Building a small pond

[wildWoman]

I want to build a small pond for our ducks, sort of wading pool size. Any ideas what would be a good way to do it with a drain in it? Normal pondliner foil couldn't have a drain in it, or? And if I make it out of cement, does the cement have to be sealed so the water won't seep through?

[BraggSurvivor]

http://www.pondsonlinecanada.com/

[Sourdough]

In the old days we used a post hole digger and three sticks of dynamite. If you line it and a moose walks in it.....you will have moose holes.

[Rick]

WW - Google Koi Ponds or Coy Ponds. You'll have tons of examples to look at. Koi is quite popular both in Japan and in the states. Just another carp to me but then I have no taste...or wait...That's right, I taste like chicken.

[Rick]

Here's a nice link that has some estimators for determining your pond size:

http://watergarden.com/pages/build_wg.html

Lest we not forget Mother Earth News:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2006-04-01/Build-a-POND.aspx

[Ridge Wolf]

When I was in college, I studied Fisheries Technology and that is curriculum specifically targeted at working in Fish Hatcheries. Included in that was how the raceways were built, most easily made out of concrete. Although it isn't needed, you can seal the concrete with concrete sealer much like a garage floor is sealed with a similar coating. I would make sure that your top coat of concrete is smooth. That doesn't mean that you need to put a mortar top coat over the base concrete. Just puddle the concrete so the gravel is slightly below surface. Be sure to pour your concrete the same thickness (5 to 6 inches to be sure) throughout to the top of sides to guard against weather related cracking.

A drain can be put in and plumbed out to your garden but obviously before the concrete is poured. I say to plumb it out to your garden for drainage because fish detritus, that fish waste that goes to the bottom of the pond is good fertilizer. You should have some kind of aeration mechanism in place, be it a waterfall or pumped through filters or such as charcoal to assure clean water and enough air for the fish to take in. There are guidlines to how much air in the water according to the particular needs of the type of fish in the pond. Make some part of the pond deeper toward the center where they can hide from predators such as cats... If you have a fish pond and cats are around ... wild or otherwise.. you'll attract them to your property, maybe even a few bears depending on where you are. Of course, if you are just having ducks in there you don't need to worry about anything related to keeping fish.

[wildWoman]

Thanks guys...RW, that's great info. Concrete is the way to go, I think, since the ducks have claws on their feet and it somehow sounds more straightforward. No, not planning on having fish and plants in there (sigh, it WOULD be nice), just a tiny thing for the ducks to splash around in. Since a waterpump is still on the wish list, I'll have to keep it small.