How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru

ADVERTISING

LuxoGear Emergency Whistles with Lanyard

Shop now »

NOCO Genius GEN5X2, 2-Bank, 10A (5A/Bank) Smart Marine Battery Charger

Shop now »

RHINO USA Boat Trailer Transom Straps (2PK)

Shop now »

LUCKY Kayak Portable Fish Depth Finder

Shop now »

Seaview 180 V3 Full Face Snorkel Mask

Shop now »

Most popular comments
for How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru

Live comments
Comments on YouTube

Pondguru - 8 years ago

Click 'READ MORE' for full video description and useful links.
How to make a koi pond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89KxdMPtla8
How to make a fish pond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L63k5iZr42Q
How to make a raised wooden fish pond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2YkzoIx-cU
Hitachi 18v drill used in this video: http://geni.us/1SlB

This is a compilation video of a 6 part series I uploaded a while back showing every stage of building a school wildlife pond . It shows all the various steps taken to make a large school wildlife pond which is safe and accessible for children and other wildlife.
At 1 hour 10 minutes it is the longest video I have uploaded to youtube so far and I have also uploaded parts 1-4 of how to build a fish pond featuring a different type of pond incorporating a cascade and filter system. Check my channel - there are loads of videos showing how to build a pond and also how to build a cascade / stream etc.
The lead used to hold down the plants does not harm the wildlife since it is barely soluble and the amount used is negligible. The wood used is treated with Tanalith 'E' which is safe for use around water (as long as it is dry prior to use).
In this wildlife pond video, the start of each section is at the following time:
0:06 Shaping the hole
4:50 Laying the liner and underlay
12:54 Building dry stone Wall on internal pond shelf
23:32 Fixing the edging stones and beach
29:52 Constructing the dipping platform and hibernaculum
53:25 Planting and finishing touches
The design of this pond varies from most school dipping ponds and it is much better for wildlife as there is great habitat created behind the stone wall, under capping stones and in the hibernaculum.
Check out my pond construction playlist for pond building guides covering many different types of ponds including fish pond and koi pond.
Thanks for watching
Subscribe for more.....

BIOHOME FILTER MEDIA, FILTER UPGRADE KITS AND FOAMS HERE: http://www.filterpro.co.uk

Contact me any time for advice on 07772848730 or on pondguru@btinternet.com

Raymond Wilson - 6 years ago

Love it, one of the best I've seen, really giving me ideas for my own pond. Just one thing, that decking is not structurally sound, the entire thing is relying on the shear stress of those screws. The frame of the platform should be rested on the leg posts directly, either by cutting a slot into the leg to accept the frame, or by setting the frame on top of the post, then screwing it together. I doubt this one will ever fail due to its size. But for anything bigger, you really need to use some joinery

uniuni - 6 years ago

Hi Richard, any ideas on how to get rid of green algae in my wildlife pond with killing all the wildlife that has now made my pond their home?

Pondguru - 6 years ago

I'm assuming that you have a pump and filter on the pond? If so a UV light will kill suspended algae (green water) but if you are getting blanket weed then something like this (available in different sizes) is a permanent solution - quite expensive but works extremely well and does not affect wildlife: http://geni.us/qtifw

Nature - 6 years ago

no flowing water? without activity on this water it would be boring and be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other harmful insects.. sorry but may i ask whats the purpose of this?

Deletha Barnett - 6 years ago

cool. vid. Please checkout my hubby youtube channel. Fish keeping Jamaica. Thx

Pondguru - 6 years ago

I gave up making pond but I' glad I made all the pond videos as they have helped lots of people and its a great feeling to do that.

Louis Roulston - 6 years ago

how much did it cost

Pondguru - 6 years ago

It was so long ago I can't remember the cost - maybe one of the earlier replies I gave after uploading the video will have a figure but it was years ago.

hunners a hings - 6 years ago

That is a great looking pond. From the video you can see you have a wealth of knowledge and experience and you deliver it in a very professional way. It wasn't painful, I had fun watching. Thank you.

Pondguru - 6 years ago

I'm glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for watching.

Pat Pezzi - 6 years ago

I am not sure about the hibernaculum. Seems perfect for rats and mice and I would not want to attract more of them.

10. comment for How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru

beth98362 R - 6 years ago

Needs crayfish!

Adrien Joinette - 7 years ago

Will there not be some kind of filtering fountain or waterfall to keep the water from going stagnant ?

