- How Long Will Building a Fishpond Take?
If you’re planning to build your own fishpond, the answer will largely depend on how big it’s going to be, how much help you have for the construction, and how much experience you have. For a beginner, who’s spent a decent amount of time researching the process and who already has all the materials on hand, the project could be finished in a single weekend of concerted effort. It helps to have friends to help with the digging, or a buddy who’s experienced with a Bobcat, and it helps to avoid a location with tree roots. Make sure you’ve reviewed plenty of information, including how-to videos, about liner installation and setting up your pumps and other equipment.
- How Much Will It Cost to Build a Fishpond?
As with everything else in life, the cost of installing a fishpond depends on how much work you’re willing to do yourself, how big it’s going to be, and what kinds of extras you want to include. Kits for very small ponds are sometimes offered at an attractive price, especially towards the end of the season - as are rigid pre-formed pond liners. You may be able to establish a small goldfish pond for less than $1000 if you shop carefully and do the installation yourself. Materials for a larger no-frills DIY project could range from $2,000 to $5,000 and go up from there, depending on upgrades like underwater lights, decorative flagstone edging, as well as pond residents like koi and aquatic plants.
If you’re looking for a large showpiece koi pond that wraps around your deck, features a fanciful bridge over a stream, and connects your pond to a rushing waterfall, and you (wisely) choose to have it professionally installed, well, the sky's the limit.
- Can I Build a Fishpond Myself?
Many backyard fishpond enthusiasts prefer to design and build their own vision of the perfect private oasis, and it is absolutely possible for you to do so too. There are kits available online, in pond specialty stores, and even in large home-improvement stores that can get you started with most basic equipment. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet, so to speak, you’ll be ready to tackle challenges like larger ponds, elegant decking, meandering streams and waterfalls, unique fountains, and fanciful styles. As you gain experience, you’ll feel more confident choosing your own pumps, filters, and liner types, and once you’re piecing together your own design, instead of working out of a kit, a whole realm of possibilities opens up.
- Where Should I Build My Fishpond?
You can build a decorative fishpond in your front yard or your backyard, you can place a small rain barrel fishpond on your deck or hide a lovely oasis behind a screen of trees in the backyard. In practical terms, consider first where you will get the most enjoyment from the pond. If you rarely step off your deck, building a hidden oasis might sound like it will tempt you to venture out more often, but if it doesn’t, you’ll have wasted money on a disappointment. Maybe starting with a few barrels by the deck is a good idea - they can easily be relocated further into the yard later until you’re ready to make the big commitment.
Once you know what your goal is, consider the site. Is it on flat ground? Ponds don’t mix easily with hillsides. Are there trees nearby? Roots make ponds difficult to dig and fallen leaves and twigs must be cleaned out daily. Is it in full sun? That can be beautiful but be aware that an abundance of sun can encourage algae overgrowth and you’ll need to manage that carefully. Have local utilities mark your yard for underground lines and stay away from those areas for the pond itself as well as for any connections to equipment.
- What Else Do I Need to Buy for my Pond Liner?
Aside from choosing, measuring, and ordering your pond’s liner, you need to make sure you order materials necessary for installation and for making small repairs, either now or in the future. These might include a seam kit for piecing together panels if your pond is large or irregularly shaped, and a patch kit for small holes or tears (not unlike a bicycle tube repair kit). These kits will typically include a cleaner/primer and scrubber pad for preparing the liner to accept adhesive, as well as a seam roller to ensure good adhesion and gloves for your protection. And don’t forget the underlayment!
- How long does an EPDM liner last?
Guarantees from retailers and potentially, installers, will differ, but a high-quality EPDM liner, that’s been correctly installed with good underlayment and protected from damage by tools and wayward branches, will often last for 30 years or more.
- What is the most eco-friendly pond liner?
In a report entitled “Building for the Future”, the international environmental agency, Greenpeace, placed EPDM membranes at the top of their rankings for low impact membranes. This ranking was based on EPDM’s environmental sustainability due to its extended lifespan and re-usability, as well as the fact that they’re 100% recyclable at the end of their lifecycle. In fact, non-toxic EPDM pond liners can be ground up and reused as terrain for children’s playgrounds and public spaces like swimming pools.
EPDM membranes contain no toxic substances, heavy metals, or aggressive softeners and are resistant to leaching as well. Not only is EPDM the healthiest option for the planet, but it’s also the choice for the financially savvy. Its long lifespan and durability mean that replacement costs are far less than the alternatives.
- What color pond liner is best?
Pond liners are usually available in blue or black, and sometimes even in white. While the ultimate choice is yours, we’ve found that black liners look the most natural in most pond setups and even give the illusion of greater depth. Decorative elements like stones, gravel, and plants show up nicely against a clean black background, where they might look out of place against an artificially intense blue. White pond liners look even more unnatural and even the first signs of algae growth are immediately evident.
- Should I put anything under my pond liner?
Most pond liners require some sort of underlayment to protect it from tree roots, protruding rocks, and other hazards. Even if a rock isn’t exceptionally sharp and a liner lays over it with little difficulty, once thousands of pounds of downward water pressure is sustained over decades, it’s not hard to imagine that the liner could become stressed with time and eventually tear or puncture.
All pond excavations should be carefully prepared, with rocks and tree roots removed, and the floor carefully leveled. There should be no voids or dips when the underlayment is placed. With a high-quality, nonwoven, geotextile underlayment, your pond liner will be prepared for many years of trouble-free service.
- Can you put a new pond liner over the old liner?
Of course, it can be very tempting to just lay a new liner directly over the top of the existing liner when it comes time to replace it. However, this isn’t a good idea for several reasons. First, If the old liner developed tears or holes from some friction point, the problem would continue to exist and could compromise the new liner. Worse, if the original pond liner has or develops any holes or cuts that are not at the lowest point, these holes provide an entry point for water to get between the layers. Water that has accumulated under the functional pond liner will cause the liner to lift up from the bottom, creating a difficult (and potentially expensive) problem to solve.
