What Kind, What Size and How-To for Starting a Pond

So you want to start an outside pond for your tropical fish friends? There are a lot of things to consider when creating an outdoor aquatic setting. Some of the things that worked well inside just won’t work in the great outdoors. However, once you get things up and going you will wonder how you ever did without that pond in your yard!

* First of all, what kind of pond? You can get fancy and buy a kit from many stores complete with design plans and all the materials you need. Or you could do as countless others have – take an old barrel, cut it in half and cover it with a plastic liner and presto – instant pond! You might add dirt or soil to the bottom of the pond to keep it organic, or maybe you want to go for the gusto and keep an assortment of color gravels and nutrient mixes in it. There are a lot of ways to design your pond on a shoestring budget or with a huge budget, whatever your wallet allows.

* Next, no matter if you are using a kit or doing it yourself make sure you don’t just throw the hose in there, fill it up and throw in the fish! You will need to neutralize the pH in the water and de-chlorinate it before you can add your tropical fish. There are a number of ways of doing this, from chemicals you can add to the water to using plants and other natural ways. You will want to run your ponds filter for a minimum of 5 days depending on the size of the pond to get all the chlorination out of the water.

* Don’t forget the food! There are a number of automatic fish feeders you can add to your pond as well as “floating” food devices. If you have a large pond then these may make sense as feeding them the old fashioned way just simply won’t work well on a large scale.

* Before you dig the hole, choose where you want to dig it. Try to keep your pond away from areas that have a lot of runoff, falling leaves and other debris. You don’t want leaves getting into the water in large quantities as it could contaminate it as they break down. Likewise, you don’t want it near runoff as fertilizers and other lawn chemicals may pollute the water leading to premature death of your tropical buddies.

* Choose the right fish for your new outdoor pond. Good choices include Fantails and Orandas, Betas, Koi and Comets. Of course, a lot of people like standard goldfish – which are fine – but many people like to add a little variety and spice to their outdoor aquatic masterpiece.