Pat Pezzi - 6 years ago

Adrien Joinette, I suppose if they put enough oxygenating plants in the water they should be able to keep it clean even without filters. In the north of England evidently they can pull it off. I don't think such a shallow pond would work in warmer climates. You have also to consider that this is not a koi pond, frogs and newts don't mind still water.

Eduardo Franco - 7 years ago

i am building a pond in my backyard i like the idea in adding cement after putting the liner you did a good job !!!

Pondguru - 7 years ago

I'm glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for watching.

R Hendricks - 7 years ago

Richard....I just viewed your videos series about the wildlife pond and it was a complete pleasure. I liked how u even commented about hardware sizes for chaps from the us Americans so we know the proper size of things u were using. Actually I am viewing from my home in north Thailand but found your information very informative and never subscribed to any videos in the past but you did a great job and I just wanted to thank you for the great info...Rick Henderson

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Dear Rick,
Thanks very much and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. When I hear that any of the instructional videos have helped anyone it makes me wish that I was still building ponds as I'm sure I would do a better job of the presentation and editing now.
Best of luck if you build a pond over there.
Regards,
Richard

You F'coffee - 7 years ago

I built something like that over thirty years ago in my back garden but I put a good layer of sand in first then the liner; after that I covered the whole pond in cement and while the cement was wet I covered it all in beach cobbles. Its never leaked or required any maintenance in all these years.

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Sounds good to me - groovy.

Ion Racer - 7 years ago

beautiful!! no fish??

Pondguru - 7 years ago

No not in this one as it is for wildlife.

Raymond Amaral - 7 years ago

It would be nice to see this pond 1 year later

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Yes it would have been good but I stopped contracting for the company about 6 months after this pond was installed. The start of every job was a health and safety nightmare and it got to the point where I even had to swap jackets for a 'hot works' one when I was using the blowtorch to stick the underlay together, steel toecap waders when I was in water, gloves, hard hat etc. etc. which ended up compromising safety so I told them they could get someone else to dance to that tune.

Reg Pollock - 7 years ago

Have you any pictures or videos after a year or so. Love your work.

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Unfortunately much of the pond work I did was for other landscaping companies so once they were made there wasn't really a need to get me back. However this is definitely top of my list as one I would like to see now.

Clive T - 7 years ago

Great video thank you

Pondguru - 7 years ago

No worries, glad you found it useful - thanks for watching.

alfred Aquariums -Ponds - 7 years ago

thanks very much for ideas i will have to try that one day

Pondguru - 7 years ago

No worries, glad you found the video useful and thanks for watching.

20. comment for How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru

Scott Jackson - 7 years ago

Did u build this all by hand??

Pondguru - 7 years ago

No it was dug by a company called Debmat who were doing other work at the school. They did a great job considering how terrible the ground was.

Scott Jackson - 7 years ago

Or dig it all by hand

Duane Miller - 7 years ago

very nice work mate! nice little habitat for those lucky kids to study

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for watching.

Philip Rush - 7 years ago

I don't know why you would use lead to anchor those plants down in the water. That's not good for the eco-system. You should have just tied it to a rock or something else that's organic..

Canopy Chondros - 7 years ago

WATCH THIS AT 0.5 SPEED ....

darleen beard - 7 years ago

without a filter and pump, how does the water stay clear? you do great videos....thanks a lot for your info....

Pondguru - 7 years ago

In a wildlife pond it's about getting a good balance of plants and wildlife. Daphnia and other free swimming wildlife eat algae and feed newts etc. but if you introduce fish they eat the daphnia and the system breaks down causing green water.

nickyjay25 - 7 years ago

Love your videos, you explain things so well.

Cenepk101 - 7 years ago

That is outstanding ... What a talent you are- an an eye for detail ! Those are the most blessed amphibians !!!! Really enjoyed your vid.

Pondguru - 7 years ago

I'm glad you enjoyed the video as I put them up purely to help people building ponds of their own.

scotty scott - 7 years ago

hi this is the best i have seen , it has given me loads of ideas for my pond,,but it will have to be on a smaller scale,,i was wondering if you have the update on this pond,,as this is the one i am interested in,,

Pondguru - 7 years ago

I gave up installing ponds a few years ago to concentrate on my shop and online business then closed the sop a couple of years ago and now work from home online so unfortunately don't get the time for building ponds. However a guy over the road from me is making a site with log cabins on and wants a stream building with a hidden pond so I may get involved in that and film a 'how to' video about a large stream and hidden pond.

scotty scott - 7 years ago

hi will you be doing any more wild life ponds that will be on here in the future

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Unfortunately I did not get back to this one as I stopped working for the company who got me in to do this. I was wasting the first half a day of every job I did for them on worksite induction when I just wanted to get on and build ponds.
I'm not one for rules or paperwork, lol
Best of luck with your project.

