
We ended up with a 3,800gl pond and at first when we look at it, it looked like a small lake, the fish had a lot more room and we were happy
...and then the fish started growing and the small lake didn't look so big anymore...we couldn't add on so we decided to get rid of part of the deck in the backyard and build a second pond.
You'd think that after redoing the first pond three times, that we'd have learned a lesson and built it right, but no, as we were digging we thought it was going to turn out much larger...we had to keep it narrow enough so that we could cover it with the same mesh we have on the other pond but I wish we had made it bigger.
It turned out to be 5400gl ....we're adding a bog in Spring, that should add around 1000gl (if hubby figured right) but even then I wish my 12 babies had more room
We built the biggest pond our yard could contain... now I'd need a bigger yard if I wanted a bigger pond! (Wonder if my neighbors would consider a land-lease deal...)
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Hubby keeps telling me to build another pond, I keep saying NO! 10 ponds is enough. Zero desire to build any more. What I have runs itself with a tiny bit of help from me.
TheFishGuy
( Insert something funny )
I would love to blame my koi, they bought themselves, put themselves in my tiny pond a couple years ago, and made me dig it larger.
it's all their fault.
it's all their fault.
You have 10 ponds?
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lol yep from large to smallish. The two on the deck are small, no clue on gallons, 200 more or less, stream ponds, two about 200ish gallons, then the 1000, 300 and two loop ponds who knows how big, I dug them deeper and bigger when I replaced two big preforms with liners. And the main pond, guessing 9000-10000 gallons, guessing lol.
They all have fish now and then, the deck ponds only if eggs make it up there, but frogs and tads. Stream ponds probably never have fish. I don't think. The loop ponds get fish when eggs fry make it there, I just spotted a few swimming around. The big pond and the 1000 gallon pond have fish.
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I used up all the space I could spare in the one area that won’t flood, between tree roots, dog area, pipes, etc. I might be able to go bigger later, but still have to finish the liner for this!
Your place sounds lovely! Do you ever host "Garden Tours"?
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lol no, my yard gardens are not groomed like a lot of peoples are, more of a wild look. But perfect for the deer that bed in the plants, the ground hogs the squirrels the bees the bugs, etc! I found bedding spots for the adult deer on the bogs wall, bedding spots for the babies in the plants around the ponds.
I love the categories!!!! I am in an interesting situation right now. I have my small front yard pond and love it. Getting in to scuba-dive for acorns was not fun and I am not a kid anymore. I'm at the age where I'm looking to the future and thinking about maintenance. I can do it now, but ten years from now? 
In the meantime, I have a second pond in the works but on hold. There is a large excavation in the backyard - all done! I have all my equipment ready and waiting - liner, pumps, piping, underlay, pump vault, aquablocks... all that. I've been waiting for the money fairy to drop $1500 on me (for rocks,) but she hasn't been by. (Pandemic pay cut and two kids in college.) I'm fine to wait a while if it means building the pond I have envisioned. HOWEVER -- the longer I'm on hold, the more I am feeling my age and limitations. I'm 54 but I have the body of a 70 year old. There is a big part of me that thinks I should fill in the hole, sell the equipment, and just plant a garden. It might be time to consider doing things for less maintenance and not more. (I'll give the money fairy another year, though. I really don't want to fill in that hole.)
In the meantime, I have a second pond in the works but on hold. There is a large excavation in the backyard - all done! I have all my equipment ready and waiting - liner, pumps, piping, underlay, pump vault, aquablocks... all that. I've been waiting for the money fairy to drop $1500 on me (for rocks,) but she hasn't been by. (Pandemic pay cut and two kids in college.) I'm fine to wait a while if it means building the pond I have envisioned. HOWEVER -- the longer I'm on hold, the more I am feeling my age and limitations. I'm 54 but I have the body of a 70 year old. There is a big part of me that thinks I should fill in the hole, sell the equipment, and just plant a garden. It might be time to consider doing things for less maintenance and not more. (I'll give the money fairy another year, though. I really don't want to fill in that hole.)
NOOOOOO! I find that my pond is LESS maintenance than any of my garden spaces. And certainly less than when we had nothing but grass in the backyard that had to be mowed once or twice a week.
Here's two things I think about:
1. The best way to keep yourself young is to keep moving. More exercise, more movement, more work - not less. When I first get started in the yard in spring, I am sore and tired and can really feel how out of shape I am. Once I've been at it for a few days I start to feel like myself again. Plus the fresh air and sunshine is so revitalizing and healthy - especially for us in the north who have to survive a long, cold, dark winter!
2. For the things that are just beyond me, I hire help. Paying for a few hours of help so I can enjoy my gardens and pond is well worth it to me, and that will be especially true in my old age. We hired a neighborhood teen to mow the lawn this year. I am more than capable of doing it myself, but the hour a week that I WASN'T behind the lawn mower was so worth it. Plus he got some work experience and made some pocket money. I consider that a win-win!
