All About Fish Pond Design

All About Fish Pond Design

If you are like me, then you probably like the idea of a nice, well-manicured garden with plenty of attractive pieces and features guaranteed to invoke a “Wow!” or two from your neighbors.  While there are a ton of ideas for a garden that you can incorporate into your own backyard, one of my favorites involves a well-designed fish pond.

Fish ponds are great for several reasons. The first is that you can do a lot with them.  You do not actually have to have fish in them; they can just be there for the looks.  You can also plant a large variety of aquatic plants around the pond that will attract honeybees and other pollinators – making your other flowers in your garden healthier.  Finally, a fish pond can hold fish – which can be very visually appealing.

This article will talk about fish pond design in general and ways you can make a fish pond stand out in your backyard.

All About Fish Pond Design:  Types You Can Choose

There are several varieties of fish pond, and each one offers its own pros and cons. (They also offer a lot of different looks.)  One big factor in what kind of fish pond design you will want to pursue is what kind of aquatic life you want in it.  Do you want goldfish? Do you want aquatic plants? Do you want to keep koi? Each has its own requirements.

For example, koi like to eat aquatic plants, so if you want to grow a pond for plants, then do not add koi.  Goldfish and plants get along fine, so instead of a koi pond, you can create a water garden. You also need to consider your climate.  A pool with goldfish and plants needs to be over 2 feet deep so that the cold surface water does not get to the creatures during the winter.

All About Fish Pond Design: Setting Up Your Idea

Once you have figured out what kind of fish pond design you want, you can plot out the actual shape and look.  Most fish ponds are roughly circular, but to make them interesting, people like to create them in the shape of lakes and ponds, with irregular, curvy shorelines.  This adds variety and keeps your pond from looking like just a round hole in the ground.

Size is also a consideration. A koi pond, for example, needs to be at least 1,000 gallons in terms of volume, and 3-5 feet deep.  A goldfish pond can be smaller and can be around 2 feet deep.  A water garden can be even more shallow.

You can also decide if you want a waterfall or other special feature.  Creating a waterfall actually is easier than you think, and just involves elevating a place high enough and route water to the drop-off.  Additionally, you can add multiple levels to your pond, which creates steps and plateaus for your plants and animals to live on.  This is done by digging a hole in layers, with each layer getting shallower and wider as you go up – so that the sides are stepped.

The final step is to line the pond with whatever you want to use in order to create a border.  Most people use large rocks or boulders to place around the edge of the pond.  Others like to landscape the edges with mulch and potted plants.  The Southwestern theme in general calls for small rock fields to be planted around the pond, along with miniature cacti and other desert plants.