Marcus NL - 7 years ago

Excellent!

CEOFIRST - 7 years ago

I didn't know Garth Brooks had such a strong accent.

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Yes he just pretends to be an American for the TV...

30. comment for How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru

Prankishsquire - 7 years ago

guru, sensei, I applaud you. I worry about broken bottles or garbage, How would you dredge it, without damaging liner in say, 35 years?

Prankishsquire - 7 years ago

I ride a Bionx 250w electric bicycle. What would stop me from building a small race with a lovely waterwheel? Could I plunk a wheel in the cascade on your video and recharge my bike battery? I was wondering how high the pump could push, as it would lengthen my race. I'm researching several properties, let's say, (in a perfect world), I have 5 acres, more or less level, and a big earth mover, what elevation could be done with three ponds two cascades, one a race? The best I can do with the bicycle is reclaim and recharge about 10%. The wheel could for sure, contribute to the battery bank that ran the pump, running off the big grid. My ponds must be, in a not perfect world, small enough for me to build with a rented baby bobcat excavator, and use something like 300 dollar pond liners, I'm thinking 6 person hot tub size. Bear in mind I ran a profitable trout operation for almost ten years out of two 60 gallon tanks. The dinky little $60 pump I used to filter my tank water, I had three, could barely push above my head. That was a foot and a half or more in elevation, but I wonder what effect when you try to go 15 or 30 feet away, or hopefully more?

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Yes no problem, get it measured up and I'll work it out.

Prankishsquire - 7 years ago

I have fallen in love with a lot. I have not yet made the land deal. I should have no trouble with my lender. Probably by fall I will have a draftsman working on the gradient and will get back to you. Meantime I will be watching your vids. you are a master craftsman, dude!

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Driving a car into a pool is a pure rock star move so I applaud him for that, lol
Trout are great and I love having them in my pond although I wouldn't like to eat one from there as it is stirred up again due to the farmer messing about with the springs and pipes up the field.
I bet moose could do some real damage so it would definitely be good to have an extra layer of underlay over the liner or even fill it with flat stone, cemented down to avoid any damage.
If you let me know the vertical lift from the bottom pond to the top one and how wide you want the flow coming back down the cascade (over falls) to be I could give you an idea of what pump you would need. I don't have the flow charts now from Oase but I can remember most of the figures.
Feel free to send pictures of the site to sales@filterpro.co.uk too as that would help.
Regards,
Richard

Prankishsquire - 7 years ago

One of my childhood buddies drove his mum's car into a neighbours pool, is where I got that nightmare. The other was my own son crashed his bike into the local church's pond, that was my fault I let him in the gate. I have had trout tanks in for over ten years, in three restaurants, (two sixty gallon tanks and one 400, the 60's hold 24 10' trout, the 400 can only handle about 100),. and I am dying to build a pond. ( I closed the restaurants in 1998 and have been itching since). Since I watched your video I have designed two small pools that flow into one bigger one. How much elevation can I push the Oase pump, from pond B back up to pond A and a separate pump to pump C back up to B? How did you say simultaneously? Thanks for the reply, you are the guru! Where I am I will have an occasional Moose get into my pond worried about the liner. The site I'm on is at 6800ft on a hillside with a 5% grade in Wasatch county Utah.

Pondguru - 7 years ago

It would be drained using a large pump then detritus and litter would be removed by hand. It's the only way to ensure that the pond is properly cleaned. Either that or for a smaller pond a pond vacuum like the Oase Pondovac 4 could be used to suck up the silt etc. then once the water had cleared any larger items could be removed with a net.

champagne supernova - 7 years ago

I can see so much patience in this.

Pondguru - 7 years ago

I'm not really known for my patience, lol - when I was building ponds I would just see the finished product in my mind and progress through the various stages to achieve the vision, adapting where necessary.
So glad I put these pond videos out as they help others achieve their visions.

nunna business - 7 years ago

for no building experience you've done well mate top job

Pondguru - 7 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the video.

