Pond needs

What do I need to know before making a pond?

I have a 15 gallon tank with 5 fish and they are all really small.  I know for a fact they are going to get really big so I was thinking about making a pound in out yard in a spot where there are no power or water lines and keeping the big fish out there and raising the smaller ones inside until they get big enough to go in the pond.  Keep in mind i'm only gonna make it 10ft long 7ft wide and the deepest part about 9ft.

Do you have any tips on a pond?

Answer:

First of all, you don't need a pond 9' deep. Depending on where you live, 18" to 3 feet is usually deep enough. Your frost line (You can find out how deep your frost line is by calling your county extension service), determines how deep your pond needs to be. You will want to dig deeper than yours is.

To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Koi question

I live in miami fl. im building a 175 gal waterfall pond but can go only 20 inches deep. I have morning shade?
Question: I am concerned about the temp for goldfish or koi in summer. I have a concrete pond I bought as a foundation. It's only 45 inches round and 8 in deep, so I plan on dropping it under ground 1 foot and adding 1 foot around the circumference. This should take its original size of 65 gallons and add about 100 gallons more making it about 165 total make any sense got any ideas?





Answer: Your fish will be fine at 20". I would stick to goldfish rather than koi, tho, because koi need at least 3' of water depth. Cover 60% of the top of the pond with floating vegetation and put in one bunch of submerged vegetation per square foot.


To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

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Overwintering your pond

I am often asked whether plants and fish can live in the pond throughout the winter.
The biggest influence on overwintering the pond is your freeze line and the depth of your pond.

Your county extension agent will know your freeze line. If you don't use your county extension office for information office for info, start doing so. They are a valuable resource.

Your pond must be deeper than your freeze line.

I do not know your freeze line, I live in New Orleans where we don't have a freeze line.

Pond Depth

Dear Pond Lady,
We live in Pennsylvania and it does get pretty cold here in the winter. We are planning to build our first lily pond this summer, and haven't a clue. The info we've gotten from you, so far is the best of any we've seen.

Pondlady sez:
In the South, we recommend that the pond be 18” deep. This depth is ideal for plants and fish. In the north, the pond must be deeper because your weather is colder and the pond can freeze solid. Your pond's deepest point should be below the frost line. That the depth where the ground freezes solid in the winter, and therefore, so does your pond.
I always recommend that you get in touch with your local extension service, university, or aquaculture organization to find out the optimum depth in your area.