Hi ali_s,
Here you go, as always, click on the links for full details and
illustrations and to follow the many links that the websites provide.
The challenge hasn't been in finding enough websites about building
ponds (there are many!), but rather separating the wheat from the
chaff.
POND
Horticulturist Doug Benedict discusses water gardens in general in this audio clip.
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/wg_aquatic_animals_plants/article/0,2029,DIY_14418_2272619,00.html
1) instructions and design for building a pond
After viewing many websites on the subject, I believe POND RUSHES
contains the best, most comprehensive instructions and I highly
recommend it (and it's non-commercial). There are lots of links to
follow, all cross-referenced and illustrated. Terrific site.
POND RUSHES
Step 1: Thinking
Step 2: Research
Step 3: Planning
Step 4: Building
Plants and Fish
Tips
Low Maintenance
Library
Other Stuff
Links
Pond Calculatorss
http://www.pondrushes.net/
Additional Links of Interest:
Steps for Building a Pond [illustrated] [calculators]
http://www.watergarden.com/pages/build_wg.html
Building a Pond
http://www.exit109.com/~gosta/pond.sht
Building a Water Garden [with photos]
http://www.diynet.com/diy/wg_installation_maint/article/0,2029,DIY_14419_2270583,00.html
Building a Pond [with photos] [9 steps]
http://www.tetra-fish.com/pond/buildpond.aspx
On Goldfish Pond--in Your Backyard
by Frank M. Greco, Senior Aquarist, Coney Island Aquarium
http://www.newyorktails.com/fish2.htm
Pond Building Basics
http://www.angelfire.com/ga/earthwise/garden.html
2) pond filtration, pumps, & waterfalls
Horticulturist Doug Benedict discusses water garden filters in this audio clip.
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/wg_aquatic_animals_plants/article/0,2029,DIY_14418_2272619,00.html
Horticulturist Doug Benedict discusses water garden filters in this audio clip.
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"It's important here to remember one rule - The filter(s) can only be
too small, not too big. If you don't mind green or cloudy water, and
only want a few fish, you can ignore this rule. Generally the more
filtration, the more life you can support. If your pond is in direct
sunlight (mine is in summer) it will generate a lot of algae and
become nearly opaque without a good filtering system.
Essentially filtration boils down to three kinds:
1. Mechanical -
which physically removes matter from the water.
2. Biological -
which uses bacteria to break down matter (particularly ammonia)
into stuff that can be utilized elsewhere.
3. Chemical -
which kills algae and bacteria that would otherwise discolor the water.
The explanations are simplistic but functional enough for this
discussion. Effectively, in my pond I use the first two and
religiously avoid the third. It's important here to remember one rule
- The filter(s) can only be too small, not too big. If you don't mind
green or cloudy water, and only want a few fish, you can ignore this
rule. Generally the more filtration, the more life you can support. If
your pond is in direct sunlight (mine is in summer) it will generate a
lot of algae and become nearly opaque without a good filtering
system."
" The absolute best filter I have found (after spending major league
time and money experimenting) is a lava rock system. Lava rock is very
porous (it's so light that some often float until they soak up water
enough to sink ). All that surface area will get covered with good
bacteria to break down the ammonia from fish waste and eats the algae
that colors the water green. (Actually it uses the nutrients algae
needs to get established.)"
[gives instruction on several types of filtering systems]
http://www.exit109.com/~gosta/pond.sht
Biological Pond Filter (Vegi Filter)
http://www.kilk.net/pond/filter.html
Planning > Filtration & Pumps
http://www.pondrushes.net/planning.htm
Low Maintenance > Filters
http://www.pondrushes.net/lowmaint.htm
How to build an Extra-large filter with 3 Settling chambers using pond liner.
http://www.geocities.com/bickal2000/skimmer.htm
Choosing a water pump for your fish pond ... Grasp the basics, make best decision
Links:
- Submersible pumps
- Sump pumps & fish ponds
- Learn about pump head or pressure
- Save money - know the pond pump
- How to choose stream or waterfall pumps
- Pump power & kinked pipes
- How to work out cost of running pump
http://www.fish-pond-pumps.com/
Selecting a Waterfall Pump System
http://www.angelfire.com/ga/earthwise/garden.html
Building a Waterfall
http://www.tetra-fish.com/pond/buildwaterfall.aspx
3) cleaning a pond, general pond maintenance, and controlling algae
Low Maintenance
http://www.pondrushes.net/lowmaint.htm
Cleaning the Pond
http://www.mnwgs.org/articles/ClnPdKM.htm
"Algae problems in water gardens are generally caused by the action of
the sun and excess nutrients in the water. If ponds are established
properly and balanced with the correct ratio of plants, fish and
scavengers, algae control and algae problems are not difficult to
control. When first establishing a water garden, green water
conditions will exist for about 2-3 weeks but will clear as the water
equalizes between plant nutrient uptake and the introduction of
nutrients from fertilizers and/or fish. The general cause of algae in
ponds is excess nutrients from either the overstocking or overfeeding
of fish, overfertilization of plants, or the lack of nutrient uptake
by plants caused by planting too few plants in the pond. A general
rule for stocking fishponds is to use 4-6 goldfish and one water lily
for every square yard of water surface. Feed fish a specified amount
of food per day, and only if necessary. Most fish can survive on
naturally occurring foods within a balanced system."