CJS929 - 7 years ago

Finally, an informative video. Thanks mate for taking the time to lay things out so clearly --- and as others have said, I would have never thought of the hibernaculum. Great job.

Pondguru - 7 years ago

No worries and thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

funarty01 - 7 years ago

great job, shame about the waste of the large rock being smashed up and used for fill tho!

We Are Triumphant - 7 years ago

Cool! Check out our videos for new music.

Pondguru - 7 years ago

It was an excellent job but I had to give up due to my shop being in the financial mire. I later closed the shop and work from home which is awesome but I do miss the creativity of pond construction.
Glad you enjoy the videos.

Andrew Gayner - 8 years ago

Outstanding

Pondguru - 8 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for watching.

Argonpath Art - 8 years ago

I really dig your approach to the natural look and consideration for the animals that you are building for.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

No worries and thanks for watching the video - yes the surrounds of the pond and the edging all need to be considered when making a wildlife pond as the amphibians need varied habitat and places for their food to live.

ERIC SOUSA - 8 years ago

I subscribed after watching this video, very impressive. Great instructional video, I learned a lot. Thank you! What an excellent idea adding the hibernaculum, I would have never thought to use pallets like that. Thanks again and please keep posting.

Vern Burkhardt - 8 years ago

Thank you, Pondguru, for providing so many useful and easy to understand videos. They are super helpful.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

No worries, I'm glad you enjoy the videos as I get the most satisfaction from making any video with some sort of educational / helpful content.

Dj Darcy - 8 years ago

I work for the pond digers I will tell the boss about that

Matthew Lavergne - 8 years ago

Check woodprix handbook if you want to make it cheaper and better.

Maurice Zammit - 8 years ago

That's a great job you did building that pond, excellent. There's one thing that should not have been done though, and that was the lead you used to wrap the plants so they remained at the bottom of the pond slowly releases poison that contaminates the water killing off all plant and anything containing life that in some form absorbs or ingests that pond water. The Romans used lead pipes for all their plumbing which induced their life span to the age of 40yrs.

Ralph Marshall - 8 years ago

One of the best videos I've seen. And I've seen a lot... Hands on... Detailed... Excellent... Enjoyed it very much and learned a lot...

Pondguru - 8 years ago

I'm glad you enjoyed it - thanks for watching.

Andrea Wiggington - 8 years ago

Love your ponds! I think I have watched all of them. Question what would you do to make a small duck pond? Only have 7 ducks that I keep in my front area would like to have a natural enough looking pond with a natural type filter system, what would you suggest?

Andrea Wiggington - 8 years ago

I have to agree any plants in the pond wouldn't work. I think for my ducks I may even have to go with a concrete pond and work on a better filter system. Thank you for insite!

Pondguru - 8 years ago

The major problem with ducks is that they tend to savage the plants so you generally end up with a muddy puddle which they seem to love but isn't too pleasing on the eye. Really a pond the size of the one in this video would be a minimum and they would still tear it to bits. Some plants will hold up quite well if they are put in full size and those would be iris, soft/hard rush, sedge grasses and I'm struggling to think of a submerged plant which won't get pounded by them unfortunately -maybe branched burr-weed or pickerel plant?
As far as a filter system goes maybe a home made shower system filled with alfagrog would keep the water healthy and aid the clarity but it would need to be the size of a 45 gallon drum for a duck pond.
Regards,
Richard

Alan the Arab - 8 years ago

lead in a wildlife pond?...and treated pine for the platform...what's the pine been treated with?...

Alan the Arab - 8 years ago

+JINXED JINXED and when did I say that...I only asked a question, so wind your neck in.

JINXED _JINXED_ - 8 years ago

You really think this guy doesn't know what he's doing ? Get real granddad.

leefi1 - 8 years ago

I am installing a small pond in my inner city garden this week, primarily to support frogs. I had neglected their need for hibernation, so a small scale hibernaculum is now added to my project. Thanks for a very detailed video, nobody beats Brits in the garden!

Pondguru - 8 years ago

lol, we are a nation of gardeners I guess.
Yes it is definitely worth having some sort of refuge / hibernaculum in the garden for wildlife.

