addressing new ponder question; what do I do?

[brokensword]

okies, basics but realize, there IS some detail worth exploring;

--lay out where you want the pond, put it in a place you'll see it regularly, in a place where when you sit, you won't get sun in your eyes, in a place where trees won't drop leaves all the time into it. You should have some idea of your overall design so you can dig/build to suit. I heartily recommend bog filtration and if you go this way, consider where you want it because it can become part of the dig (or not; you can have it retrofit and built on the ground beside the pond).

--dig hole (either by hand or rent a machine or find someone with a backhoe and pay him/her to do it). One aspect most miss is to make sure when you're done that you have shallow shelves all around; this is so you can place rocks/plants there and cover the liner that's above the waterline and exposed to the sun. Sun's UV will degrade the liner prematurely.

--measure to get longest width and length, including at least 12" on all sides on the bank. I'd actually take a tape measure and work it on all surfaces, vertical and horizontal. Extra is better than not enough. Now, shop for liner. There's two basic ones used that are proven; EPDM and HDRPE. The latter is less expensive, lighter, cheaper, usually doesn't need underlayment and is stiffer.

--install the liner (and any underlayment, first). Do not put any rocks anywhere on the liner until AFTER you fill as the liner is going to be pulled by the weight of water.

--build any waterfall structure you want now. IF you included this dimension along with the over all measure for the pond liner, just make sure your waterfall portion is 'cupped', is a bowl shape because you don't want any leaking or splashing to escape, you want it all to end up back in the pond. Now, if you are going to use a separate liner (usually, this is the case) place the waterfall liner down, cup it, making sure it's 6" at least down into the pond over the pond liner and the pond liner comes UP under this waterfall liner by 12"; this will prevent wicking leaks.

--if you go bog filtration, you either figured this as part of your pond liner (which is what I did) or it too is separate. Your bog can be either in ground or above ground or anywhere in between. The design is your choice. Whatever you choose, you make sure your bog sides and back are at least 4" taller than the front wall, which will be your pond pour-back wall; this will prevent overflowing when the bog starts to channel. The bog liner, like the waterfall (if a separate piece) should also be 6" down over the pond liner and the pond liner 12" up under the bog liner. For the bog, you can either dig a hole and line it, making sure the final front wall height is 6" minimum higher than the pond water level, or do similar by building partially/wholly above ground. I made mine using ground contact 4x4s. You can use earth, conc blocks, treated wood. You can even go with rubbermaid totes but you'l have more plumbing and more complexity than what I described above. Too, the bigger you build the bog, the more latitude you have for error before it goes into catastrophe. Can't over filter a pond.

--So, now you can place your rock, if you've included this in your design. For the waterfall, the way I like to build them is to use conc brick, slabs, and block to create a 'stairs' like structure over which I'll place my deco rock. Leave spaces for some pots of plants, if you're going that way. Plants help naturalize and soften a 'volcano' type waterfall, which btw, I'd advise against. In the overall design, plan on spreading the landscape all around your pond so it looks like nature put it there. A 'volcano' type waterfall is a pile of rocks that sticks up out of flat landscape. Nature doesn't do it that way, so if you are designing, think about this aspect. Too, nature does NOT design ponds with a 'string of pearls' aspect. Sure, you want rocks (usually) around the pond, but not JUST on the perimeter. Plan on spreading some back and work them into the surrounding area. Pull that string into a random scatter that makes the eye see more than just the pearl look. It helps to dig larger rocks in, about halfway, again, as nature would do.

--As a newbie, after you fill with water and start thinking 'wow, can I add fish right away?' the answer is no, unless you put just a couple to start the cycling process. You're a newbie so you probably don't know what that means yet, so while the water has to sit, learn about the nitrogen cycle. It will help you understand what is going on with ponds. It can take up to 2 months to cycle or as little as 3 weeks; depends on how impatient you are. Look up fishless cycling and see if you want to go that way. But if you have a decent size pond (I'd say over 1000 gallons), you would be fine adding a couple fish (small ones, nothing large) and enjoying this cycle process more.

--Now, some fish facts that need your attention; if you are going 1000 gallons or more, you're a candidate for koi. If not, I'd stick with goldfish and your life will be a lot less stressful. General rule of thumb; 1000 gallons for the FIRST koi and 250-500 for each additional. This will keep you from overstocking, which will again make your life more difficult re ponding. That bog thing I mentioned? That would be your safety valve and is why I'd suggest you learn and adopt it. Lots of pond ills can be cured with bog filtration. And they have shubunkin goldfish which are the poor mans' koi; check them out.

--some don'ts; don't overfeed, don't over stock, don't let leaves fall into the pond without maintenance, don't add salt (your plants and fish are freshwater, not saltwater and even though this is a holdover habit a lot of ponders still do, salt is good for temporary quarantine tanks and won't come out of the pond unless you do water changes. Water changes; I'm not one that thinks you ever need do this; if a pond is in balance/equilibrium, imo it's unnecessary. Don't powerwash (this takes away the beneficial biofilm your pond IS going to get and what you want; if you do powerwash, you'll be starting the cycle all over again.)

--some benefits to bog filtration (and lots of plants) you won't have algae issues (the free floating kind; the algae on your UW surfaces is the type you want), won't need additives like barley extract or hay, won't need UV, should not have much string algae problems, will have the most bio filtering that you can get, esp over comparably spec'd store bought gear. This bio filtration along with the plants will save you a lot of grief. More time on lounge with a favorite drink, watching the fish. Which is the point here, yes? Unless you're a gearhead and LIKE to mess with all that stuff, which can be effective. I just like to point out it's not necessary for successful ponding. To each their own.

---So, you got the hole dug, the liner in, the rocks places, the water in, studied the cycle, put in some fish, did the landscape around the pond, are now sitting in your favorite spot with drink in hand...now what? Well, you come on FB and start telling NEW NOOBS how to have a successful pond! With pictures, of course!!