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/watergarden/algae.html
The Basics of a Clear Pond
http://www.angelfire.com/ga/earthwise/garden.html
Low Mainenance > Algae
http://www.pondrushes.net/lowmaint.htm
Control of Algae with Straw
http://www.exit109.com/~gosta/pondstrw.sht
How to Build a Pond Skimmer
http://www.geocities.com/bickal2000/skimmer.htm
Managing Nutrients to Control Algae
http://www.exit109.com/~gosta/pondnutr.sht
changing the water?
There are two terrific times to give your pond a good, thorough
cleaning. One is in Spring and the other is in Fall after the leaves
have already fallen. It?s not a task to be taken lightly. It?s wet.
It?s dirty. The muck stinks and the bottom of the pond is slippery.
Performing a major pond cleaning requires courage to start the ball
rolling and a little muscle to get it done."
http://www.ponddoc.com/WhatsUpDoc/Seasonal/Cleaning.htm
4) ammonia, nitrates, and salts
Chemicals?
"I have a philosophy I would like to share with you. Quoting from the
Gospel of Chuck, Chapter 2 verse 1, "Put not those things into the
pond that you cannot easily remove, lest it be of need most dire. For
verily I say unto you those things will gather together in abundance
and there will be great gnashing of teeth." If you can't take a
chemical out or it won't evaporate, it will build up to the point that
you have to start doing water changes. "
http://www.pondrushes.net/stuff.htm#Six
Salt in the Garden Pond
"As Sue pointed out, fish, whether goldfish or koi, maintain a 0.1%
salt level in their bodies. In order to do this, they continually
expend energy to draw salt from their environment. If we maintain this
same level in the water in which they live; they will be healthier
fish, with more energy to spend in fighting off parasites, disease,
and stress. An appropriate salt level also assists our fish in dealing
with less than perfect water conditions and assists them in their
ability to gather oxygen from the water by maintaining better gill
function.
To achieve a 0.1% salt level, you need to gradually add 1 pound of
salt per 100 gallons of water. A 0.1% salt concentration is considered
a maintenance level...."
http://www.mnwgs.org/articles/SaltinPond.htm
"Let's talk about another popular additive to ponds - salt. This is
one that I really have a problem with. A lot of koi people add it
because of a myth that it's beneficial for the fish. Let me be blunt.
Salt has no business being in your pond. Koi don't have salt in their
ponds in nature and they do just fine. Supposedly, salt is beneficial
in that it removes parasites from the fish. In reality, it does this
by causing the fish to slough their slime coat which takes the
parasites with it. But a fish without a slime coat is susceptible to
diseases, fungi and parasites so you have to add a little more salt to
kill those. Trust me, the fish are better off with their slime coats.
Another problem with the salt is that is stays in the water. It can
build up to the point that is not only kills your plants, but also
kills your fish. Because of that, people who add salt have to do water
changes. Now they'll tell you that they do it because they "don't want
their fish living in a toilet." In reality, if your filters are
working properly and you have sufficient plants in the pond, your
water is pretty clean. It might not be something we'd like to live in,
but then we're not fish. The water you're adding is pretty dead and
has a much different pH than the water already in the pond. It could
also have all kinds of other stuff in it that you don't know about.
The water that's in the pond is the best water for the fish; it's a
known."
http://www.pondrushes.net/lowmaint.htm
PLANTS AND FISH
Horticulturist Doug Benedict discusses water garden plants in this audio clip.
Horticulturist Doug Benedict discusses water garden fish in this audio clip.
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/wg_aquatic_animals_plants/article/0,2029,DIY_14418_2272619,00.html
"The three types that I have found to be the easiest to care for are
the Comet, Ryukin, and Shubunkin.
Goldfish versus Koi
Although both goldfish and koi are related, they are not the same. A
couple of key differences make goldfish a much better choice for a
home water garden. Koi grow much larger than goldfish (18 to 24 inches
compared with 8 to 10 inches). More importantly from a water
gardener's point of view, koi are voracious plant eaters. Goldfish
will nibble at some plants but don't do nearly as much damage as koi."
http://doityourself.com/pond/ongoldfishpond.htm
Plants and Fish
http://www.pondrushes.net/plants.htm
USDA Pond & Planting Zones
http://www.exit109.com/~gosta/pondzone.sht
Plants for the Water Garden
http://www.reemscreek.com/Library/plants_for_the_water_garden.htm
5) introducing plants and fish to the pond
Ken Miyamoto facilitated a group that discussed selecting,
transporting, releasing, and breeding goldfish and koi. The group
stressed that fish need to be transported in bags of water with oxygen
added. It was also emphasized that the fish need to be introduced to
the new environment slowly. Floating the bags in the pond for 30 to 60
minutes, depending on the difference in water temperature can do this.
