The Ten Most Common Mistakes in Installing and Maintaining a Pond

BY DAN COOK Lone Star Koi Club and Houston Pond Society

1. Have a plan-don’t just dig a hole in the middle of the back yard and call it a pond.

2. A pond is part of the whole landscape picture. Make sure it fits in and complements the rest of the yard.

3. Koi or Goldfish? The construction of each type pond is different. A koi pond is typically deeper and requires a higher degree of filtration than a goldfish pond.

4. Make it bigger. The biggest regret that pond owners have is they didn’t make it big enough.

5. Install a bottom drain. This will help keep the pond clean and will make it easier to drain the pond.

6. Install a bog filter. This will help keep the water clear.

7. Don’t overfeed your fish. This will get the water dirty.

8. Don’t let your installer sell you what he wants to install. Get what you want. Do a lot of research and look at a lot of ponds before starting construction.

9.Don’t install invasive or illegal plants such as water lettuce or water hyacinth.

10. Clean your pond regularly. Get the leaves out of the pond and clean the filters on a routine basis.