How to build a fish pond

[Ishi1988]

nice vid, checked out so many also, but this one really shows u what to expect if ur not hiring a professional or have a lot of experience. thanks a lot!

[c4prlm4st3r]

i am sure that pond means a lot to molly.

[iLOVENATURE2011]

cute girl... thanks for the idea on how i'll make my pond...=)

[mohsinmaqboolranjha]

OH MOLLY IS UR DAUGHTER... I THOUGHT MOLLY THE FISH ...U KNOW MOLLIES AND GUPPIES

[Mr12gman12]

not to be mean bot why was the girl doing the work

[MrFukfukyou]

Nice.. Thanks

[hamsterlover333]

what did you use for the flooring

[October271987]

yea very helpfull

[Bazil1869]

would a aqua one aquis 1200 filter do the job?

[tbrouns]

@Bazil1869 I'm sorry, I don't know. You'll need to consult a salesperson and tell him what you want to do.

[oliviabodycomb]

omg where dooing a pond ar school and im the only expert there its so annoyinh the first place they wanted to put ut was under a tree

[yvettecordova]

wow i looked at so many videos. this is the only one that really showed me what to expect building my new pond :-) thanx for posting very helpfull n beautiful

[tbrouns]

@yvettecordova Thanks for the feedback! I wish I had taken a bit more trouble to make the picture clearer but I hope it helps you get it right the first time on your pond :-)

[MyGardenboy]

did the plants keep the water clean or did the muddy water just settle

[tbrouns]

@MyGardenboy The plants don't really keep the water clean - the pump under the water pushes the water into a filter next to the pond, which filters out the mud, and there is a UV light inside it that keeps the algae under control. Then it comes back all clean.

[dga223]

very nice

[Jakjak841]

Lol I made a little 6 gallon pond aka puddle with trash bags!

[jaypicness]

If u have a filter, where do u plug the electric cord?

[TAZMPictures]

@jaypicness same place I plug in the pump :-)

[LCDLOVEPUDGY]

how do we keep it clean is there a filter

[tbrouns]

@LCDLOVEPUDGY Yes, the pump is at the bottom of the pond, and it pumps the water through a filter (looks like a sealed bucket, you have to clean it from time to time), and then up to the top of the waterfall, where it runs back in. But you will probably also need to scoop out the leaves from time to time, depending on location. supposedly too many decaying leaves are bad for the water quality.

[akarocket]

very nice little project.

[LordJake1337]

Nice pond :D And GREAT advice :)

[tbrouns]

@LordJake1337 Thanks much - I wish I'd gotten better quality video, but it was an afterthought after I figured out how to make everything work :-)

[ManCichlid]

Very beautiful, wish I could have one, then again I'm only 13 with little money, not time and little space to work with...

[Timespartan111]

@ManCichlid same

[TravsWorldofVideo]

thanks : )

[dinosaurman1000]

do u have an ai r pump without it it keep the water at a staedy temputer also it make s oxygen

[tbrouns]

@dinosaurman1000 I don't do anything for the temperature - choose fish that can live in outside temperatures. For the oxygen, in my case, the water bubbling over the waterfall carries enough oxygen into the water. Also, some is absorbed from the air. I guess it could be necessary, but if you don't have TOO many fish for your pond I don't think it is needed. After all, a real pond does not have an air pump, but it is of course much larger....

[dinosaurman1000]

@tbrouns ok thanks i have 2 minows who live in a tote anyways very nice pond

[dinosaurman1000]

@tbrouns ok thanks love the pond was it hard to make

[tbrouns]

@RandomXScooters It cleans out the small stuff - dirt and debris - and keeps the water clear. You still have to scoop out leaves and stuff from time to time. But you also clean the filter occasionally and it is full of goo and sludge.

[TravsWorldofVideo]

That was cool and do you need a pump

[tbrouns]

@TravsWorldofVideo Yes, you need a pump to push the water through the filter - see the other comments :-) The pump is the most expensive piece, and it depends on the size of your pond. Good luck!

