Notes from Tetra Pond Seminar

9 March 1995

Types of Ponds

Initially, two kinds of ponds were described and discussed. Without the benefit of illustrations,
I’ll try to describe what was suggested. The two distinct types were the Koi Pond and the Lily
Pond.

Because of the waste products which are more plentiful in a koi pond, it is important to construct
it with a good drain installed in the bottom. In order for debris to feed to the drain, the pond
should have sloping sides with the drain installed in the lowest point. The tube which provides
an outlet for the drain (and is powered by a drain pump) should exit the ground 3” below the
usual surface level of the water in the pond. The koi pond is constructed with shelves around the
edges upon which you can place pots with marginal plants. These shelves should be approxi-
mately 5-8” below the projected surface level of the pond. Rocks can also be placed on the
shelves if that is more desirable to the client. The suggested depth for the main part of the pond
is from 3-6’ with 8’ being the maximum suggested depth. The fish will need good circulation in
the pond so be sure that if you install a waterfall feature, it enters the pond on the side opposite
the pump. You want to avoid “dead” spots in the water.

Since the purpose of the lily pond is to display plants, its’ construction is a bit different. The
shelves around the edges should be 9” below the surface and the total depth about 18-24”. The
bottom of the lily pond should be flat to provide a stable base on which to set the pots. The pots
in which you plant your lilies will be more suitable if they are rather wide and short. The water
lily tends to grow much like a bearded iris. Instead of growing out from the center, they will
spread in one direction. Plant them on the edge of the pot and direct them toward the other side.

For sales it was suggested that we should carry 80% liners and 20% preforms. The preforms
provide immediate visual impact and are a good way to initiate the customer into the world of
water gardening. Liners are generally more satisfactory, however, and to the experienced cus-
tomer will be in more demand.

When customers come in asking questions about setting up a pond, don’t spend too much
time explaining all the details to them. Give them the basics and recommend that they read a
good reference such as Garden Pools by Sunset. After giving the subject more study, they will
usually want a larger pond than they initially thought.

For good pond ecology there was a formula given:

1 Snail
1 Anacharis Per 2 sq. ft. of surface
1 Tadpole
When setting up a pond at the nursery for display, be sure to surround it with beautiful
plants...unusual things. It’s especially good to do this if they are plants that can be purchased at
the nursery and will provide extra sales potential for the business. Any kind of plant can be used
depending on the type of pond...shrubs, small trees, grasses, ground covers, flowering plants.
Liner Installation

The formula for how much liner you will need is this:
2 times maximum depth added to length and depth (plus a bit extra as margin for error)

When establishing the outline for a lined pond you can use a piece of rope or hose. This allows
the customer to appreciate how large or small his pond will actually be in relation to the rest of
his landscape. ( For instance, preforms tend to look much larger in the store than the pond that
they create in the yard.) Use gentle curves in the pond. If putting in a waterfall, avoid one in the
center which creates dead water. Put it on the side.

When installing the pond liner, be sure to situate the edges so that ground water cannot drain into
your pond carrying contaminants and debris with it. This can be done by creating a lip with the
liner which can be camouflaged by rock or planting material. Our speaker lost a $750 koi be-
cause contaminants from a grouting material around the edge of his pond leached in from surface
water.

Waterfalls

The two types of waterfalls mentioned were “She” falls and “He” falls. A “She” fall bounces
immediately over rocks and doesn’t make as much sound. A “He” fall drops down to the surface
of the water without interference and provides more noise, particularly if there is a recessed cav-
ity behind the area of the fall which acts as an amplifier. A nice fall can be had by making it 1/3
“He” and 2/3 “She”. Consider your neighbors when deciding which type of fall to install. A
“He” fall can be quite loud at night when everyone is going to sleep and turning it off if you have
fish in your pond can create low oxygen levels when they need it the most. If a pond is stocked
with oxygenating bottom plants they actually demand more oxygen at night although they pro-
vide it during the daytime. In hot summer weather this can pose a danger to the fish if adequate
aeration is not provided during the evening.

When constructing a course for a waterfall, the use of marine silicone under and around the
rocks will fill in the empty spaces and force the water to course over the rocks where you can see
it instead of disappearing underneath them! After figuring out the placement of your rocks, lift
them off the liner and put down a layer of marine silicone. After installing the rocks, fill in be-
tween them with more silicone. (You can buy marine silicone at a hardware store.)
More on Liners

Never sell anything less than the last 5 feet on the roll. A 5’ x 5’ piece of liner is enough to line a
whiskey barrel. Many of the liners have incremental markings on them to tell you how many
feet are left on the roll. Be sure to take note when you are getting toward the end and don’t leave
yourself with a few feet that you can’t sell.

There should be four samples in your green folder. One is underliner (fuzzy gray) to lay down
on the prepared hole before installing the liner. It’s also good to wrap around tree roots or large
rocks that can’t be removed. Then you can just install your pond liner over and around them.
The sample that is green on one side is the next one mentioned. I can’t remember the exact life-
span of it but think it is around 9 years. The solid black liner is the next best with a life expec-
tancy of 20 years. The last sample which has underliner bonded to the back has a lifetime guar-
antee.

Wildlife

When stocking your pond with snails, be sure to get the Japanese Trap Door type. They will not
eat the plants. Tadpoles are nice in the pond but keep in mind that when they grow up to be bull-
frogs they will eat any fish that they can fit into their mouths.

When selecting fish for the pond it is recommended that you keep round-bodied fish with round-
bodied fish and straight-bodied with straight. The straight bodied fish have different swimming
habits than the slower round bodied and when frightened can dart around and injure the slower
fish.

