There are many methods to create your own unique back garden ponds or water gardens and we've some advice to help with making it a great and easy experience. Before creating your water fountain determine what your goals are. Are you trying to attract regional wildlife, like frogs, turtles and birds? Would you'd like to have a drinking water garden with a lovely zen feel to it, showcasing lilies, lotus and additional aquatic plants? How about incorporating water in to the design of your home? Remember you more than likely DO have space for a water fountain. They can be anything from a half-barrel to a huge and deep pond in your back yard. Regardless of what your intentions are we are able to help you achieve them. The first step in creating your project is to pick a spot. You will wish a location where you can create some shade for your pond in fact it is also good to look for a place where one can protect the drinking water from having way too many leaves or other particles from entering. Shade can be created in lots of ways. Water plant life on the edge or in the pond will shade the water, many ornamental trees are ideal provided that they don't drop way too many leaves. Backyard ponds can easily be overrun by this kind of debris. The next step is to start the look process. This includes choosing the actual shape of the water fountain, any waterfalls or other drinking water features, filtration, and where and in the event that you will become planting around the water. It really is highly advisable to incorporate into the design a number of different depths and slopes around the pond edges. This provides extra places for seafood and animals to move around and for putting various kinds of water plant life. You can create your water feature out of concrete, prefabricated tubs, or even use pond liners. Pick the option that's best for your project and spending budget. Concrete tends to be more expensive than a tub or a pond liner, nonetheless it may last longer if professionally installed. In the event that you will be keeping Koi, Goldfish, Tadpoles or other types of fish then you may want to remember to think about protecting them from predators. Raccoons and Heron are voracious seafood eaters. Among the best methods to protect your seafood and animals is to provide a way for them to move away from the predators. The simplest way to do this is to provide at least 3 foot of depth in the pond. Heron and raccoons possess trouble catching fish and animals as of this depth or deeper. Filtration can be extremely basic or very intricate. It again depends on your project. Water Gardens with a couple small seafood or no seafood at all don't need large filters. You may also make your personal filter of a 5 gallon bucket, some hoses and a pump. It is extremely easy to do! If you are keeping koi, then you will need a system with an increase of flow and more mechanical filtration to remove waste. Koi are filthy fish and create a lot of waste. UV sterilizers are a good plan on any water fountain. They kill nuisance algae that turns the drinking water green and also kill parasites that can attack your fish. Preferably you will place a UV sterilizer on the return line after the filter. Adding plants to your backyard pond could be rewarding and gorgeous. Water gardens need much of the same care and attention as any house plant or other backyard would. You will need to research your plant life, determine how high and wide they grow, how to prune them and what types of additional feedings they may require. You also need to know where around the water fountain your vegetation would grow the best. Some just float on the surface, so you only need to protect them from getting sucked up into filter systems or destroyed by waterfalls. Other vegetation develop at different depths, which is why we recommend building your water fountain with many depths. You can add to the look and experience of your pond by picking local stones, or going to a local landscaping store and purchasing stone that fits the experience of your project. Many landscaping stores are actually starting to specialize in products for backyard ponds. Backyard ponds produce great set-ups for koi. There are a few things you really need to consider. Koi get large and produce a lot of waste, so be sure you provide adequate filtration. It is better to get a system that's too large than one which is too small. It is costly and can be very difficult to upgrade something later. It is usually best to do it right the first time. Plants can offer another unique problem when keeping koi. Simply speaking, koi love to eat plant life, swim through vegetation and basically just rough them up. Your koi may just destroy the plants and cause a large mess in the pond. If you do use plants, and presently there are many that are acceptable, just be sure you pick hard and tough plant life or place them in areas where the koi cannot reach them. Feeding your koi is easy as long as you are aware of their needs. The feeding behaviors of koi are directly linked to the water temperature ranges and periods. In the Spring period you should begin feeding the koi with a premium color improving growth food. Through the summer months you can continue with a color enhancer, and offer multiple types of food. There are several great spirulina pellets, krill and additional treats for your fish. As the drinking water cools down again in the wintertime you should remember a couple of things. One, cut in the past on feeding. If your water gets down to 50 degrees or lower you do not need to feed the fish at all. If you will end up being feeding then go to an easy to digest Wheat Germ food. Backyard ponds can be a lot of fun! We wish you enjoy developing and building yours!