Garden Ponds Are CRAP

If you look at a 1000 ponds, most are crap.:Oh Hell
On day one they look great, but by day 300, they are crap.
Why is that?

As all know, I have lived a long time and now know everything:Ass Hole.
I have been a fish keeper for 60 years. My first was a tub with crawfish in it when I was about 10.

People who put in ponds don't understand the basics (aquarium people are much, much worse). Many reading this may have had a pond or an aquarium and failed. It is not difficult to do it right or to end up with a mess. Garden ponds are great fun and can look great in any yard. Unless all you are about is boring green grass, can't imagine why all would not want one. You can have one on a patio/deck (I do).

I believe it is harder these days than ever before as people go to the web for advice:sorrow:. The web is filled with people pretending to be experts - copy pasting things from other people who pretend to be experts. The worst of the lot are people and companies with things to sell.

Most who start any project go in small, looking to save $$. That is OK. The deal is to decide what you want and build that. Keep in mind that if you are happy and decide to expand, you have wasted $$. My advice would be to build as big as possible the first time. I can help. Before you contact me, decide how much you can spend. I have nothing to sell, but understand what $$ it takes and options availble. There is no need to hire someone to this as they most likely have no clue, just selling things.

Lets just assume anyone can build a hole filled with water. The options are dig a hole and place pond liner down, or buy a preformed pond and dig a hole to accommodate it. I have "preformed" ponds and have had many.
If possible, go with preformed. You can get these up to a couple hundred gallons at Lowes and Home Depot. They are tough and will last forever. If money is no object, huge ones can be found. If I were building now, would get one of those swimming pool sized ones. Actually, tried to do that before my last build in 2005 and the closet one was in Cal. Shipping costs were too much. Now I could get one just up the road.:friendly_wink: These are swimming pools and more use would begained by most as a Garden Pond. I do live on a lake and do not not need a swimmimg pool, so needs vary.

If you want big or a certain shape, pond liner is the cheaper deal. Buy the best quality or later you wish you had. I have a 4000gal pond made with this. On another thread you can read as to it.
http://yardcraphome.com/showthread.p...-the-right-way
I would of course do it a little different now, but it has held up well for over ten years. All six Koi are still growing (ten pounds now), and no more goldish have been added/needed. Four turtles also live there.
A hole in the ground covered with plastic can/does work. Email me if you go this route.

So why do most ponds of any size you see look like a dank, dreary mess? (Most also leak which is not good:miserable:)
A garden pond should be a thing of beauty and entertainment.
The reason why most are CRAP is there was no plan and little knowledge.

Next post will begin there -