Deep water oxygenating plants such as Cabomba and Anacharis are good for the fish in your
pond.

Bio Filters

Without the aid of an illustration...a bio filter is a sloped watercourse with sections containing
pea gravel. As the water proceeds downward, the impurities in it are captured and settle into the
gravel. If you are going to build a bio filter is is suggested that the amount of water in your filtra-
tion system at any one time should be 5-10% of the total pond capacity... up to 1/3 of its’ total
capacity.
Water Chemistry

I won’t try to relate everything that was discussed about water chemistry. If problems come up,
consulting a good reference would be in order. Here are the high spots:

Even though we are dealing with fresh water in our ponds, some salinity is necessary to soften
the water and create a more hospitable environment for the fish. When adding fresh water or set-
ting up the pond, the recommended dosage of sea (pure...no additives) salt is 1/2 cup per 100 gal-
lons. If you are adding water to your pond to replace evaporation, do not add more salt.

The carbon used in filters should be phosphate free. Avoid garden charcoal. Phosphates support
algae bloom which you really want to discourage in your pond! Also look for macro porous
charcoal...NOT micro porous.

Unplanted Pond: During the first two weeks of a pond’s life, its’ ammonia levels will be the
highest. Encourage the customer to TEST the water frequently. Treating the pH to maintain 7.0
or lower will help protect your fish when the ammonia levels are getting a bit high. Eventually
ammonia eating bacteria will develop which will lower the levels of ammonia but raise the nitrite
level of the water. The nitrites will become nitrates after that and nitrates are what feed the
plants in the pond. Until this cycle comes full circle and achieves some sort of balance, it is im-
portant to TEST the water and manage the ammonia levels. Doing a water change every 3-4
weeks is a good idea. Change about 20% of the water (drain out 20% of old first) and be sure to
add sea salt at the recommended rate for the amount of new water you’ve added. Changing more
than 20% can shock the fish since not only are you lowering the ammonia levels but probably
affecting the pH as well. Don’t be tempted to change too much at a time.

Planted Pond: Plants will consume the nitrates in the water so managing a planted pond is a bit
different than when it has no plants. In a new pond the ecological balance has yet to be estab-
lished so it’s important to meet the nutritional needs of the plants until they can be supported by
the pond’s natural ecological balance. Use liquid food supplements at the recommended rate to
feed the plants while waiting for the pond to produce enough of its’ own nitrates.

Although carbons in your filtering system will remove organic waste and toxins, it will not affect
the ammonia levels in your pond. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals has a product called Ammo Rocks
which will absorb ammonia from the water. These are very light weight but will sink to the bot-
tom and look like rock (must be where they got the name!).

Algaecides will be BIG sellers. If people want to discourage the growth of algae without the use
of chemicals there are a few things they can do:

  • Reduce sunlight by covering 60-70% of the pond with surface plants.
  • Stock with snails.
  • Have submerged oxygenating plants.
  • Keep the nitrate levels in the water down by using plants with high nutritional 
  demands such as pennywort and water hyacinths.
Maintenance

 • Clean Filters.
 • Clean Debris.
 • Don’t use anything in the pond that is not labeled aquatic safe (do not use rocks from 
 other sources).
 • Always follow directions when putting anything into your pond. More isn’t better!
 • Use fertilizers when needed.
 • Use fish medications when problems are noticed.

Predators

Raccoons, Herons and Kingfishers can really take their toll on a pond if not checked. There are
no foolproof methods, but the following ideas may help. For raccoons, removing the shelves on
the sides of the pond discourages them from dining at your pool. They are not particularly inter-
ested in going swimming to catch their dinner. Also, you could try electrical deterrents such as a
Fido Shock device. It isn’t recommended that you use cement drainage pipe sections for your
fish to hide in because fish will also hide when they are sick. If your fish is sick and hiding, he
could infect your whole pond before you notice the problem and treat it. Providing other types
of camouflage is good, however. Use rocks and plants in the bottom of your pond for this pur-
pose.

Miscellaneous Tips

The appetites of the fish in the pond will be affected by the water temperature. The fish go into a
semi-dormant state in the winter when the water is below 50 degrees. During this time a good
food to give them is a wheat germ preparation (follow label recommendations). This will usually
be started in late winter-early spring. When the water gets over 50 degrees the fish will need
regular food.

Suggested Add-On Sale Items: Tools, Plants and Shrubs, Birdbaths, Pond Equipment such as
Pumps and Filters, Fertilizers

We need more education. Consider providing displays and videos for the customer. You can
check out videos to them with a $5 deposit that can be applied to a future purchase after the re-
turn of the videotape. Other good educational resources are books. Two that come highly rec-
ommended are Water Gardening (beautiful book, but I didn’t catch the author/authors) and The
Koi Encyclopedia. Sunset also has some good books on ponds and water gardening.

Mesh pots can be purchased for planting your water lilies. This allows the roots to have more
contact with the water in the pond. Just line them with plain white paper towels (no dyes) before
planting to keep the soil in until it settles. Our speaker also recommended putting the pump in a
mesh pot along with rocks. This is nice for the pump but mainly keeps the consumer honest in
the way he removes the pump from the pond for cleaning. Oil leaks in pumps usually occur be-
cause of a breakage in the cable where it attaches to the pump. This happens because of repeated
lifting of the pump by its’ cord instead of reaching down and grabbing the pump itself (thus get-
ting your arm wet!). If the contained pump is weighted by the basket, it must be lifted up prop-
erly. This really adds to the life of the pump.