Here's two things I think about:
1. The best way to keep yourself young is to keep moving. More exercise, more movement, more work - not less. When I first get started in the yard in spring, I am sore and tired and can really feel how out of shape I am. Once I've been at it for a few days I start to feel like myself again. Plus the fresh air and sunshine is so revitalizing and healthy - especially for us in the north who have to survive a long, cold, dark winter!
2. For the things that are just beyond me, I hire help. Paying for a few hours of help so I can enjoy my gardens and pond is well worth it to me, and that will be especially true in my old age. We hired a neighborhood teen to mow the lawn this year. I am more than capable of doing it myself, but the hour a week that I WASN'T behind the lawn mower was so worth it. Plus he got some work experience and made some pocket money. I consider that a win-win!
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some great stories so far! Keep 'em coming!
I'll add mine;
I started out housing 2 painted turtles in a 40 gal aquarium in the house. As they got larger and needed more frequent water changes (filter wasn't working per my setup) I started thinking they needed a larger place to play. I got a 12" (ht) x 6" kiddie pool and put them out on the driveway for the summer. That's when the idea of making my own pond started to take shape. So, you could say 'the turtles made me do it!'
By August I had the first version dug and the screen walls+roof done, giving me a pond at nearly 2400 gallons. I still shake my head when I see my original finished pond pics--can't believe how time has changed so much!
So, I was in the 'happy' zone for 7 years, starting off at dividing the original pond into a turtle section and a fish section, because at the time, I worried the turtles would eat the goldfish. Soon found out it wasn't fish proof and ended up having fry on the turtle side, which of course soon grew into full fledged gf. I abandoned the divider netting the next summer and figured I'd see how everyone got along. Didn't take long before I had about a hundred fish. Luckily, even the smallish bog I'd set up worked to keep everyone alive.
Then in year 8 I discovered goldfish didn't come in as many patterns/colors as koi so...
took a chance and got 4 small tosai. By summer's end, the largest was about 12", which I found dead the next spring. Bitten by the koi bug, I got 5 more, you know, just because I lost 1. They were small but I knew I needed to make some sort of change if I was going to keep this up. And of course, there wasn't going to be any rehoming, nah, they were like my kids now and well, I DID need an excuse to enhance the place, didn't I?
Last year then, I did the addition which I linked to the original and now, have one half of a pond at about 44" depth while the new portion sits at 5'. I went from one waterfall to two, went from one small 4x4 bog to one over 20' x 3' x 3' and this past summer, added another 12 tosai, just to justify the extra 4600 gallons.
So, who can blame me for encouraging others now to enlarge their own pond? It just seems so, so...natural! Moral of this story? Don't get into turtles...
I'll add mine;
I started out housing 2 painted turtles in a 40 gal aquarium in the house. As they got larger and needed more frequent water changes (filter wasn't working per my setup) I started thinking they needed a larger place to play. I got a 12" (ht) x 6" kiddie pool and put them out on the driveway for the summer. That's when the idea of making my own pond started to take shape. So, you could say 'the turtles made me do it!'
By August I had the first version dug and the screen walls+roof done, giving me a pond at nearly 2400 gallons. I still shake my head when I see my original finished pond pics--can't believe how time has changed so much!
So, I was in the 'happy' zone for 7 years, starting off at dividing the original pond into a turtle section and a fish section, because at the time, I worried the turtles would eat the goldfish. Soon found out it wasn't fish proof and ended up having fry on the turtle side, which of course soon grew into full fledged gf. I abandoned the divider netting the next summer and figured I'd see how everyone got along. Didn't take long before I had about a hundred fish. Luckily, even the smallish bog I'd set up worked to keep everyone alive.
Then in year 8 I discovered goldfish didn't come in as many patterns/colors as koi so...
took a chance and got 4 small tosai. By summer's end, the largest was about 12", which I found dead the next spring. Bitten by the koi bug, I got 5 more, you know, just because I lost 1. They were small but I knew I needed to make some sort of change if I was going to keep this up. And of course, there wasn't going to be any rehoming, nah, they were like my kids now and well, I DID need an excuse to enhance the place, didn't I?
Last year then, I did the addition which I linked to the original and now, have one half of a pond at about 44" depth while the new portion sits at 5'. I went from one waterfall to two, went from one small 4x4 bog to one over 20' x 3' x 3' and this past summer, added another 12 tosai, just to justify the extra 4600 gallons.
So, who can blame me for encouraging others now to enlarge their own pond? It just seems so, so...natural! Moral of this story? Don't get into turtles...
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My ponds are a LOT LESS WORK then the yard. Basically hardly any work.
I even hired a kid to help me get the old apple trees, dead maple tree, bushes etc cut down to a more reasonable size. The pond nope don't need help.
I enjoy mowing, down to about 1.5 hours to do the grass that is left, zero turn, hubby has never driven it. We have almost 4 acres some is our woods some is now plants wild flowers, ponds etc.
I even hired a kid to help me get the old apple trees, dead maple tree, bushes etc cut down to a more reasonable size. The pond nope don't need help.
I enjoy mowing, down to about 1.5 hours to do the grass that is left, zero turn, hubby has never driven it. We have almost 4 acres some is our woods some is now plants wild flowers, ponds etc.