Mark Anderson - 8 years ago

I notice you didn't put a filter system in this one.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

The swamp look?
A new wildlife pond will naturally go green but as soon as the daphnia get going the population explodes and clears the water by consuming the suspended algae, hence the need for no fish (as they eat the creatures responsible for clearing the water). It could take a few weeks for a new wildlife pond to clear but it invariably will clear and stay clear.

Mark Anderson - 8 years ago

my next question: After three days of hot sun what's going to keep the algae under control and the water from looking like green sludge. And clear until the plants are big enough to take control? Or are you going for the swamp look?

Pondguru - 8 years ago

Newts, frogs and toads as well as water beetle larvae and other invertebrates eat mosquito larvae nicely and as long as fish are not added to a wildlife pond the cycle will be natural and not require a filter. Fish eat many of the invertebrates which act as natural filters and natural predators for mosquitos.

Mark Anderson - 8 years ago

It would be nice to see this in 6 months. Even if you add 6 to 12 goldfish I don't think would hurt the pond

Mark Anderson - 8 years ago

But if frogs and other wildlife are added so does the waste factor increase. And what is to keep the mosquito population down? That's were the fish come in. (The circle of life.) And what's to eat the bugs that come from the cave you made. Besides mice and rats which will attract large prey since it is a wildlife pond.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

No it is a wildlife pond (no fish) and would stay clear through daphnia eating the suspended algae and plants reducing nutrients which would otherwise have fed algae. As soon as fish go into a pond a pump and filter is needed.

Julaco - 8 years ago

so... hows the pond holding up? can you make an update video on this on what happens after awhile?

Julaco - 8 years ago

ah, i see, thanks anyways:)

Pondguru - 8 years ago

Its shame I haven't been back but I do not work for the company who I did this pond for and it was mile away from me. I'm sure if I was still installing ponds I would have been back for maintenance or advice but I gave up installing ponds a couple of years ago.

50. comment for How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru

surreysteve - 8 years ago

Just the best video on building a wildlife pond on YouTube - congrats.

My pool is around the same size.........I notice you don't use an anchor trench - is fixing the edging stones down with sand/cement sufficient?

Or is there some other reason to have an anchor trench?

Cheers

Pondguru - 8 years ago

I think the anchor trench idea showed up in early pond building books and has just been copied into updated pond information but there is no real need for it - as long as the sides are fixed when the pond is full of water the liner can't go anywhere.

the lazy fish keeper - 8 years ago

from a hole in the ground to a work of nature.. wow have you ever thought of doing a tour of the ponds you have built over the years just too see how they look today? or have you done it and i just missed it.
stay welll

Pondguru - 8 years ago

I haven'e done that as I was always working in different places, every day so never made the time to go back. I think I may have one or two 'revisited' videos but I couldn't name them, lol

Christ Julius - 8 years ago

if you want to know how to make it yourself , just go to woodprix webpage. There you'll find your answers :)

O Cohen - 8 years ago

Nice job! Are you not worried about introducing lead to a wildlife pond?

Pondguru - 8 years ago

No the only creatures likely to live long enough to store any free lead (of which there will be a tiny amount) in their bodies will be fish and they store it in their fatty tissues. Even humans who have had lead piped water would take many decades to build up enough lead to cause harm.

cheryl schladoer - 8 years ago

Really good instructions, n explanation of why!

Pondguru - 8 years ago

Glad you enjoy the video.

sinclair page - 8 years ago

Really enjoyed that. Should of made a lesson for the kids! Don't know about throwing the lead weight in the pond though what do you think?

Albin SELO-SCHAFF - 8 years ago

watching you from France, great job !

Pondguru - 8 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for watching.

Mark Andrews - 8 years ago

Great project. I feel as if i want to get up and start building one, it's so interesting.
Shame my garden is not big enough to handle it next to the main pond.
Many thanks

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Mark Andrews No worries - glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching.

240SSONLY - 8 years ago

the fact you work in the rain gives much respect...

good job

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+240SSONLY Yes I never mind the rain when there is a task to be completed. One of my recent videos had a shelter being built in the rain and I was up to the eyes in muck on that one, lol

Pat Georgeson - 8 years ago

Thanks for making this video, really enjoyed watching the way it all came together, really impressive. I've watched most of your other videos, you are a man of many talents... keep the videos coming please.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Pat Georgeson Will do and there will be plenty of variety as I always like to be learning.
Glad you enjoy the videos - thanks for watching and appreciating them.

s6nk11 - 8 years ago

Hi, ive been following your video. Can you give an idea for barrel fish pond that i can put in a corner of the house(indoor)? Thank you!

