Preformed Ponds

If one has set their heart on getting a garden pond a fish pond or a lawn pond but does not have the time to go buying pond material then they don’t need to worry. Preformed ponds are now easily available in a number of sizes, shapes and material. One can get a preformed simple lawn pond to a 14 foot preformed garden pond. All one needs to do is to decide where to place the pond in the lawn or garden and its shape and capacity. There is a large variety of preformed ponds that one can select from. One can get a plastic or fiberglass preformed pond or one of rubber and plastic composites. Flexible preformed ponds have an advantage that one can buy the required size by capacity 80 gallon, 100 gallon, etc and they can be installed in whatever shape one wants. These ponds can be folded and packed in the trunk of a car and be transported. Preformed garden and lawn ponds can also be purchased in pre-shaped and molded plastic or fiberglass.

The hole that is dug for the pond should be slightly larger then the actual size of the pond and the pond bed should be level. This extra space will allow one to make any corrections to the pond. If it’s a molded plastic or fiberglass pond half fill it to see if it is level. Don’t fill up the pond completely without first firming up the sides as the weight of the water could cause cracks in the sides of the pond. Make sure that the pond is level and the sides have been firmed up with earth and stones. Put in all the rocks, plants etc and connect the pipes and plumbing and then fill up the pond.

If one is using a preformed pond liner to build a pond then there are two choices in the material which are butyl or PVC. Butyl is heavier but more flexible then PVC liners. Both are suitable for lager ponds and one should avoid having too many corners as the liner will tend to overlap. When setting up the liner extra care should be taken to ensure that the liner does not get punctured on any root etc. take care in leveling the beds and make sure that the sides have firm all round support. As a liner is flexible any loose side is going to cause the water to spill out. Before filling up the pond double check that the sides are firm and there are no punctures in the pond liner.

Preformed fish ponds are also available and setting one up is the same as setting up any other preformed molded or liner pond. The extra care that will be required for a fish pond is that there is a water aerator so that the oxygen level does not deplete and the fish die and if the pond is in a cold area one may need to install a water heater. Koi and goldfish are quite hardy fish and are the most popular fish that people keep in garden ponds or fish ponds. If one goes for a plastic pre formed pond one must bear in mind that this may not last as long as a flexible preformed pond or a pond that has been made with pre formed pond liner.

It is not advised to place any loose pebbles or gravel on the edges of the pond as one can slip on them and have a nasty accident. One can easily buy a preformed pond and a supplier may not have the entire line available so one may have to order one from the net or through the supplier. Carefully examine the pictures of preformed ponds in the catalog and get an idea of the dimensions from the supplier.

There is a choice in ponds that range from large preformed pond to small preformed lawn pond which are available and one just has to know what is it that they want to get. It is always a good idea to get a pond that is slightly larger as one never knows what one might want to add to the pond at a later stage.