A rigid pond liner does more than just limit your options for depth. Thanks to their one-piece design, these preformed liners are only available in a limited size range. It’s possible to order custom fiberglass liners, that are fabricated much larger than the standard retail designs, but this isn’t a very practical option for lining a pond. Installing a pond that’s only a few hundred gallons, greatly limits your options for use and increases maintenance and filtration requirements to keep the water clear. Even for the tiniest ponds, of just a few dozen gallons, flexible pond liners make more sense than rigid preformed ones.
Common Sizes
The majority of preformed rigid liners top out with a maximum volume of anywhere from 40 to 400 gallons. It’s rare to find a rigid liner that can accommodate more than a few hundred gallons, because they become too heavy and difficult to transport at that point. Some custom fiberglass liners have been cast to hold a few thousand gallons, but the shipping costs and special equipment required for handling make it less than ideal. Ponds with a three to four-hundred-gallon capacity are barely large enough for a pair of koi and some plants. So, most pond owners will need flexible liners instead. You can build any size, shape, depth, and layout you like when using a flexible liner like AquaArmor. Whether you’re measuring the surface area of your future pond in square feet or acres, the same kind of liner will work effectively.
Sizing the Pond
Start with a list of your preferred uses to narrow down the finished size of the pond. If you’re going to use it as a source of irrigation water for fields or greenhouses, calculate how much water you need on a daily basis, and compare it to the monthly rainfall rates to determine a proper volume. For decorative ponds, let the plants or fish you desire guide your total volume and depth. Recreational ponds are often laid out by total surface area, so there’s enough space for gathering speed and making wide turns with jet-skis, boats, and other water sports equipment.
Fish and Plant Growth
Don’t size your pond around the initial number of plants and fish you plan to add in the beginning. Consider how fish grow and multiply over the years, along with plant and weed growth. A koi that starts out 2 inches long may only need 100 gallons of water, but it will double in size within a few years of steady feeding. Some fish can double in size in a month when fed the right foods. Calculate pond sizes based on the mature and maximum sizes of the plants and fish. With this in mind, you’ll likely find that no preformed liners are large enough to accommodate their growth.
Farm and Commercial Ponds
Ponds designed for commercial fish farming and agricultural irrigation are typically described by acreage and not by square feet. This makes it highly unlikely you’ll find a preformed liner big enough for your purposes. Box-welded liners made from flexible materials are usually available in these larger sizes, but they limit your options for shape and depth. For a fish rearing pond, or livestock drinking station that can handle foot traffic, use a flexible liner to fit to the pond on site.
Adequate Surface Area
Pond size isn’t just a question of total volume and depth. Surface area also plays an important role in ponds designed for evaporation or fish rearing. While fish do need a certain depth of water to maintain their preferred temperature and oxygen level, most species also need to come to the surface regularly to feed and even breathe. A very deep pond, with too little surface area, isn’t a great design either. Since the water at the bottom isn’t exposed to enough air, its oxygenation levels can be too low.
Don’t let the small sizes of most preformed liners make you think that a big backyard pond is beyond your reach. Whether you want just a few hundred gallons or multiple acres of open water, BTL Liners has the products you need.