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+s6nk11 Unless you put minnows or similar size fish in a half barrel is way too small for fish. It would need a suitable pump and filter too.

s6nk11 - 8 years ago

Appreciate your response!

s6nk11 - 8 years ago

I was thinking like miniature pond in the size of a barrel(wine barrel) that cut in half. i only have small size area and i think barrel will be a good fit.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+s6nk11 I'm not sure what you mean by 'barrel' - please explain.

hofnerstrat - 8 years ago

great, looks fantastic, your one clever guy.

Mark Kurtis - 8 years ago

Fantastic! Thank you for doing this video. I was with you all the way up to the weighting down of the water plants. Lead? Really? I've used an onion bag with rocks, tied with stainless wire. I would be far too concerned with lead in the pond leaching over time and creating a toxic environment. But, aside from that.... I say again; Fantastic!

Bill Bill - 8 years ago

Brilliant video ,I don't know why but I really enjoy watching pond guru build ponds it really relaxes me for some reason, he looks really good at his craft an looks like he does a really good job I would love to know what he listens to on them headphones .

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Bill Bill I used to listen to trance music when the weather was warm and metal when the weather was cold. Unfortunately I gave up installing ponds a couple of years ago to concentrate on online sales and my shop, then I closed the shop so I now work from home. The beauty of that is I can listen to between 8-10 hours of podcasts a day which range from science to comedy with some horror movie podcasts and plain nuts conspiracy podcasts. I'm now a fountain of useless knowledge, lol
Good to hear that you enjoyed the video and I'm really glad I did the various pond guide videos when I had the chance.

Norma Kempf - 8 years ago

Great video, what type of underlay do you use?

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Norma Kempf It was 300g / sq.m polyester underlay from Gordon Low products.
Glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for watching.

Sonic Burger - 8 years ago

Fantastic video mate! Really helpful.

Sonic Burger - 8 years ago

Your welcome mate. Keep up the great work!

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Mark J Jones So glad you enjoyed the video as I love making any which help viewers.
Thanks for watching.

Jo Symes - 8 years ago

Inspirational, thank you CX

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Jo Symes No worries, glad you enjoyed it and really pleased I put these pond guides together before I had to give up installing ponds.

Harry Mackenzie - 8 years ago

Please, please, please come finish my pond???? I chatted to you about a year ago in some depth. We now have it dug, lined and filled but are struggling to finish it off. I can't source edging to give it a nice natural look and I want to install a slow trickling watercascade at one end but dont want to buy a pre-formed thingy. Sure you don't want a wee holiday to Inverness? My garden is my passion and i'm so stuck its getting me down.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Debbie McDonnell No worries and I hope the rest of the build progresses well.

Harry Mackenzie - 8 years ago

+Pondguru Outdoors Thanks. I've bit the bullet and bought a rockways cascade. Also found a quarry a hundred miles away who can deliver flat stone for edging it all. Hopefully all be done before the summer is here! Thanks for taking the time to offer us all the great advice.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Debbie McDonnell If you're worried about building a cascade I would say go for a rockways one. They are preformed but as natural as you will get. 99% of problems associated with ponds losing water come from the cascade and unless it is done right the water will be lost so a preformed pond reduces that water loss chance to zero. If you do find you're losing water where the sections join a slight adjustment to one of them will cure the problem but finding that water leaks from a cascade can be much more difficult to remedy. Chances are a leak in a built cascade could not be found which is a nightmare scenario as it renders the cascade useless.
Unfortunately I gave up doing any pond work over a year ago when the online sales business took off and now I'm working 7 days a week on that. Edging could be large stones instead of flat random paving and I would definitely advise to go preformed on the cascade.

Bongodongo - 8 years ago

iduno how i ended up here, but i enjoyed the entire hing.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Bongodongo Most people think I a either Australian or German, or they can't understand me at all, lol

Bongodongo - 8 years ago

+Pondguru Outdoors your voice is awesome haha.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Bongodongo Could just be my boring voice, lol

Bongodongo - 8 years ago

+Pondguru Outdoors i actually fell asleep in the end there. lovely thing to watch to relax, iduno why. Thanks for the video.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Bongodongo Ahhhhh....the random 'related videos' of Youtube, lol
I'm glad you dropped in and enjoyed the video as I loved putting this one together.

