Pond design worksheet
How to plan pond shelves before you dig
Give each pond shelf a job, then record excavation depth, finished water depth and rock footprint separately. Includes a worked volume comparison.
Articles
Site planning
Where to put a backyard pond and waterfall
Compare two candidate pond sites by sight lines, measured levels, access, drainage and plant growth, with a scored worksheet you can fill in on site.
Liner edges
How to hide pond liner without creating an edge leak
Conceal pond liner with rock, soil or plants while keeping the retaining edge above water, spare liner available and fabric trimmed. Includes a worksheet.
Stone placement
How to place boulders in a natural-looking pond
Choose first stones by shape, set a frame stone, vary sizes and gaps, and review from your viewing spots, with a worked placement exercise.
Waterfall troubleshooting
Why waterfall water goes under the rocks, and what to check
Check pump delivery, branch settings, bypass through stone gaps and possible leakage when little water crosses the spill stone.
Renovation planning
Pond renovation: repair, retrofit or rebuild?
Use a condition inventory and three scope options to decide what stays, what is replaced, and which unknowns to state before quoting a pond renovation.
Job planning
Plan site access and material staging for a pond build
A site logistics worksheet for pond contractors: measure the access route, place stone and spoil zones, and set hold points before closing machine access.
Before wet season
Plan overflow and yard runoff around a lined pond
Treat pond overflow as a route: record levels, check the blocked-overflow path and backflow, count roof and yard inflow, and confirm where water may go.
Construction handover
New pond startup and handover checklist
A practical startup and handover record for a new pond: fill log, level readings, pump settings and service access, kept separate from fish readiness.
Site planning
Planning a lined pond on a sloping backyard
Measure levels, pick a water surface height, count cut and fill, and plan spoil and berm soil before a lined pond goes into a sloping yard.
Waterfall troubleshooting
Why a pond waterfall is too loud or splashes too much
Separate sound complaints from splash loss, then test one change at a time: fall height, lip width, landing surface and catch liner. Worksheet included.
Skimmer sizing
What size pond skimmer do I need?
Skimmer ratings by surface area, flow and weir width from four makers manuals, plus water level, placement, and when to add a second skimmer.
Container ponds
How to make a container water garden or patio pond
Container choice and sealing, water weight on a deck at 8.34 lb per gallon, plant counts, how many fish fit, mosquitoes and winter care.
Pond lighting
How to light a pond and waterfall at night
Transformer sizing at 80 or 90 percent, voltage drop by cable gauge, where to aim waterfall lights, warm white color, and the NEC GFCI rules for ponds.
Koi health
Koi with white spots or ulcers: ich and ulcer treatment
Ich treatment schedules by water temperature, salt and formalin amounts by pond size, why ulcers need a swab first, and how to find an aquatic vet.
Water chemistry
What should pH and KH be in a koi pond?
Target pH and KH ranges from veterinary sources, why low KH crashes pH, and the baking soda dose per 1,000 gallons with the math shown.
Water quality
Why is my pond foaming?
What causes pond foam, how to tell harmless foam from soap or a water quality problem, and how much water changes and defoamers actually do.
Pond predators
How to keep herons and raccoons away from a koi pond
What stops herons and raccoons at a koi pond: netting, depth, steep walls, caves, and the evidence on decoys, sprinklers and fishing line.
Mosquito control
Does a backyard pond attract mosquitoes?
How long larvae need in still water, why moving water and fish stop them, the spots to watch, and Bti dunk label rates by pond size.
Bog filters
How big should a bog filter be for my pond?
Bog and wetland filter sizing by pond surface and fish load, with gravel tons, pipe layout, plants and flow worked out for a 3,000 gallon pond.
Pond plants
How many plants does a pond need?
Coverage targets from extension services, Aquascape and The Pond Guy, turned into counts of lilies, floating plants and marginals for your pond.
Pond maintenance
How to clean a pond without draining it
Vacuums, muck bacteria, nets and partial water changes, with the gallons a vacuum session removes and how to top up safely.
Koi feeding
When to stop feeding koi: a water temperature chart
Every feeding band from feed makers, extension and vets in one chart, how much to feed in each, why cold-water feeding builds ammonia, and how to read temperature.
Algae control
How to get rid of string algae on a waterfall and stream
Why string algae grows on falls, label doses for sodium percarbonate by pond volume, what barley straw and copper actually do, and safe steps.
Pond plants
How to plant water lilies: depth, pot, fertilizer and winter
Hardy versus tropical, depth over the crown, pot and soil, fertilizer tab schedules, sun, coverage per lily and overwintering, from extension sources.
Waterfalls and streams
How to build a backyard waterfall and stream into a pond
Stream width, depth and slope, liner overlaps that run downhill, foam under the spill stones, and the liner size for a 20 foot stream.
Winter pond care
How to winterize a koi pond: pump on or off, de-icer or aerator
Pump, aerator depth, de-icer wattage by zone and gallons, running cost, feeding cutoffs and the depth fish need by region, with sources.
