A Beginners Guide To Pond Supplies
by: Daniel Roshard
Have you ever dreamed of creating a backyard oasis? Someplace where youcan relax and enjoy nature, even if you live in the middle of a bigcity? If so, then a pond may be just what you have been looking for.While building a pond is not necessarily difficult, there is moreinvolved than simply lining a hole in the ground and filling it withwater and some fish.
Before you start the pond building process, you must first gatheryour pond supplies, decide on the size and the location for your pondand, of course, how deep your new pond will be. The depth will dependon where you live and whether or not there will be fish sharing yournew oasis with you.
The easiest way to build a pond is to start with a pre-formedplastic pond liner. These types of liners come in a variety of shapes,sizes and depths to fit any homeowners needs.
You will often find this type of a liner in a pond kit. However, ifyou prefer more of a do-it-yourself approach to pond building, you alsohave the option of digging your pond free-form and lining it with heavygauge pond plastic. This comes in a roll and is laid inside the holeand cut to fit.
When you are digging the hole for the new pond, it is a good ideato include shelves and maybe even shallow caves. These will come inhandy when you are decorating with plants to give height and depth toyour new addition and provide a sheltered place for any fish you mightadd.
If you will be adding any type of animal life to your pond, it isextremely important for their survival that you dig the pond deepenough so that all of the water doesn't freeze. In most parts of theUnited States this depth is between a foot and 18". The reason is thatfish, frogs and turtles all need some liquid water throughout thewinter. Sufficient water movement is also essential to their survival.
You will need a filter, especially if you choose to add fish, frogsor turtles to your completed pond. It is very important to get the bestfilter that you can afford, as you will need to clean up anything thatthe filter leaves behind. The better the filter, the less there is toclean up. There are a couple of different styles to choose from infilters.
You can get a submersible or an outside filter for your pond. Asubmersible filter sits under the surface of the pond and sucks waterfrom the bottom through a filter surface putting clean water back in.An outside filter sits on the edge of the pond and gets its dirty waterfrom the pond at a depth of about 18" or so. Traditionally, both kindsare hooked up so that the water is deposited back into the pond via awaterfall or small stream.
Now that you have the pond dug out, lined and a filter selected, itis time to fill it up, decorate it, add fish (if desired) and enjoy.
About The Author:
Daniel Roshard is an interior designerfascinated by outdoor architecture, he is currently studying publicparks and outdoor design. Daniel is writing articles about home improvement and landscaping issues at http://ponds.advice-tips.com/