Making a pond bigger..... anyone done it?

[PriorityOne]

My pond is approx. 5ft x 3ft x 4ft and I want it BIGGER.... ... probably about 9-12ft across.....

 

I was just wondering if anyone had done this and how it went. I'm assuming that I (although it won't be me) will have to dig a second hole and remove the fish and existing liner before joining it into the first hole and then laying fresh liner.

 

It's not for this year by the way.... it'll next year's mission!

[bsj]

We did this in may of this year,we had to buy a new liner as they are not easy to join with out leaks.

The smaller pond was'nt to heavily stocked,we kept the fish in a large plastic tub while we carried out the work and they were fine.

 

The existing pond was about 6 x 4ft ,the new bigger one is now 14x 12,we wanted it bigger so we could keep larger Koi's,and add a waterfall.

 

It was worth the hard work,the end result is stunning,the fish have bred for the first time and we certainly have more fauna and flora in the garden because of it.

 

I would say go for it,we're pleased we did.

[PriorityOne]

We did this in may of this year,we had to buy a new liner as they are not easy to join with out leaks.

The smaller pond was'nt to heavily stocked,we kept the fish in a large plastic tub while we carried out the work and they were fine.

 

The existing pond was about 6 x 4ft ,the new bigger one is now 14x 12,we wanted it bigger so we could keep larger Koi's,and add a waterfall.

 

It was worth the hard work,the end result is stunning,the fish have bred for the first time and we certainly have more fauna and flora in the garden because of it.

 

I would say go for it,we're pleased we did.

 

That sounds fantastic!! I've read that joining liners is a risky business, so would have to invest in a new one..... but I LOVE ponds and waterfalls, etc..... so really want to do it!!! I am currently clearing the area of undergrowth, etc. ready for next year and so I can assess the size available.

 

We dug the existing pond after having a small, pre-formed plastic one above the ground for a few years.... so it just seems to be gettng bigger and bigger.... lol! If you are able to upload some pics. onto here, I would love to see it!

 

[ro284]

I did something similar, mine pond was around 7 by 4, in front of a garage wall, i dont keep fish, mine is a wildlife pond full of newts, however at the narrowest end i built a stone slab for a bridge (only around 2 foot long.) i wanted to continue the pond around the back of the garage, to give an extra 7 by 6,back pond, i joined a new liner under this bridge, in the corner of the extra section at the back, there was an old birch tree stump, i could not get out, so i built on top of the stump a natural stone water fall. the birch tree has rotted away now, but the stone waterfall is very strong, sadly the pump blew the trip last week and is faulty. now there is duckweed in both ponds. the pump sucked water from the front pond through a pipe in the garage, and through a filter tub, then fed the waterfall, so the water is (Or was) flowing under the stone bridge, the front liner has a leak, but no time to replace at the moment, just to add its not easy to join the liner it is best if it is all one peice, but with mine, i joined it in a narrow place with an extra long peice of liner going under the bridge, with a flap that i can lift up to seperate the two ponds for maintenance. as it is more shallow under the bridge,good luck. Ro

[PriorityOne]

Thanks for your input....

 

I was reading up on joining liners but don't feel confident enough to go ahead. My current liner is 10 years old now and I could use this to make a waterfall, so it's not wasted. I hope you get the pump sorted.... mine went last year and needed replacing. I got it off Ebay, brand new and at a fraction of the cost in shops and garden centres, so it's worth doing a search on there.

 

[bsj]

We decided to embark on the bigger pond as we found a little aquatic place selling all their stock off so the new liners were dirt cheap,the preformed waterfall was an ex-display so he let us have it for a hundred quid.

 

I'll find some pics and post them up it'll be the first time iv'e showed off our handywork lol.

 

Two thing bug me though blanket weed and leeches,we have thounsands of the little blighters.

 

We got a brand new UV bio filter off ebay for £60.00,all in all we did it pretty cheaply.

[bsj]

 

 

This was as we were laying the liner.

[bsj]

Here's the finished result.hope you enjoy and get the bug to expand your pond.

 

We still have to put some finishing touches to it but hubby's redundancy has put paid to that for now.

[PriorityOne]

That is lovely!! Thanks for taking the time to upload these....

 

I'm not sure how to deal with leeches and don't have that problem myself.... so maybe I've got types of catfish that eat them or something..... but blanketweed can be a pain when the pond's in direct sunlight, as yours seems to be. Mine is the same but since having the UV filter on, it's kept it under control so hopefully, now you have the new equipment..... yours should start to get better. It needs to be left on for the full 24 hours during summer though.

 

You were lucky with the aquatic stock being sold cheap.... that's great. I've had quite a lot off Ebay and got may have a look for the liner when the time's right.

 

[bsj]

Well thank you for your positive comment my hubby will be pleased.