Saad Ghazi - 8 years ago

Hi Pondguru, Yes we lived in California for 35 years and just bought another house to move in a bigger house. Yes we have good weather here. Thank you for writing back. Have you ever visited California? Regards ...Chef Saad

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Saad Ghazi Unfortunately not but if I do go the US California will probably be the destination - looks very nice.

Saad Ghazi - 8 years ago

Hi Pondguru, This is Curryguru here enjoyed your all the videos. I just bought a new house here in California. I am planning to build a similar pond in my garden. Thank you for your knowledge and inspirations. Wife and I are originally from England. Appreciate your help a lot ...Chef Saad

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Saad Ghazi No worries, I've always believed that if you know something useful it should be shared so I get great pleasure from making the guide / how to videos. I have a video due to go live tomorrow night which is about building a shower filter for a fish pond so it may also interest you. I run through the types of media you can use in a shower filter too.Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos and have a good time in California.
One thing for damn sure - the weather is way better there than it is in grey England.

Wallace Chalmers - 8 years ago

Well done! This will inspire me to incorporate a smaller one into my grey water system in the eastern plains of Colorado. I'm just a glutton for punishment!!

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+Wallace Chalmers Sounds like you have a plan worked out so I wish you the best of luck with the build. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Ordem Já - 8 years ago

A Garden Solution apresenta sua mais nova tecnologia em sistemas para Jardins Verticais, Desenvolvido para grandes projetos de jardins verticais, possui tecnologia de irrigação e drenagem que faz com que todo o controle aconteça através de uma única central hidráulica.
https://youtu.be/fepvepZxpqA https://youtu.be/n7eWhgUfGL0

cromwell13649 - 8 years ago

Brilliant Richard .Watched every minute and loved it .Will watch a few more before attempting to have a go

cromwell13649 - 8 years ago

I will certainly build my pool on your designs but might experiment a bit . I want a pool with a waterfall ,the trouble is my garden is flat so I might build a rockery at one end and use the mound as the basis for the waterfall .mmm fancy a week here Richard !! ha

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+cromwell13649 No worries, man I loved making the instructional pond videos as so many people have used the information to build their own which is a great feeling.

zac - 8 years ago

Excellent video which is clear and informative. The best on pond building on the internet. Great job

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+zac Glad you enjoyed the video - it took some time to film and edit together but its worth it as I feel great knowing viewers all over the world can see the steps necessary to create such a pond and make their own ponds suitable for wildlife.

lives with garden - 8 years ago

I am planning my own small pond.actually it's for the cats so they can sit and fish, oh yeah and fall in. your video is the first time I have felt the confidence to take on this task, it's just so clear and so clever thanks so much.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+lives with garden No worries and glad t has given you the confidence for your own project. I can identify with the attraction of water to cats. The other day my youngest cat ran past me shot up a laurel bush near the pond then swung one armed into the pond before crawling out soaking wet, lol

lives with garden - 8 years ago

totally enjoyed it bloody brilliant

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+lives with garden Glad you enjoyed the video as this one took me an age to film and edit, lol
Love it when a video is useful - best of luck if you're making your own pond.

velvetfathead - 8 years ago

Looking good so far. Which quarries do you use for your stone? I'm from Boldon.

Pondguru - 8 years ago

+velvetfathead It was a small estate quarry near Stanhope which has closed now unfortunately. You should be able to get similar stone from Dunhouse http://www.dunhouse.co.uk/

gladys herrera - 8 years ago

te felicitó por tu trabajo ojalá lo pueda hacer en mi casa a menor escala

Lucy Hughes - 9 years ago

Charlie Freeman - 9 years ago

Hello there Pondguru, Can I just say a big thank you to you for some if not all of the videos you have posted on YouTube, as they have given me the inspiration for my 1.2 acre garden which by the way when I moved in was just a field. But now thanks to you, I have been able to design my own fishing pond, koi pond, goldfish pond, wildlife pond and an abundance of plants and other water features including streams. Also thanks to your explaining step by step of how to build all of your projects, I have just been able to do the same with mine that has now turned a house in a field into a home and water garden. Also I might add that watching your videos now after creating my own water garden, reminds me on how much hard work and money goes into any pond project but my god it was worth it. so one big thankyou to you sir for the inspiration. :)

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Charlie Freeman That is awesome to hear that my videos have been helpful in this way and it sounds like you have created something very special. Feel free to send pictures to pondguru@btinternet.com as I'd love to see some of the projects.

