DIY Backyard Fish Pond

For years we tossed around the idea of a fish pond in the back yard but shrugged it off figuring it was outside the scope of our abilities and finances. We also couldn’t agree on a location. However, when the birdbath quit holding water, I really missed having a water feature in the veggie garden off the deck. I figured that out of any spot in the yard, that little bed could handle a permanent feature. There was a nice brick path on one side and the water spigot was only a few feet away. There was already power running to the broken birdbath.

After browsing the selection of pond liners at Lowes, I realized I didn’t need an amorphous shape so much as I wanted draping foliage and fish. With the flowy nature of our garden paths, a flowy-edged pond might be overkill. There were circular ones at Lowes, but they weren’t deep enough.

So as we all do, I browsed the interwebs. One weekend Tractor Supply was running a sale on stock tanks, which were over two feet deep, so I brought home a 100 gallon Rubbermaid tank. We set it in the spot, and Joe said, “If we are already going to dig a hole, you might as well get the big one.” So we went back and exchanged the 100 gallon for the 300 gallon tub. Technically, fish need 3ft of water to overwinter or hibernate due to ice formation, but here in Raleigh, I’ve only ever seen thin sheets form in the birdbath and plant trays left out. I’ll keep my eyes on the pond on super low nights to make sure there is some free surface.

There was a lot of digging up plants and then even more digging. Three hundred gallons of soil is no small matter. We were able to fill in the low spots in the yard and mound up the woodland garden by the firepit.

We made sure the pond was level and not crooked. The pond was a tad bit wider than the garden bed on one end, so we had to realign the path.

I made several trips to Lowes for stones, a new pump for the birdbath and treatment for the water. We installed the birdbath to be the fountain, and since it sits inside the pond, the leaking doesn’t matter. Clever, right? I also wasted no time running to Campbell Road Nursery for pond plants.

And finally we added fish. Just kidding. That’s a kid.

Once the water cleared we did add fish and stared at them for hours and hours. We even added minnows and tadpoles we picked up from “nature” trips.

We didn’t set a budget (we are pretty terrible planners when it comes to projects), but we mostly just stuck to essentials. The pond was originally $250, but we got it on sale for 20% off. The goldfish were about $0.40 a piece. The two fancy goldfish were $5/each. The Koi was $8. The sucker fish was $12 (we haven’t seen it since we put it in). The new pump was about $25-$30. The pond chemicals ran $13/each at Lowes – one for fish health or chlorine treatment and one to clarify the water. Fish pellets are about $5/can. The fancy pebbles were maybe $25 for two bags. I built up a wall with landscape blocks we already had and partially backfilled it with some crushed stone ($3/bag and 2-3 bags). I then spread the fancy pebbles across the bottom. They now are covered in algae, but the fish seem to like them and the wall, which they hide out behind. I spent nearly $80 on pond plants, which reminds me that I need to bring some inside for winter before it freezes. I will admit the special plants were a splurge, but they really made the space more beautiful and provide shade for the fish. Actually, the entire project is a splurge (around $400 and counting as we keep playing with it), but there is an added benefit of being able to apply the nutrient rich water to the garden when doing a 10% weekly volume change. I can happily quit buying fish emulsion from the garden center!

It’s been fun and has given us plenty of bonding moments. It attracts insects, and we are hoping that next year it will attract frogs. We never did see the tadpoles leave the pond as frogs, because they were about ready to hop along right as we left town for a week. When we came home, they were all gone.