Ok, so we are doing up our backyard over the summer and I would love to have a fish pond out the back.

Our neighbors have a fish pond made of an old bath tub sunk into the ground and their fish do great. It does get very cold here but they keep the pump running and the water doesn't freeze over and haven't lost any fish.

What are some cheap things I could make a pond out of?
Would you be able to use concrete (cement)? We are concreting the backyard so could I just dig a hole and dump some in there or would that poison the fish?

Any ideas welcome :)

Uncured concrete is VERY alkyline by nature... it will upset the PH balance of the water for a while at least.

Not fish expert but I think they are sensitive to that. Koi are for sure.

Planned on just getting some el cheapo goldfish, they have what they are calling 'pond fish' at the pet store... they just look like big goldfish to me.

Thanks smoothy, I'll scrap the concrete idea then.
I have no idea about ponds, only ever had glass fish tanks.

That's more than I had for more than a week or two.

But wet or fresh concrete is alkylin enough to burn your skin. Not sure how long that lasts however to be honest.

We still haven't decided exactly what we are doing with the yard, but are 90% sure it will be concrete of some sort, whether it be turned into pavers with pebbles in between or just flat concrete all over... just thought I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

I know you can get that plastic you line the hole in the ground with but pretty sure it's expensive.

Gosh I'm stingy, I'm trying to do everything super cheap, but why not try and save a few bucks :D

Trust me... I've been finding ways to do things inexpensively for decades...

My neighbor found this old cattle watering device, it has a pump built into it, so it can circulate the water. They made a fish pond out of one, and a hot tub out of another one. It's not very big around, but quite deep, probably not good for koi. I have seen people use kiddie swimming pools as well, or those cheapo pools you can get at Wal Mart for like $20.

Google Image Result for http://www.cobett.com/Images/Products_Main.jpg (http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cobett.com/Images/Products_Main.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cobett.com/products.html&usg=__GiJWWJ1boiAykyh5JnX81YhC50Q=&h=411&w=553&sz=82&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=3QmQvWfMNhodYM:&tbnh=146&tbnw=198&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcattle%2Bwaterers%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den% 26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D590%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=302&vpy=84&dur=2199&hovh=193&hovw=260&tx=183&ty=116&ei=87eTTP-zE8Gblgf_v4iqCg&oei=87eTTP-zE8Gblgf_v4iqCg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0)

This is exactly what the cow feeder one looks like:

http://4ravens.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/fishpond.jpg

Another good reason to not do the concrete pond in the ground... what if it cracks then you have a real mess to deal with that can neither be simply filled in or dug up.

Same thing as a damaged inground pool, only on a smaller scale of disaster.

I have 2 neighbors that have concrete ponds, but this is California. My Mom in Southern Illinois has the liner pond and her fish are great. She does have a good filter (which you can hand make) and a UV light to kill algae (which I have also)

I put 10 cent fish in my pond. They were called Comets (feeder fish), which I think is half Koi and half Goldfish. I have one named Moby right now that is over a foot long and 5 inches wide. He is beautiful:D

I have 2 neighbors that have concrete ponds, but this is California. My Mom in Southern Illinois has the liner pond and her fish are great. She does have a good filter (which you can hand make) and a UV light to kill algae (which I have also)

I put 10 cent fish in my pond. They were called Comets (feeder fish), which I think is half Koi and half Goldfish. I have one named Moby right now that is over a foot long and 5 inches wide. He is beautiful:D

A concrete one Built by someone that knows how to do it right... IE with lots of steel mesh reinforcement to prevent cracks and it will last, do it wrong and it cracks then won't hold anything. Try busting up 500 kgs of concrete by hand sometime... :eek:

Another good reason to not do the concrete pond in the ground....what if it cracks then you have a real mess to deal with that can neither be simply filled in or dug up.

Same thing as a damaged inground pool, only on a smaller scale of disaster.



Well these cattle feeders held out through out Canadian winters at -30c on average.

Yeah... I wouldn't trust myself to make it properly so it doesn't crack lol

Those cattle thingos look awesome, I've never seen them before!

Kids pool is an option, never thought of that, I know you can get those clam shell ones cheap, I can't find a picture but they are kind of like this only have 2 sides, one for water and one for sand:
http://ucanhealth.com/local/image_product1/mediamydoitbestcomimagerequestaspxsku833126&size2&warehouseC&newsize200.jpg

Another great option that is suuuuppppppeeerrrr cheap is those huge containers they use to haul water, cut the top off, and stick it in the ground :) My friends is 4 feet deep and 4 feet across, you can cut it shorter if you want it shallower but he has massive fish.. I've attached a few photo's.. the last one is similair to what his pond looks like now.. I think he paid $50 (CDN) for the water tank and then found some rocks and went and stole some plants from the swamp... he now has a beautiful pond :)
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Oh wow, that looks amazing!

I'll see how hard those tanks are to come by around here, thanks!

Stick with the really heavy plastics... most of those with the best UV protection are going to be black as well. After all its got to last in years outdoors in the weather and direct sunlight for years of service.

Very true.

We had a plastic dog bowl outside, it sat there for about a year under the tap, I never picked it up, just turned the tap on to refill it.

I went to pick it up the other day and it just fell apart, the inside bowl part completely came away from the edge!

The water storage things are thick plastic, his is at least 4-5 years old and he's had no problems what so ever...

Stuff for farm or livestock use are going to be robust. Farmers/Ranchers won't use them if they have to be replaced every couple years. They are a frugal bunch by nessessity.

If you must use concrete, coat it with something like HERCO No. H-55 Neoprene Rubber Coating, $110 a gal! It is cheaper to use a liner and it won't crack, or be harmful to fish. If your winters are cold do not run your filter as it will cool the water down dangerously low for the well being of fish. If it is at least 3 ft deep, and you insist on running a filter, DO NOT draw water from the bottom. That's where it is the warmest for them. Also, stop all feeding when the water temp.reaches 50. They cannot digest food and will die. They survive winters off the fat gained in the summer.

Thanks GZDZ, I thought you would have to run the filter when it is cold, not the other way around!

It gets to about -3 here in the middle of winter. Dogs outside water bowl gets ice on top, but the neighbors fish have survived for years (just goldies).

So would the best thing be to turn the filter off and put a cover over the pond overnight?

You will need to place a deicer in the pond. Thermo-pond 100w deicer is cost effective. Only turns on @ 32 deg and works to -20 deg. Fish produce waste even when inactive in winter, so you need a hole in the ice to let gases escape. If the pond ice over completely it will kill all your fish. I don't think it wise to cover it.

Great advice GZDZ, I hope you stick around, we really need a fish expert! :)

Agreed! Thank you GZDZ! I'm off to have a look on e-bay ;)

I'll be here. Fish are my passion, since about 8 years old. 50 years in and I'm still learning things.