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Ok. So this weekend I began the Great Pond Project of Aught Seven. And thus far, I have accomplished:

Marking the outline of the pond.
Removing the sod from the pond area.

So now I have a pond shaped dirt area in the middle of my back yard. But hey, that's the first step! And now I'm committed to either having a pond, or eventually trying to sell my house with a pond shaped dirt area in the middle of the yard.

So, here are the plans:

The pond will be oblong shaped, roughly 15' long at the longest point, and 9' wide at the widest point. There will be a shallow pool at one end, where the waterfall pump will return water to the pond. This area will be about 18" deep, and is approximately a 4 foot circle. A 2 foot wide "mouth" opens into the main pond area which is an oblong 11 feet by 9 feet. This will have a two tier depth, with the middle of the oblong having a depth of 4-5 feet, approximately 4 feet by 7 feet in size, and a 2 foot wide "shelf" around the wall, that will have a depth of 2 feet. The skimmer will go at this end of the pond. Approximate pond volume: 3300 gallons (11,356.20 liters/litres).

Around the rim of the pond I plan to have a short rock wall, probably 18-20" high, with some larger rocks/boulders interspersed to make it look a little more natural. I'll also have rocks in the shallow area under and around the waterfall pump. (Although the rock wall will probably be a lonnnnng time coming after the pond's done!!)

As far as plants go, I'm going to put in water lillies, anacharis, and some other various plants that I haven't really decided on yet.

Stocking - if I've calculated right, I should have enough room for a few koi and a variety of smaller fish. I'm thinking 3-4 koi, 5-6 comets or shubungi(sp) and assorted mosquito fish and minnows.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

Listen! Do you smell that?

You've got a LOT of digging ahead of you Lysaer.

What sort of filtration / pumps are you considering?

Can't wait to see plans and pics of the progress.

G_T

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

Your pond sounds like it is going to be very nice. Hopefully you don't have the hard packed clay to dig in like we have here in Arizona
If you go with the koi, stay away from any small fish as they will eat them. They also have the tendency to dig up anything planted in their pond.
For night time viewing, concider putting a light under the waterfall. Not a great way to light up the pond, but it makes a very nice effect.

Hi Lysaer,

Haven't heard anything about the pond for a few weeks....

Has there been any progress with the digging?

G_T

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

I got in touch with my neighbor who has the excavator (well his brother does) Friday...he's out of town right now, but is supposed to call me Wednesday to schedule getting it over here possibly next Saturday.

Listen! Do you smell that?