Small additions of pond water can slowly be added to the bags to
gradually acclimate the fish to their new home."
http://www.mnwgs.org/articles/Aqtwlife.htm
Transporting Fish
"Be sure to tell us if you have a particularly long journey home. We
always make sure the fish are placed in a bag with one part water to
two or more parts oxygen. There only needs to be enough water to
cover the fish?s gills; oxygen is much more important to the fish than
water. Avoid carrying the fish bag in your lap since your body heat
will increase the temperature of the water. You can reduce the stress
to the fish by covering the bag with a blanket to cut out the light.
When you arrive home, float the fish in the bag on the surface of the
water for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the water in the bag
to become the same temperature as the pond. When the water
temperature matches that of the pond, open the bag and let the pond
water slowly flow into the bag, then release the fish..."
http://www.reemscreek.com/Library/fish_care.htm
"After the pond is full, wait a week or two. Why? First, if you have
city water, this allows chlorine to dissipate. If you use
dechlorinator, then that is not a problem. If you have chloramine in
your city water, a dechlorinator that can also neutralize ammonia must
be added as chloramine will not dissipate over time to safe levels.
Even if you have well water, like me, this time allows the water to
settle, release gases, age a little, and things will start to happen!
What? Algae will grow (not as bad as you think!), mosquitoes will lay
eggs (don't panic!), if it's spring, toads and frogs will lay eggs
(great! This happened the first week of my pond!). During this time,
you can add pond plants if you like. They will help speed things up.
Some people like to add some local pond water to innoculate their
ponds but be careful as along with good bacteria, insects, etc. also
come parasites and bad bacteria and critters too and of course, our
friend algae. If you want to add pond water, try finding a pond
without fish (so probably no fish parasites) or algae to get that
water. You can also buy microcritters (daphnia, euglena, paramecium,
scuds, etc.) if you want from some place like L.F.S. Cultures but they
tend to live better in established ponds, and fish will eat them
when/if you add fish. Also, buy your fish now but quarantine them
elsewhere and treat them for any problems.
After those two weeks are up, add in a few fish. Not too many! See my
pond setup page for more information. The fish will be SOOOO happy!
They will scarf up those mosquitoes which will NOT have had time after
two weeks yet to turn into adults. They will eat other insects that
will have shown up. They can nibble on algae and plants. The fish will
be MUCH happier in a slightly aged system as it provides stable water
(chemistry, temperature), sources of food (bugs, algae, tadpoles for
larger fish), and places to hide (algae, plants now growing)."
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/install.htm
More information:
Care Instructions For New Or Newly Transplanted Aquatic Plants
"Aquatic plants will take approximately 2 - 4 weeks to recover from
transplant trauma. Likewise, it will take about 4 - 6 weeks for newly
planted water lilies, submerged plants, bog plants to establish them
selves and be properly balanced in your pond. During this time, many
water gardeners are concerned with green or greenish brown water.
Please be patient, do not drain your pond and start over. This
condition is normal and should subside once your plants are
established."
see: Aquatic Plant Care by Zone
http://blueiriswatergardens.com/Care%20for%20Aquatic%20plants.htm
6) how much water per fish is required in a pond
"Although goldfish were historically displayed in small "goldfish
bowls", a healthy and happy goldfish requires at least 10 US gallons
of water in order to live a full life. Each additional fish requires
an additional five gallons (nearly 20 litres) of water. In fact, for
single tailed varieties, such as commons or comets, it may even become
necessary to have 20 to 50 US gallons (75 to 200 litres) per fish,
depending on size. Other goldfish experts say that it is the amount of
water surface area, not the water volume, that decides how many
goldfish may live in a container; one square foot of water surface
area for every inch of goldfish length. For example, if you had 3
goldfish of length 4 inches each, you might need 12 square feet of
water surface area. Surface area is an approximate measure of how much
oxygen may be absorbed into the water from the air. If the water is
being further aerated by way of water pump or fountain, more goldfish
may be kept in the container."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish
At a maximum, add only one fish for every 30 gallons of water; fewer
are even better. If your pool or pond has no filtration or aeration,
reduce the number still further. Also the larger the surface area of
the pool or pond, the more oxygen there will be in the water."
http://doityourself.com/pond/ongoldfishpond.htm
"Fish volume is the next problem. The rule of thumb in water gardening
is about 2 inches of fish for every square foot of water surface area.
