Once your liner is fully installed and securely anchored, you’re ready to get back to normal. Start by installing whatever decorations or disguise you want for your pond liner (if any). A plain liner is easiest to clean, after all, but doesn’t have a particularly pleasing appearance. River rocks and rounded gravel have a more natural look and even can offer plenty of surfaces for beneficial bacteria to grow. Sand can be hard to work with simply because it gets sucked up into pond vacs during annual cleanings. Nonetheless, it can make a beautiful pond bed.
Whichever camouflage you’ve selected should be carefully placed to avoid damage. Next, it’s time to position your equipment and reinstall more extensive features like fountains, large decorative stones, etc. If you’ve used tap water to fill your pond so far, it’s a good idea to add some water conditioner to bind up any chloramine, heavy metals, or unsavory pollutants at this point. While that processes, start to add in plants, beginning with the deepest ones first and backing up to the shallowest. Place them gently on your new liner and weigh them down with pebbles in case they’re holding any air in their root systems and try to float.
Go ahead now and finish filling up your pond. Use the water you saved when you emptied the pond in the first place and then top it off with fresh water. Do a quick water test now and add more conditioner if you need to. Once it’s stable, start adding your fish back in, a few at a time. If they seem happy and you’re not detecting any problems, bring all of them back steadily, along with their water.
That’s it! It’s been a busy day or two, but you’ve done a great job. Your pond is watertight and may even have a few more features to show off! It’s time to kick back, enjoy a cold beverage and take in the view.