Algae and green water
How to clear green pond water, and why it keeps coming back
What turns pond water green, how much plant cover and UV it takes to clear it, the algaecide cautions, and why water changes alone rarely work.
Seasonal care
Spring pond cleanout: step by step, and when to restart pump and feeding
Full drain or no drain, holding tank and temperature rules for the fish, dechlorinator doses by pond size, and when to start bacteria and feeding.
Fall leaf netting
Do I need a pond net in fall, and what size?
How to size a fall pond net from the longest and widest spans plus two feet a side, pick the mesh, tent it, and know when to take it off.
Leaks and evaporation
How to find a pond leak, or tell if it is just evaporation
The bucket test, published evaporation rates by climate, the pump-off test, and what a quarter inch a day is in gallons for your pond.
Water quality
New pond syndrome: how much water to change for ammonia
How long a new koi pond takes to cycle, when an ammonia reading is dangerous at your pH, and how much water to change to bring it down.
Koi pond equipment
How to size a koi pond filter, UV and air pump
Filter flow, UV watts and bypass, and air litres per minute for 1,000 to 10,000 gallon koi ponds at light and heavy stocking, with every rule sourced.
Pond vs pondless
Pond or pondless waterfall: which should I build?
Installed cost, upkeep, pump electricity, water loss and space for a pond and a pondless waterfall, side by side with a source for each.
Contractor business
How to estimate and quote a pond build
A contractor method for pricing a pond: takeoff, liner and rock quantities, crew-day labor, spoil, change orders, margin and the proposal.
Pumps and flow
How many GPH does a pond need? Koi pond vs ecosystem pond
Delivered and rated pump GPH for 1,000 to 5,000 gallon koi and ecosystem ponds, with skimmer and waterfall filter sizes by surface area and gallons.
Liner materials
EPDM vs RPE pond liner: which to buy for a koi or ecosystem pond
Manufacturer figures for 45 mil EPDM and 20 and 30 mil RPE side by side, plus what a 25 by 20 foot liner weighs and how each folds.
Pondless waterfalls
How big should a pondless waterfall basin be?
Size a pondless basin by usable water and shutdown free space, with a worked gallons-and-inches example and a start and stop test.
Design and proposals
Pond design software for contractors: what it needs to do
What a pond contractor needs from design software, what stormwater and landscape tools and design services offer, and how PondTools does it.
Service pricing
How much does pond maintenance cost? Pricing a service contract
Published prices for spring cleanouts, monthly service and winterization, plus a contractor worksheet worked through for a 3,000 gallon pond.
Pond construction
How long does it take to build a pond?
Crew size and days for ecosystem ponds, pondless waterfalls and koi ponds from contractor schedules, the build sequence, and what stretches a job.
Pond construction
How deep should a koi pond be?
Depth and shelf dimensions for ecosystem, koi and northern koi ponds from extension and builder sources, with herons, freezing and the excavation sequence.
Koi pond care
How much salt to add to a koi pond
Cups, pounds, grams per litre, percent and ppt reconciled at the 0.1 and 0.3 percent levels, with the sources cautions and the PondTools salt calculator.
Pumps and plumbing
What size pump do I need for a pond waterfall?
GPH per inch of spillway at each published tier, why the rules differ by two, how to read a pump curve at your head, and what to do when the pump is too big.
Fish stocking
How many koi per gallon? Every stocking rule for one pond
Fourteen koi and goldfish stocking rules computed for a 3,000 gallon pond, why they disagree, and which one to use for your build.
Pond cost
How much does a backyard pond cost by size?
Installed pond prices by footprint from seven cost guides and six contractors, converted per square foot and per gallon, and why they disagree.
Pumps and plumbing
How to calculate pond pump head and pick the pipe size
Add static lift to pipe friction in GPH rows for 1.5, 2 and 3 inch pipe, count elbows and the check valve, then read the pump curve at that head.
Pond construction
How many tons of rock and gravel does a pond need?
The Aquascape divide-by-40 rule and gravel-seller coverage rates reconciled in US tons, worked for an 11 by 16 foot pond with a 10 foot stream.
Perch and walleye
Yellow perch and walleye in a pond: will they survive and spawn?
Where perch and walleye fit, extension verdicts versus Pond Boss stocking rates, spawning brush, smallmouth pairing, harvest and the southern limit.
Weeds
Cattails, duckweed, watermeal: what works, and grass carp per acre
Cut or spray cattails, skim and treat duckweed and watermeal, and the per-acre grass carp rates, sizes and permits from state sheets and Pond Boss.
Smallmouth bass
Can you stock smallmouth bass in a pond? Rates, forage, bluegill
Which ponds suit smallmouth, fingerlings per acre from agencies and Pond Boss, forage that lasts, and why bluegill are the usual mistake.