I always thought this a strange rule. I guess it is OK if your fish
live on the surface of the water, but frankly when mine start living
there, I scoop them out and bury them in the garden because they've
gone 'fins up' and aren't living. The rule of thumb REALLY works out
in your average pond to is 2 inches of fish for every 12 to 15 GALLONS
of water - assuming an average of 1 1/2 to 2 feet of depth. And that
is still higher than most lakes you will run across mainly because
they are MUCH deeper. The ratio there is probably 2 inches for every
120 to 150 gallons!!!
So we have introduced more fish than you see in nature, and we have
less stuff in our ponds to grow the micro organisms to take care of
them. We either have to keep fewer fish, or create an environment for
more micro organisms to take care of the extra load. And that is the
main purpose of a biological filter. It is a container that contains
some sort of material that is high in surface area to grow micro
organisms to convert the toxic junk in the pond water we pump thru. As
an added bonus, most biofilters also help to get the junk off the
bottom of your pond. It ends up in your filter, but you can clean that
easier than you can clean you pond."
http://www.pondrushes.net/stuff.htm#Four
7) breeding goldfish
"Goldfish usually mature in their second year but this varies with
diet, water temperature, and other environmental influences. In the
wild, breeding occurs during the summer; breeding can occur year round
in indoor aquariums. Mature female goldfish will become rounder during
breeding; males develop tubercles (small bumps) on their heads,
operculi, and pectoral fins. Males chase the females for several days
before spawning occurs. Females can produce several thousand eggs per
spawning period every 8 to 10 days. Eggs are not guarded. Goldfish
eggs hatch in about 4-5 days at 18-20 degrees centegrade (64-68
degrees F.)."
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Carassius_auratus.html
How can I breed goldfish? [photos]
* When in spawning condition, male goldfish develop nuptial
tubercles - small white pimples on the gill covers, as shown opposite
(arrows).
* Behaviour: As they approach sexual maturity, males begin to
chase females in mock spawning runs. This is particularly noticeable
when they are feeling frisky after a substantial waterchange - watch
your fish at this time and note which are males (chasers) and which
are females (chased).
* Vent sexing - difficult, for experts only.
http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/Cauratus.html#7
Koi and Pond fish Breeding
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/ponds/Fenner_Koi,%20Pond%20Fish%20Breeding.html
How to Breed Goldfish
http://www.pond-doctor.co.uk/longgoldfishbreeding.html
8) goldfish changing colour
Background Information About Goldfish
[see colour]
http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/goldfish/info/info.htm
"My aim here is to provide an overview Kai coloration and in doing so
help to explain some of the mysterious changes you may have noticed in
your own fish."
http://www.akca.org/library/colors.htm
Why is my goldfish changing color? How do I stop it?
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/4468/faq_biology.html
9) water temperature & pH
Typically, goldfish will survive in water temperatures ranging from
freezing to 30 degrees centegrade. Fancy varieties(orandas, lionheads,
ranchu, veiltailes...) should be kept in water no cooler than room
temperature.
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Carassius_auratus.html
"Goldfish prefer a pH range of 6.5-8.5."
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Carassius_auratus.html
"Because goldfish are temperate animals, they can withstand a wide
range of temperatures. In a natural pond, or a water garden large
enough, goldfish may even winter over when the water freezes at the
surface. In the aquarium-it's best to maintain them at 68 to 76
degrees F. Because of their metabolic demands, the cooler water is
best for their survival."
http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/articles/Goldfish.html
10) health, diseases and their symptoms
Signs Identifying Possible Diseases
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/identify.htm
Fish disease & diagnosis
http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/diseasehome.htm
Fish Disease Movies
http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/video/fishmovies.htm
How to Prevent Spring Disease Outbreaks in Koi & Goldfish
http://www.ponddoc.com/WhatsUpDoc/FishHealth/SpringOutbreak.htm
Potassium Permanganate, or "PP" for short, is a widely used substance
that works to rid your pond of parasites and harmful bacteria. The Doc
might prescribe PP from time to time. When he does, use these
easy-to-follow directions for the best results."
http://www.ponddoc.com/WhatsUpDoc/FishHealth/PP.html
The Goldfish Doctor (book)
http://www.goldfishdoctor.com/
11) how long to goldfish live
"Although there is one report of a pet goldfish who lived 43 years, 25
years is a more reasonable maximum lifespan for a goldfish kept in a
pond. In an aquarium, ten years is more likely. In the wild, lifespan
is undoubtedly less."
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Carassius_auratus.html
I hope this will get you off to a good start. If you have any
questions, please post a clarification request and wait for me to
respond before closing/rating my answer.
Thank you,
hummer
Google Search Terms Used: all of the above! Such as, goldfish building
ponds diseases plants breeding filters pumps salt waterfalls
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