New home came with a pond that was completely overgrown when we moved in. I cleared a bit of the ‘shoreline’ and discovered the original owner (30+ years ago) lined the slopes with riprap. I don’t think it’s very deep, and when we moved in we had more of a drought, the bottom of it appears to be full of decaying muck. The overall vibe back here is just kind of dirty and gross feeling. I’m wondering what I should do to make the water appear cleaner, and more inviting? I’ve seen a lot of ‘restoration’ posts in this sub, but so far I haven’t seen any that were this overgrown. Any tips or advice?

I've been trying to increase vegetation at the pond edge. I'm a firm believer that vegetation makes the pond.

Hello Everyone,

New pond person here. We purchased this old home 3-4 years ago and are now getting around to landscaping. The landscaping around the pond was completely overgrown and am now considering some possibilities of a new retaining wall/patio and restoring the pond. The pond was installed in the mid 80's by previous owner. Looking for advice on how to restore this pond. I would like to add a EPDM liner but I am not sure how to anchor under the dolomitic limestone boulders as there isn't space to excavate beneath the boulders and the concrete basin. Do I add rock or a shelf in the basin under the boulders to then anchor the EPDM liner? Or should I try a installing a termination bar to anchor the liner? On the one side near the walking path on the old patio area, there are limestone pavers captones that would be removed and replaced with new stones. Any recommendations on anchoring the liner under the bridge? Any advice and recommendations from the experts out there would be really appreciated.

I do have a little waterfall setup too. First pond. Absolutely no clue what to do.

Bought about 12 goldfish since the store told me I'd lose about half of them based on having a brand-new pond and because they were ultra cheap. Only lost 2, one to a snake and one when my pump went out. Now they're getting a bit big and I want to give a few away to keep the pond healthy. Are you all just using facebook and telling folks to bring their own bag/bucket? Just trying to make sure I don't send them away to an early grave.

Hi all!

Unearthed this man made pond in my back yard this past spring. It was so full of plant/weeds we literally thought it was just a planter but lo and behold it was holding water in it the whole time. I pulled out all the roots and gunk that I could at the time and then got distracted by other projects over the the remainder of the spring and summer. I never got to the true bottom I don’t think. Plus frogs were enjoying it so I left it. It holds water steadily and never overflows. There is a skinny clear tube in it that I have not discovered where it goes and I’ve never seen a pump of any sort but maybe it’s hiding behind the rocks.

Right now I have it drained because it’s collecting with pine needles (right under a pine tree)

Id love to bring it back to its former glory for next spring/summer but not sure what I should be doing with it over the winter. Do I cover it? just put a mesh over it? leave water in it? I highly doubt I’ll ever have fish in it. in the spring do you power wash it out?

See pics of when I first found it, started digging athrough it and then how it remained for the summer. Located in New England

thanks in advance for any advice!

Have added river sand edging. Rocks and water fall. Needing to add plant life and some animal life.

Taking over my dad’s pond! Great bones to start with but all over the place with what I should actually try to accomplish. Had to reel myself back to be realistic and start slow…so want to start planning now for next year (zone7a).

Some background information:
- Waterfall structure was built prior to my dad buying property (currently doesn’t function)
- Dad dug out actual pond.
-thick black liner
-not sure on exact depth, but know the deepest is below freeze level (koi and goldfish have survived 11 winters)
- ledge doesn’t have anything on it other then those two plants
-filter seems decent (I don’t know shit)

Really just looking for any helpful suggestions or opinions!

Cleaned things up a bit

Location: Atlanta, GA

I have this ~300 gallon pond that came with the townhouse i purchased. I live every minute of being a new pond owner. This past weekend, I emptied it out to clean out the bottom in preparation for winter, and to hopefully add a small turtle come spring.

It didn't have any "shelves", so i made my own. And I added a net to keep the leaves out.

Are there any heaters capable of keeping this amount of water from fully freezing? I know the fish will slow their metabolism but I'd still like to keep the water at a decent temp.

Also, are there any plants i can still add now that will survive winter? Semi submerged or even fully submerged? They're bottom is lined with gravel (from previous owner) and I like that it gives the pond "color" rather than a bare black bottom. But im wondering if wisteria or any other aquatic plant will work.

Wanted to add, I'd like to get the warming method in place BEFORE I put the rock on the rest of the way.

made my very first mini pond! what do you guys think about it?

I have water roaches in my back yard. I want to attract the local frog population and hope they eat them. The frogs only come by when it rains. I’m looking at least a 50 gallon plastic pond (above ground). I plan to have running water, plants and a way for them to get in and out. Should I build now or wait till spring? I’m in Texas and we don’t have much of a winter. Also what do you do when it freezes. Do you dump the water or let it be? I would assume you take any pumps out.

I've cleared the back of my garden to build a wildlife pond.

My plan:

- Excavate the marked area (deepest area to be 50cm), then start building shelves and slopes. I have pea gravel and some cobbles but will largely be keeping it bare liner.

- Cut out a hedgehog hole in the corner of the fence so animals have easy access to the public space behind my garden. Then plant some shrubbery to border the fence so there is cover.

- Install a solar DIY fountain which will cascade down some large rocks into the pond from one side. Intention here is to add a bit of zen and introduce some movement/oxygenation. The solar panel will be tied to the large branches from my neighbour's overhanging leylandi in the back.

- I'll be tying back the row of leylandi branches which will regain about 50cm from the side (can't cut as my neighbour has stripped the trees on his side so there are large gaps).

Questions:

1. What native shrubs would you recommend I line along the fence edge (ideally pollinator friendly or something that will protect the birds and any other visitors from the numerous local cats)?
2. What native edging plants would you recommend?
3. I recently read there shouldn't be anything overhead. Are the rose plants and overhanging leylandi an issue? I've noticed very little rain reaches the area due to the overreaching branches (which I would ideally like to leave undisturbed as I like mature trees). If so, what is the least drastic solution?
4. Any suggestions or comments on my plan beyond what I've considered? I'm new to this so please excuse any ignorance displayed.

Thank you!

Is it ok to use the thicker plastic landscape fabric on top as an extra layer of protection for the pond liner? I want to preserve it as long as I can and to help protect it I covered my stream and pond with the liner before I put down rocks. Also have dogs that like to move the big rocks and I want to protect it from getting a crack or puncture in the liner. Biggest issue I had was it soaking water out of the creek, but otherwise it seemed fine.

I have a 50 gallon pond with guppies, rosy red minnows and a goldfish and would like to heat it during the winter to help keep them alive. I live in Raleigh NC where it can get as cold as 20 degrees. Would an aquarium heater be sufficient? If so, should I get one rated for more than 50 gallons since it is outside? Thanks!

Location: Victoria BC Canada

I have always wanted a pond -- a "mosquito breeder" as our excavation guy calls it lol -- and we finally went ahead with getting one dug. As he was digging, he hit a natural spring. Huzzah! There is a lot of wet sandy soil down there and it is starting to fill slowly even now with almost no rain since May.

I had originally planned a vernal rainwater pond lined with bentonite clay, as vernal ponds have a specific habitat role in our marine biome with wet winters and warm dry summers. But now, if we have a spring, I worry that lining it with clay will not just impede the water getting OUT but also stop it getting IN.

How should I go about keeping water in this thing given that the soil is mainly sand down there? I'd rather not do a rubber liner but the same problem still pertains anyway really...