[tbrouns]

@RandomXScooters Yes you definitely need a filter. And a pump to push the water through the filter. This keeps the water clear, and if you get one where the water passes by a special light (it's inside) then it kills the algae too so it doesn't get all green and icky. Unfortunately the pump (which needs electricity) and filter are the expensive parts. If you add a waterfall, you need a stronger pump to push the water uphill. I suggest a pressurized filter you can hide in the ground.

[dinosaurman1000]

@tbrouns does your filter have an air pump because plants will eventuly start using the oxygen in the water also fish love to swim by the air pump because i geuss they like it or somthing

[boboyang1]

my fish pond is leaking somewhere...we have to fill water every couple of days....my mum thinks there are small holes in the rubber liner...coz the pond was build by the perious owner....been there more than 6 years...........should i buy a new rubber liner replace this one....needs some advices please....thanks

[AfghanistanMatters]

@boboyang1 If you don't have a fountain or anything, I think you might be right. Even 1 hole can do it. I'm no expert, but if it was me I would see how hard it would be to replace the rubber (check how it is installed) and either replace it (it's not very expensive) along with some of that padding stuff underneath - or just take the fish out and bring them to another pond or a pet store until you can deal with it. Maybe check with a store that sells that stuff and see what they say.

[yournamehere954]

nicely done. Its good as well to get your kids involved in something other than TV. My daughter is 4 and helping me do mine as well. She is really excited about it and its the only thing that gets her out the house in the daytime. How thick is your liner?

[tbrouns]

@yournamehere954 Thanks so much for your feedback. It has been fun for all of us as the fish have grown, have reproduced and they have grown up as well. We've had frogs and tadpoles and all sorts of things appear in that little pond. I'm afraid I don't remember exactly the thickness - I think it's about 2 mm. They gave a 10-year guarantee and that seemed like plenty!

[heartsxo55]

This was so helpful! :) thank you! Im only 15 but i really want to build one in the spring time. So in about 6 or 7 months. I will get all the tools ready that i need and try making this too. Im excited to try it!

[tbrouns]

@heartsxo55 Good luck! Remember, always make it bigger than you think you need lol!

[Chiisainyo]

My fiance and me are just looking for a house now , we want to put some japanese style on it, specially on the garden and we need a big backyard because we want to have a fish pond just like yours It is just lovely

[tbrouns]

@Chiisainyo Good luck! I hope you can make your pond much bigger than mine :-)

[sayoerlodeh]

amateur pond

[tbrouns]

@Zibilu123 ha ha you must be joking....for almost a year my daughter begged that we could make a fish pond and you call it child labor? :-)

[animeartist2016]

I'd like to do that with my grandma when I go to her house.She likes koi and she is trying to fix up her yard to look wonderful.She;s also had this garden for about 15 years.Nice job!You and Molly did great!

[picatsoforfma]

So you don't need dirt in the bottom of the pond for the plants?

[tbrouns]

@picatsoforfma According to all my reading, no. I have put plants in the water that are planted in plastic "baskets" - which makes removal (they do die from time to time) easier. As it turns out, debris that blows into the pond turns into a small layer of dirt, and some of the roots have grown out of the baskets into that dirt. I suspect that for a small pond, too much dirt (and rotting vegetation) may be bad for the chemistry.

[TheHugeErection]

I really enjoyed this. Thanks.

[heronmusic2000]

Ive just brought my first home, & i am defo gonna put a pond in the middle of the lawn in my back yard.....the video you made is great,.....but i wanted to keep fish in mine...im just wondering, does that effect what kinda underwater plants u put in the pond?? Also, what are the easiest pond plants to put in & which fish are the best to put in?? Im from England, so it does get hella cold in autumn winter...

[tbrouns]

@heronmusic2000 I wish I could help - I am far from an expert, only sharing what I learned the hard way. I just got a variety of plants at the local garden store, none of which caused any problem. I live in NL, and the plants all "died" in the winter but 50% of them come back quickly every April. Good luck!

[harsha806]

nice littel pond, what size liner did you use?

