Want to make pond with my waterfall

[savet0night]

Hi,

I have a waterfall with a pit. I want to put fish in the pit and I was hoping I could get some help/suggestions as to what I would need. I'm looking for a low-maintenance solution. I'm completely new and have a couple of concerns: 1) Would rain water have any effect on the pond? 2) If I turn on the waterfall would it disturb the fish in the pond?

I've attached some pictures for reference. Any help to get me started would be great, thanks!

 

[koiguy1969]

that looks like a pond for fish to me ... i might suggest draining, and cleaning it and painting the inside walls with black pond paint...preferrably epoxy....you will need a filter setup (best between your pump and falls) to keep fish. your waterfall with a filter will be an asset to the pond and THE FISH WILL LOVE IT! waterfalls are an excellant way to oxygenate and circulate the ponds water volume.

 

[savet0night]

that looks like a pond for fish to me ... i might suggest draining, and cleaning it and painting the inside walls with black pond paint...preferrably epoxy....you will need a filter setup (best between your pump and falls) to keep fish. your waterfall with a filter will be an asset to the pond and THE FISH WILL LOVE IT! waterfalls are an excellant way to oxygenate and circulate the ponds water volume.

Thanks for your response! Question about the filter setup you mentioned - Would I have to keep the waterfall constantly running in order for the filter to do its job?

 

[addy1]

You would if you have it all in line, or you could have it set up to a) go to the filter or B) go to the waterfall. So if you want to turn off the waterfall you could swap to just having the water go into the pond.

Most leave their filters running all the time.

 

[savet0night]

Ah, gotcha, thanks. What type of fish would you recommend? As you can see, the pond isn't terribly big. Would koi be out of the question?

 

[j.w]

Gosh it doesn't look big enough for Koi. I'd stick w/ goldfish if it were me. There are all kinds of pretty goldfish out there. Some w/ the long flowing tails or Shubunkins (calico colored) etc. They are much cheaper than the Koi also and goldfish can get quite large also [ame]

[ame]

 

[addy1]

I would stick with goldies also, that is what I will have in my pond. They are not as touchy as koi, more forgiving.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

So what size is that pond, actually? It's hard to tell for certain from the picture, but it helps us to help you if we know what you're working with (including the depth). Do you know what size pump you have running the waterfall (in gph)? Also, if you can tell us what are you're located in, we can fill you in on any problems you may have in the Winter.

It's definitely good to try and run the waterfall all year. In the Winter, you don't have plants adding oxygen to the water, so the waterfall becomes essential to your fish's health. Although the splashing will contribute to faster evaporation, I think a waterfall is a great addition to any pond containing live fish, plus it's such a great sound when you're sitting outside in the evenings.

 

[j.w]

But if you live where it gets cold in the winter w/ ice on your pond won't the constant flowing of the waterfall disturb the water underneath and chill the fish? Mine doesn't just trickle down.........it falls hard and really disturbs the water. That was why I turned mine off in the winter. Maybe if one just had a falls that was minimum it would be better B)

 

[savet0night]

I live in the Bay Area, CA so freezing isn't an issue. It was 75 degrees this past weekend B)

My waterfall does also fall pretty hard instead of trickling.

@Shdwdrgn: I'll get measurements and pump info this afternoon.

Thanks for all the input everyone

 

[savet0night]

OK here is the information requested:

approximate dimensions:
length - 8 ft
width - 6.5ft
depth - 26 inches from base to tip

here is the link to the pump i have:
http://www.beckettpumps.com/retail/product.php?productid=10018&cat=271&page=1

 

[addy1]

So around 750 gallons, a great size for a water garden with goldies.

Looks like that pump will do well for you.

 

[savet0night]

Awesome. What filter would go well with that?

 

[CometKeith]

Savet0night, When you get goldies start with just a couple small fish and feed them very little until your new pond cycles. You can look up how to cycle a pond on old forum discussions. Basically your pond will need to build up good bacteria that will breakdown their waste. This is besides what the pump and filter are doing. Good luck with your pond!

 

[addy1]

Awesome. What filter would go well with that?

check the DIY section, there are a lot of posts on building different filters. check the skippy or doc filter builds.