Ponds bring the beauty of nature to back gardens. As a micro-environment they develop quickly because the many animals that visit are highly mobile so move-in very quickly.  Birds, amphibians, insects and mammals will descend upon your pond giving you a greater opportunity to see wildlife you most likely would otherwise not have seen.

A garden pond can be built at any time of the year however, building one in late winter is really the best time because a pond will become established a lot quicker.

Garden pond building tips:

• Keep sharp objects away from pond liners – it is not uncommon for a pond owner to plunge a stack into a pond piercing the pond liner. 
• Install a pond pump on bricks – this will minimise the risk of the pump getting clogged up with leaves and other debris. First place a sheet of protective underlay above the pond liner, onto which the bricks are placed. 
• Pond pumps installation should include a GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) with cables and connectors designed for outdoor use.
• If you instal a fountain, the maximum height should not exceed half the width of your pond.
• Ponds built to home Koi need to be large with a good filtration system to cope with the volume of waste deposited into the water.
• Use the following calculation to determine how many fish you can keep in your pond while maintaining a healthy pond environment – half an inch to a one inch fish per 10 gallons of water for low maintenance pond keeping using an average filtration system. This will minimise the risk of disease spreading between fish. The more fish you have, the better the filtration system needs to be.
• Add the correct type of aquatic plant for the finishing touches to your pond.

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These are just a few important pond building tips to help you on your journey to creating an amazing feature in your back garden. For information on how to install the pond liner and protective underlay, please visit our page ‘Need Help Installing Your Pond Liner?”