[tbrouns]

@harsha806 I bought it from a roll...they suggested to lay a measuring tape across the longest part of the (empty) hole and add 1 meter. I believe it was 4 m by 4 m.

[harsha806]

@tbrouns i appritiate alot for the information.

[brianrockshard95]

and also by the way do you know if tilapia eat frogs because i dont want frogs in there.

[brianrockshard95]

hey this is a great video...i was wondering if you could use this to raise tilapia?

[tbrouns]

Only if you live in the tropics...or can find a way to keep the water about 80 degrees. I would go with a minimum of 300 gallons, and bigger is always better. Make it big enough for a shark, that will take care of the frogs.

[reikomaikaru]

Good work!

[PR0CRASTINAT0R]

Cool video! (5 - STARS!)

Thanks for posting it!

I help run a free Pond share website.

It would be great to have some more pond people join in and share their pictures,videos, and stories.

OldGardenPond,com

(If you copy and paste the above address, please change all commas to dots. Youtube will not let me put dots, so I put commas in the website address)

[tbrouns]

Thanks I will check it out! So far this has been my only pond - and I still haven't fixed that pesky waterfall - but a guy can dream!

[9912699125]

its great!a nice pond just outside your house !

[9912699125]

why don't you put a few turtles in the pond?

[rhy64]

where do the frogs hibernate, since there is rubbing inner.

[tbrouns]

The leaves that fall into the pond over the year (you can't remove them all) settle into a mulch at the bottom and the frogs go in there. I found one when I tried to clean it out!

[rhy64]

@tbrouns oh cool, butanother question doesnt the mulch add up and fill the pond or do the bacteria eat the mulch.

[tbrouns]

I have been told that you are supposed to keep too many leaves and junk from getting in the pond - and avoid building under a tree that loses a lot of leaves - because too many leaves will screw up the balance. The whole thing is a mini-ecosystem with bacteria and fish and algae and decaying plant matter (and fish poop!) but too much decaying plant matter will affect the oxygen level and other levels. Short answer: all things in moderation!

[tbrouns]

Also if you can get a pump with an internal UV light that kills algae that is important. My bulb went out and within two weeks the pond was turning green! Final point: fish eat tadpoles, so consider that in your design if that's important :-)

[thelevy100]

i think it awesome that you and your doughter molly did this together

[allalan]

Why can't you use filtered rain water?

It's better than tap water.

[tbrouns]

Definitely! But it's a lot of water, like 1000-1500 gallons for a small pond! Not that patient...

[allalan]

Well here the South(Tenn state line) when

It rains it flooded.

Just think of the Northern states and all

the snow melt.

That's going to be too much water this

spring. Thanks for the help.

I am working on an above ground water

wheel with canals.All wood the match

the home....maybe this spring.

[allalan]

I was talking 2 gutter runoffs.

[tbrouns]

I got it in a local hardware store - it comes on a big roll...

[metanoiacw]

Pretty good job for a first try. I've already taken mine out a week later and started Pond2.0

[tbrouns]

I've thought about doing the same! More than a year later, I still haven't fixed the waterfall...

thanks for the feedback

[insAneTunA]

I really like your video. 5* and greets from the Netherlands, iT

[tbrouns]

Thanks for your comment! In retrospect I should have dug the hole much bigger - the fish are reproducing!

[samsterno9]

would this work for catfish

[slicksand]

Carpet can be used to lay underneath the Liner to protect from roots...ect...

[tbrouns]

thanks, good tip!!

[saldanapaco]

cood u but bass in ther? pleas tel me

[tbrouns]

Not sure, but I think you would need to make it much, much bigger!

[tbrouns]

Yes, there are varying thicknesses but they guaranteed like 10 years for the thinnest one. Be sure and be GENEROUS with the amound you buy, and if you have lots of roots or rocks, I would get one layer of that felt like stuff that I put under the rubber.

[besamemucho5]

thank you for sharing....

[AfghanistanMatters]

Thanks for the tips!

[tbrouns]

Thanks :-)