# Making A Pond???



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

K i have a VERY dead garden space and im thinking of making another pond for some more koi's I already have one pond but it is a plastic bought one that has rocks at bottom and all i did was dig a hole. CAn i make my own underground pond without buying a plastic one. like digging the hole putting plastic sheet and just fix it up to look like a pond.


----------



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

oops i put this in wrong subject.


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Yes, you did, now that we have a Ponds forum. However, in response to your question, yes, making ponds that way is very commonly done.


----------



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

k so i just dig it up smoot the hole sides put a thick platic bag like layer put rocks on bottom and fixe it up with decorations.


----------



## margo (May 21, 2005)

I love this thread! 

I think that's an exciting project, Wolf. I have a little concrete pond but I didn't build it. It was here when we bought the house. I've always wanted to just dig a hole and fill it with concrete.


----------



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

lol ok thnx. Im going to try it and if i think that it is suitable i will release some kois and other fish, but i will need to make another cage like my last one to keep out the cranes and cats.


----------



## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

remember that sometimes roots or rocks can penetrate your plastic... I would highly recomend putting a few inches of sand down before putting the plastic down


----------



## cameraman_2 (Mar 28, 2005)

I'm in the process of digging my hole and I am going to use concrete. I've heard it is easier to repair and cheaper than the size of plastic that I will need.


----------



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

wouldint it be easy if u just get a hard plastic kiddie pool it would be cheaper and mae the rest topside.


----------



## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

ok, you dig a hole the size and shape you want. then you get the thick black pond liner and the padding that goes under it so that rocks don't punch holes in the liner. you lay the liner over the hole and start fitting it to the sides. then i like to start filling it with water as the weight of the water presses the liner to the sides of the hole. you might have to fold and pleat the liner so it lays nice and flat around the sides of the pond. then you lay rocks around the edge to keep the liner in place and hide the top of the liner. add pump and filter and plants and you've got a pond.

the kiddie pool is a possibility, but they tend to be too shallow and much too small for koi when they start getting big. koi can get to be 2-3 feet long and require a depth of at LEAST 3 feet. my largest koi is about 8-9" long and he's already outgrowing our 18" deep 150 gallon pond. 

if you want to build the pond above ground, or dig it in part way and above ground the rest of the way, then the kiddie pool is kind of redundant. you could put it in the bottom, but you would still need a liner as it would be built up higher than the edge of the pool and the water would flow over. you might as well just dig a hole and build up the edges with cinder blocks or whatever and then just line it. but you do need a pond liner.


----------



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

So what if i go and use one of those hard plastic or stainless non rust tin horse water holding things. they are long well the ones i have are.


----------



## Celeste (May 13, 2005)

our pond is about 2.5 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 18" deep. we have 8 fish in it, and they're quickly outgrowing it. it's about $100 for 300 square feet of liner, depending on where you get it. you always want to get a little extra so you've got a margin for error. the 300 square foot liner is 15 feet by 20 feet, which is a pretty big pond. big enough for a few adult koi. a 5.5'x10' liner is only $21.45 which is even bigger than the one i have. so pond liners really aren't that expensive. if you use sand in the bottom of the hole as a cushion under the liner, you don't even have to buy an underlayment.

http://www.justliners.com/epdm.htm


----------



## ALFA WOLF (May 24, 2005)

hmmm ill try that


----------

