There are many methods to create your own unique backyard ponds or water gardens and we have some advice to help with making it a great and easy experience. Before creating your water fountain determine what your goals are. Are you attempting to attract regional wildlife, like frogs, turtles and birds? Would you prefer to have a drinking water garden with a beautiful zen feel to it, showcasing lilies, lotus and various other aquatic plants? How about incorporating water in to the design of your home? Remember you probably DO have space for a water feature. They may be anything from a half-barrel to a huge and deep pond in your yard. No matter what your intentions are we can help you achieve them. The first step in creating assembling your project is to pick a spot. You will wish a location where you can create some shade for your pond and it is also nice to look for a place where one can protect the water from having way too many leaves or other particles from entering. Shade could be created in many ways. Water vegetation on the advantage 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 become overrun by this type of debris. The next thing is to start the look process. This consists of choosing the actual form of the water feature, any waterfalls or various other drinking water features, filtration, and where and if you will end up being planting around the water. It really is highly advisable to include into the design a number of different depths and slopes around the pond edges. This will provide extra places for seafood and animals to go around and for putting different types of water plant life. You can create your water fountain out of concrete, prefabricated tubs, or even use pond liners. Choose the option that's best for assembling your project and budget. Concrete tends to be more expensive when compared to a tub or a pond liner, nonetheless it may last longer if professionally installed. If you will be keeping Koi, Goldfish, Tadpoles or other styles of fish you might want to remember to consider protecting them from predators. Raccoons and Heron are voracious seafood eaters. One of the best methods to protect your seafood and pets is to provide a way to allow them to move away from the predators. The easiest way to do this is to supply at least 3 foot of depth in the pond. Heron and raccoons possess a hard time catching fish and animals at this depth or deeper. Filtration can be quite simple or very intricate. It once again depends on your project. Drinking water Gardens with only a couple small fish or no seafood at all do not need large filters. You can even make your own filter of a 5 gallon bucket, some hoses and a pump. It is extremely easy to do! If you are keeping koi, you then will need something with more flow and more mechanical filtration to eliminate waste. Koi are filthy fish and create a lot of waste. UV sterilizers are a great idea on any water feature. They eliminate nuisance algae that turns the water green and also kill parasites that can attack your fish. Ideally you will place a UV sterilizer on the return line following the filter. Adding plants to your backyard pond can be rewarding and beautiful. Water gardens need much of the same care and attention as any house plant or other garden would. You will need to research your plant life, regulate how high and wide they grow, how exactly to prune them and what types of additional feedings they may require. You also need to know where around the water fountain your plant life would grow the best. Some merely float on the top, so you only need to protect them from getting sucked up into filters or destroyed by waterfalls. Other vegetation grow at different depths, which is why we recommend building your water feature with many depths. You can add to the appearance and feel of your pond by picking local stones, or going to a local landscaping shop and purchasing stone that fits the feel of assembling your project. Many landscaping stores are now starting to specialize in items for backyard ponds. Backyard ponds help to make great set-ups for koi. There are a few things you should consider. Koi get large and produce a large amount of waste, so make sure you provide adequate filtration. It is best to possess a system that is too large than one that is too small. It is costly and will be very difficult to upgrade a system later. It will always be best to still do it the first time. Plants can offer another unique problem when keeping koi. Simply speaking, koi love to eat vegetation, swim through vegetation and basically just rough them up. Your koi might just destroy the plants and cause a huge mess in the pond. If you do use plants, and right now there are many that are suitable, just make sure you pick hard and tough plants or place them in areas where in fact the koi cannot get to them. Feeding your koi is simple as long as you are aware of their requires. The feeding behaviors of koi are directly linked to the water temperature ranges and seasons. In the Spring period you should start feeding the koi with a premium color improving growth food. Through the summer time you can continue with a color enhancer, and provide multiple types of meals. There are several great spirulina pellets, krill and additional treats for your seafood. As the water cools down once again in the wintertime you should remember a couple of things. One, cut way back on feeding. If your drinking water gets down to 50 degrees or lower you do not need to feed the seafood at all. If you will be feeding then head to an easy to digest Wheat Germ food. Backyard ponds can be a lot of fun! We wish you enjoy designing and building yours!