Tilapia
Tilapia in a bass pond: pounds per acre and when to stock
Stocking rates, the 65 F stocking and 50 F die-off thresholds, state legality, size to buy and what tilapia do for bass, from extension sources and Pond Boss.
Wildlife
What is eating my pond fish? Muskrats, geese, otters and herons
What muskrats, otters, geese, herons and beavers do to a fishing pond, which are protected, what deterrents work and the trapping rules by state.
Site selection
How to pick a pond site with Web Soil Survey and LiDAR
Watershed ratios from NRCS and state guides, how to read soil series, hydrologic group and pond ratings for a parcel, and how LiDAR shows the dam before you walk the land.
Water chemistry
Pond water test results explained: alkalinity, hardness and pH
Which pond water tests matter, what the alkalinity, hardness and pH numbers mean, and whether each result calls for lime, gypsum, aeration or nothing.
Trout
Can trout live in a pond? Depth, clarity and the summer squeeze
Trout temperature and oxygen limits, why northern ponds lose them in July, the clarity rule pond owners use, and the fall-to-June stocking plan.
Catfish
Channel catfish in a pond: how many per acre, and will they breed
Stocking rates per acre for catfish-only and bass ponds, why they rarely reproduce with bass, feeding, harvest, and bullheads versus channels.
Winter
Winterkill: how deep, keep a hole in the ice, where the diffuser goes
What kills pond fish under snow-covered ice, the depth and oxygen figures from extension sources, and where to put a winter diffuser.
Dams and pipes
Dam pipe, spillway or siphon: which your pond needs, and how big
How principal pipes, emergency spillways and siphons are sized from watershed and design storm, with NRCS tables and a 50 acre watershed example.
Leaks and sealing
Is my pond leaking or evaporating, and how much bentonite seals it?
How to tell a leak from evaporation, find it, and size bentonite, polymer or clay fixes with rates quoted from NRCS and extension sources.
Feeding
How much should I feed my pond fish, and when do I stop?
Feed rates by water temperature, protein by species, feeder placement and the 50 F cutoff, from extension guides and Pond Boss owners, with a calculator.
Liming and fertilization
Should I lime my pond, and should I fertilize it? One water test decides both
Total alkalinity decides both: lime rates per acre by soil with the lime grade correction, when not to fertilize, product rates and the Secchi schedule.
Muddy water
How to clear muddy pond water: jar test, then alum or gypsum
Jar test to tell stirred mud from charged clay, then size alum or gypsum by the acre-foot from extension rates and Pond Boss results.
Bluegill
How to grow big bluegill in a pond
Why pond bluegill stay small and the bass density, harvest slot, feeding and genetics that produce 1 to 2 pound fish, with realistic timelines.
Forage
Fathead minnows and golden shiners: how many per acre and when
Per-acre rates from Missouri, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Purdue and UAPB, spawning pallets, why bass eat fatheads out in a year or two, and when shiners fit.
Population balance
Too many small bass, or bluegill that never grow? Which, and how many to remove
Tell a bass-crowded pond from a bluegill-crowded one with PSD and relative weight, then get the yearly bass and bluegill harvest in pounds per acre.
Aeration
What size aerator does a 1 acre pond need, fountain or diffuser
Diffusers, compressor CFM and run time for a one acre fishing pond, which device suits which depth, and the staged start-up that avoids a turnover kill.
Stocking
How long to wait before stocking a new pond, and what goes in first
When a new pond is ready for fish, the forage-then-bass order, per-acre numbers for unfertilized and fertilized ponds, and the mistakes to avoid.
LiDAR
Guessing the bottom of a lake nobody has measured
Public LiDAR stops at the water's surface. How PondTools estimates the bed underneath with a published EPA method, and why a cone beats a flat floor.
Rock placement
The 1:2:1 rock rule is copying a real curve
Count Aquascape's 1:2:1 rock ratio in stones, not tons, and you get the size curve river scientists measure on real banks. Then you can lay rock to it.
Photo planning
Plan a pond from a drone photo
Trace the waterline, set measured depths and try an editable 2,990-gallon example.
Worked example
How big is a 3,000-gallon pond?
Compare a rectangular basin with an irregular pond to see how shelves and slopes change the volume.
Liner planning
What size pond liner do I need?
Work through a 16-by-10-foot pond, including maximum depth, edge allowance and shelves.
Buying list
Your first pond kit: what a 232-gallon pond needs
The complete shopping list from a real build, with what each thing cost, what it was for, and the cycling supplies nobody puts on the box.
Release
PondTools 1.0: measure the pond you have
The tracer, the layer stack, eight calculators that read your trace, a report, and now a satellite photo source. What version 1 is, and what it is for.
Guide
Planning a Pond from Satellite Photography
A step-by-step guide to drawing a pond over satellite photography, adding ledges, setting depths and reviewing the plan in 3D.
Pond kit comparison: compare a complete kit with the separate parts from one 232-gallon build.