Ponds 101

Chapter 4

The Garden Pond


Garden Ponds

Typical Garden Pond

This intermediate type of pond seeks to establish a balance between fish and plants, so that fish wastes are consumed by plants and vice versa, keeping the water clean and clear with minimal filtration and maintenance. Plants may float, be planted in pots, grow on a shelf inside the pond or live in a bog along the perimeter, but regardless of where they’re located, all will help purify and clarify the water. This is the easiest type of pond to build and take care of, with colorful goldfish and beautiful water lilies, so it’s very popular with both beginners and veteran pondkeepers alike. To reduce maintenance to an absolute minimum, the Garden Pond can be enhanced with waterfalls fed by high efficiency Pumps that oxygenate the pond and accelerate bacterial decomposition of wastes; Skimmers that collect floating debris before it sinks in easy-to-clean baskets and nets; and Biological Filters that continuously convert the ammonia from fish wastes into nitrates that feed the plants. With so much of the work being done automatically, it’s no wonder the Garden Pond with Skimmer and Biofilter has become the most popular version of residential pond. We’ll begin with Garden Pond construction; we’ll discuss more complicated versions in later segments.