DIY Backyard Garden Pond

How To Build Backyard Garden Pond:

Bring the magic of a wishing well straight to your backyard & add a charming affect by adding plants & transforming it in to an epic DIY backyard garden pond. This project is perfect for small house & townhouse owners who want to add a dreamy appeal to their patio, backyard, or garden. Crafted from solid timber with a rigid base, it's been given a hand-burnished finish for a weathered look that's sure to delight.

To provide a large space to my fish I have changed a wishing well into a pond. The wishing well is made up of wood & I have fixed it & have converted it into a fish pond. This pond is hexagonal & I have added an additional timber so that it is able to hold water. I have purchased few plastic fountain kits from store & have used it to aerate water, & I am looking forward to making a filter for this pond from buckets.

This pond has nature inspired textures, simple & earthly colors, & finally a natural, organic warmth. I have sealed the timber that have been used in this tutorial so that it is going to sustain the elements & termite infestation. For safety I have used low voltage pond pump & light & have made a filter for pond made of buckets that can act as planter too & help remove toxic components from water & allow clean water to flow through it. Adding plants is very important because it can help in biological filtration which is very important because large number of fish dies in aquarium / pond due to lack of biological filtration. Fish waste which is toxic for fish is broken down into less toxic nitrites & then plants can help convert nitrites into nitrate which is even lesser harmful & can be removed with regular water changes.

I want to add native fish of Australia in this pond after building pond filter & completing nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen cycle is a process that builds up good bacteria which enhances immunity of fish.

I have built a timber roof which is aesthetically appealing & can provide shade to this pond during summers & can stop rain water to enter pond. Shade is very important because hot temperature can heat up water which is dangerous for fish because fish needs medium water temperature which is neither cold nor hot. This pond can help sustain challenges imposed by harsh weather of Melbourne.

The simplest way to build a pond is to convert a beautiful wishing well into a fish pond. The size of the pond is not a big constraint as I only want to keep small native Australian fish & I am sharing this tutorial to help fans build an easy small fish pond.

How to build a low budget backyard garden pond:

Watch how to build an amazing low budget backyard garden pond in tutorial below:

Step 1: Base:

Adding a base can help make it sturdy. I tried the wishing well with pond liner in the past but once filled with water, the well started to bow. Wishing well backyard pond has been working fine so far and i haven't noticed anything that could concern me.

Step 2: Paint:

You can paint your pond exterior surface with weather proof brown paint. A lot of rain is expected in winter, dew and other elements can rot the wood. To keep it going for an extended period of time, painting is a good option. It can also help blending in the backyard pond with existing landscaping. 

Step 3: Wires:

By hiding the wires you can protect them from weather "hot, cold and rain" and it also keeps them away from humans & animals. Since both pond filter and lights are low voltage, wires should be okay under the synthetic turf. Proper precautions must be taken if high voltage pump is used.

Step 4: Insulation:

Insulation is very important for protection of pond water from external temperature. It will help in keeping the pond warm in winter and cooler in warmer months. Properly insulated pond ensures that water temperature of the pond doesn't fluctuate quickly with the outside temperature. Fish can get prone to disease if the water temperature fluctuates too often. In my case, Styrofoam is also protecting the pond liner from getting punctured.

Step 5: Pond Liner:

Pond Liner can help protect your tank from seepage & avoids dirt / debris from polluting water. I have used a liner for rectangular ponds, i believe there are liners available in the market which will suit well a circular pond like my wishing well fish pond. Styrofoam used under the liner will protect pond liner from puncturing.

Step 6: Timber:

Timber is used to fix liner to pond. Timber is pre-cut & it is water-resistant. I have used long & thin nails for attaching timber to pond. Wider wood would have done a better job in this case, something i failed to determine before buying the timber. I painted this timber black to match the color of the pond liner and it also goes well with color of garden pond.

Step 7: Garden Edge:

Garden Edge is painted same color as pond. Steel pegs are used to keep garden edge in place. Round black polished stones are used for a beautiful outlook. Bamboo fencing can be another option to finish off the dreamy appearance of the garden pond.

Step 8: Fountain Kit:

It is time to test the fountain kit. Water fountains are of different types & I have tested 4 different water fountains. The water fountain in the first photo suits this small backyard pond well. Other fountain kit are more suitable for medium size ponds, as quite lot of water is wasted from splashing.

DIY Backyard Garden Pond Features:

Insulation:

Insulation is required for this pond to keep water warm in winters & save pond from heating up in summers. I have used recycled Styrofoam under the pond liner to offer insulation & keeping water warm in cold temperatures because weather can make water too cold for pond fish. Also in summers water gets too hot & insulation can protect pond water from outside temperature. This is a very crucial step so don’t forget to use Styrofoam in your pond to seal it from outside temperatures. Also it can be used to avoid splinters & other items from puncturing the liner of pond.

Pond Liner:

Beneath the stunning foliage & healthy fish life of the pond is liner that protects pond from seepage. This is a very useful product that do not allow dirt & other debris from polluting water. Liner is required for sealing pond & it is made of fine material that does not easily puncture & have long life.

Pump & Light:

I am using a low voltage pump & light for this pond. Such equipment can protect from electrical shock & also they are cheap. It is advisable to use low voltage equipment for your pond because safety comes first.

Water Feature:

Water feature can help circulate water & aerate them at the same time, & your pond looks exceptionally beautiful & gives a look of fountain with this additional thing. Use one which runs perfectly in your pond.