Pond FAQs - Design

Answers to common questions related to Ponds

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    Design

What is a good starter size for a water garden?
How small can you go?
How large can you go?
How high should the waterfall be?
How many gallons per hour of water flow do most waterfalls require?
How often should the pond's water be turned over?
How deep does the pond have to be?
Where is the best location for a pond?
What are some potential design problems?
Why should rocks and gravel be set throughout the pond?
Why should shelves be designed in the pond?
What are the ideal depths of the shelves in the pond?

<> What is a good starter size for a water garden?

We have found, over the years, that an 11 ft x 16 ft pond (roughly 180 sq feet), 24 inches deep is a good size to start off in most yards. This size will allow plenty of room for fish and plants to be added over the years to come. When designing the pond, keep in mind that our greatest complaint from the customers for whom we've installed ponds is, "I wish we had made it bigger!"

<> How small can you go?

Unless we are constructing a pond in a confined space, our crew will typically not build a pond smaller than 8 ft x 8 ft. The reason is that it's difficult to reach a depth of 24 inches, have separate shelves for your marginal plants and lilies, and provide space for fish and rocks, all in under 8 feet of width. The end result is a pit of rocks rather than a natural looking pond.

<> How large can you go?

There is no limit to the size of the pond. Larger ponds are built using the same simple steps as building smaller ponds. The only difference when building a larger pond is the quantity of rocks, size of the pump and filtration system, and the amount of labor and equipment required to build it.

<> How high should the waterfall be?

Waterfall height will be determined by the elevation of the property on which the pond is installed. The waterfall should look as natural as possible. You do not want to create an 8-foot long waterfall on a flat piece of property. Such an out-of-scale waterfall will end up looking more like a volcano than a waterfall. The majority of the waterfalls we install (here in the New Orleans area) are only 1.5 to 2 feet high. Higher waterfalls can be built on existing slopes, but make sure the pump can handle the extra height.

<> How many gallons per hour of water flow do most waterfalls require?

Everyone has different opinions regarding how much water looks and sounds pleasing cascading over a waterfall. In most residential water features, we try to achieve approximately 1000-1500 gallons per hour per foot of spillway. For example, a 2-foot wide waterfall would require approximately 2,000 gph - 3,000 gph.

<> How often should the pond's water be turned over?

A general rule of thumb when using the Aquascape Pro-Pond ecosystem is a turnover rate of at least once every two hours.

<> How deep does the pond have to be?

Hardy fish, such as Koi, will survive through winter in as high as Zone 5 (example: Chicago) in as little as 18 inches of water. All of Aquascape's Pro-Pond kits are designed to be built at a depth of 24 inches. You can go deeper if you want, but keep in mind a few key factors in the design. A deeper pond will require more digging, rock, and a bigger liner. A bigger BioFalls®, skimmer, and pump may also be required depending on how deep you go and how much water is held in the pond.

<> Where is the best location for a pond?

Bring the pond up to the residence instead of the resident having to go the pond. Your pond can then be enjoyed year round without having to venture to a more remote area of your garden. The ideal location for a pond is near the house, adjacent to a hardscape, deck, or porch. The designer should take into account views from outside the house, as well as from inside.

<> What are some potential design problems?

Never design a water garden system with a larger pond on top flowing into a smaller pond at a lower elevation. The reason is the water in transit from the larger pond and connecting stream will flood the smaller pond when the pump is turned off (or when the electricity goes out). The end result is a very high maintenance pond. Someone will have to go out every time the pump is turned off or loses power and add water back into the system (prime the system). The solution: always place the larger pond at the bottom of the system.

Try to avoid placing the pond at a low spot on the property or an area that receives drainage and property run-off. This might appear the perfect solution to an already wet area, but will usually create a number of problems. Water beneath the liner will create hydrostatic pressure, causing the liner to bubble up. Uncontrollable run-off will enter the pond, and can cause an imbalance in the eco-system of the pond, resulting in poor water quality and algae blooms. Instead of placing the pond in a low spot, bring the pond up close to the house allowing the residents to enjoy the water feature from inside, as well as outside the house.

<> Why should rocks and gravel be set throughout the pond?

There are several reasons we always "rock-in" ponds. Stones and gravel decrease maintenance, extend the life of the liner, stabilize the pond's walls, provide ballast against hydrostatic pressure, and look more natural than a naked liner.

Fish waste, dead plant material and wind-blown debris combine and decompose to form a smelly sludge that builds up to a few inches over the course of a year. In a naked liner or concrete pond, these materials rot and cause gases that are harmful to the ecology. A pond with a gravel base will have substantially less sludge at the end of the season compared to a bare liner base. Adding gravel over the entire pond bottom allows sludge and waste eating bacteria to colonize and break down these excess nutrients (just like in a fish tank).

Completely "rocking-in" the pond floor extends the life of the pond by protecting the liner from harmful UV light (sunlight) which will degrade the liner over time. A liner that is covered with stone and gravel is not exposed to UV light, greatly increasing the life span of the liner.

A "rocked-in" pond will anchor the liner in place and create structurally sound walls. Think of it as a boulder retaining wall inside the pond. The weight of the stone will also provide a considerable amount of ballast against hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure created beneath the pond's liner from water build-up. Hydrostatic pressure can be so strong that it will create unsightly bubbles in the liner.

<> Why should shelves be designed in the pond?

We always incorporate shelves into the design of the pond. Shelves allow us to avoid a "bowl of rocks" appearance, such as ponds with sloped walls. Shelving also eliminates tall, unstable vertical walls. We stack our boulders along the short 8 to 12 inches vertical walls and spread the gravel along the flat portions. This allows us to drop down to our final depth in small increments.

<> What are the ideal depths of the shelves in the pond?

The first shelf should be excavated down 1 inch to 12 inches, depending on the type of plants you want to put around the margins of the pond. On average, this shelf should be approximately 8 inches deep.

The second shelf should be excavated 12 inches to 20 inches deep. The second shelf will be for lilies, lotus, and other plants that require a little deeper water than the first shelf.

The third shelf will be excavated anywhere from 18 inches to almost the pond bottom. The residential ponds we build typically reach final depth of 24 inches. Even with temperatures to Zone 5 climates, this depth is more than adequate for fish to survive over the winter.