As you can tell we are quite proud of ourselves definatley a labour of love.

 

I have been looking at organic ways to ged rid of the leech,but finding a suitable container with small enough holes is difficult.

Googled it and the best way is a piece of liver in a plastic pot with tiny holes so once they feed on the liver they can't escape then you freeze them it's apparently the most humane way to kill them:???:,i just can't seem to get the holes small enough with out cracking the plastic.

 

It is in full sun we were thinking of putting an awning of some sort above it to cut the sun light,,onnce the pond lillies get alot bigger it should give more cover,hopefully the blanket weed will be a little easier to control,we've even put barley straw bales in the pond to combat it.

 

I'm so glad you liked it,we think it's quite an unusual design as it's walled on the front and over looks the patio.

 

Best of luck with your project,i hope to see some pics when your done.

[PriorityOne]

Eeeewww.... that sounds horrible about the leeches.... rather you than me.... lol!

 

I used barley straw for the blanketweed a few years back but it didn't make a lot of difference. I think the key is to keep the water moving, have a UV filter and provide some shade, as you say. I have smaller lillies on my current pond and a waterfall that keeps it all moving, but before that.... the water was a lovely shade of green with clumps of blanketweed everywhere. Not good.

 

[bsj]

Eeeewww.... that sounds horrible about the leeches.... rather you than me.... lol!

 

I used barley straw for the blanketweed a few years back but it didn't make a lot of difference. I think the key is to keep the water moving, have a UV filter and provide some shade, as you say. I have smaller lillies on my current pond and a waterfall that keeps it all moving, but before that.... the water was a lovely shade of green with clumps of blanketweed everywhere. Not good.

 

 

Iv'e read up so much on the pond water quality and apparently it does'nt bother the fish if the water's pea green as long as it's oxgenated well,it bothers us humans because we can't see the fish

 

I like to be able to see them to keep an eye on any ailments they might pick up,so in that respect i feel clear water is in their best interest.

 

The barley was next to useless in a full sun pond,in our garden we are in full sun all day one reason we put next to the fence we hoped it would help with shading,did'nt work out that wat though.

I go out every morning to clear the blanket weed to help keep it down,i'm pretty sure without the UV it would be alot worse.

[PriorityOne]

I've heard that about green water as well..... but it's so horrible to see!! Clear water is so much nicer and you can see the fish colours and everything. I have 5 cats (insane yes, I know!) but none of them have EVER gone after the fish. They do go down to the pond for a drink though; despite having fresh water available all the time...... and it's a beautiful sight to see the fish swim right under their noses without a care in the world....

 

I think your blanketweed problem will get much better once the lillies have spread but for the moment, it sounds like a right b*gger!!

[bsj]

I've heard that about green water as well..... but it's so horrible to see!! Clear water is so much nicer and you can see the fish colours and everything. I have 5 cats (insane yes, I know!) but none of them have EVER gone after the fish. They do go down to the pond for a drink though; despite having fresh water available all the time...... and it's a beautiful sight to see the fish swim right under their noses without a care in the world....

 

 

 

I think your blanketweed problem will get much better once the lillies have spread but for the moment, it sounds like a right b*gger!!

 

Aww thats so sweet,i can't have a cat hubby's alergic to them..............i have two dogs and the yorkie walks around the edge and lays on the wall watching the fish,we think he finds it as relaxing as we do......the german shepherd loves the water so we have to watch or he'll be in for a swim lol.

[bsj]

I did something similar, mine pond was around 7 by 4, in front of a garage wall, i dont keep fish, mine is a wildlife pond full of newts, however at the narrowest end i built a stone slab for a bridge (only around 2 foot long.) i wanted to continue the pond around the back of the garage, to give an extra 7 by 6,back pond, i joined a new liner under this bridge, in the corner of the extra section at the back, there was an old birch tree stump, i could not get out, so i built on top of the stump a natural stone water fall. the birch tree has rotted away now, but the stone waterfall is very strong, sadly the pump blew the trip last week and is faulty. now there is duckweed in both ponds. the pump sucked water from the front pond through a pipe in the garage, and through a filter tub, then fed the waterfall, so the water is (Or was) flowing under the stone bridge, the front liner has a leak, but no time to replace at the moment, just to add its not easy to join the liner it is best if it is all one peice, but with mine, i joined it in a narrow place with an extra long peice of liner going under the bridge, with a flap that i can lift up to seperate the two ponds for maintenance. as it is more shallow under the bridge,good luck. Ro

 

Sounds lovely,how do you encourage the newts,friends have them in their pond and they live quite happily alongside the fish.

 

We have two frogs, plenty of water bugs, pond skaters and damsel flies visit.

 

Maybe we'll get some in residence in time as it's a relativley young pond due to the expansion.