Cindy Meyer - 9 years ago

our houl faimly loves your pond we don't know how to follow but we wold

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Cindy Meyer Glad you enjoy the video as I love making them - thanks for watching.

Taylor Johnson - 9 years ago

do you have to wash the stones if you put them in a pond like that full of fish?

Taylor Johnson - 9 years ago

oh, thanks!

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Taylor Johnson Unless they are filthy, no. Sandstone doesn't react with water or release anything harmful into the water.

Becky Shell - 9 years ago

Nice pond looks natural .It is funny how much time ,materials , money and skill it takes to make ""Natural""

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Becky Shell Glad you appreciate the work involved in making a well made pond as so many people see the finished product but have no understanding of the thought and care which goes into construction such a project. Thanks for watching.

uniuni - 9 years ago

hi pondguru, I've finally finished my wildlife pond with much help and guidance from your videos. took some frog taddies from a friends pond earlier this year as he had fish which always eat them. so was quite happy to have loads of frogs crawling round through early mid summer. even found a baby grass snake feasting on a frog so was chuffed to see all that plus many snails, pond skaters, and diving beetles. plus one huge diving beetle 40mm long! my only question is now without the tadpoles I feel the pond is lacking something swimming round, is there any type of fish I could introduce to the pond without adding any filters and that won't eat the taddies each spring. thanks.

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+uniuni It hasn't come through as a message but I will visit your channel and take a look no worries.

uniuni - 9 years ago

+Pondguru Outdoors hi mate, round to uploading my video from my phone, of my wildlife pond. tagged you in the description but not sure if ive done that right. any advice criticism is welcome. the bubbles are from a solar powered oxygenator pump which prior to using the pond was green with no visibility, now its crystal clear.

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+uniuni Yes feel free to link a video as I would love to see that. You're not too far south of me but it makes a big difference to average temperature and species which will populate the area.

uniuni - 9 years ago

+Pondguru Outdoors thanks, yeah I see the odd snake about here in doncaster. there are plenty about but obviously hard to spot them, but I walk my dogs most days so come across them now and again. did think of minnows so may look into that a bit more and maybe just a small circulation pump, I have a solar powered oxygenator which cleared the water right up in 2 weeks or so as it was quite green for some time I think due to putting some Yorkshire stone in, which I have now took out. will post quick video soon. thanks.

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+uniuni Really the only fish which won't hammer the wildlife is the common minnow but they do prefer some moving water to swim against.The amount of wildlife the pond has attracted sounds very diverse and I'm assuming you live well south of me if you've seen a grass snake. I live right at the northern tip of their range.

jimmytea1 - 9 years ago

Thanks for being one of those who shares their knowledge so willingly. Subbed on account of that :)

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+jimmytea1 No worries, it really makes my day when people view the educational / guide / advice videos and can take something positive away from them. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Donna M. Schmid - 9 years ago

Wow, what a wonderful pond! Thanks for doing such a well-explained and comprehensive video about its construction!!! You've got a new subscriber!!!

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Barclay's Mommy, Donna No worries, glad you enjoy the videos and thanks for watching.

Master Mixer - 9 years ago

It looks wonderful..

José J. - 9 years ago

Nice bush!

Emerson White - 9 years ago

Why are you using pressure treated pine over the top of a small wildlife pond? All the poison that washes out of that wood is going to go straight into that little water catchment.

Keyonte - 9 years ago

This is awesome.

E Torres - 9 years ago

You should do a follow up video for this. I would love to see what this pond looks like now.

Trevor Dawson - 7 years ago

The underlay dont need to be ın one pıece FOOL.Ryan ıs rıght Shut the F*** Up.

Harleykenn - 7 years ago

Why?

Harleykenn - 7 years ago

Why?

Ryan Bozkewycz - 7 years ago

MrHarleyoldfart shut up

Harleykenn - 7 years ago

Ok, My mistake, but if you can get the liner in one piece surely you can get the underlay in one piece.

Harleykenn - 7 years ago

The way the seam was joined I would imagine the pond is empty, all the water having drained away.

Dylan N. Routhier - 9 years ago

it seems like its always raining in England

Zanzubaa1 - 9 years ago

Great job with pond and nicely edited video.The pond is not very deep, even in the middle. Is that becuase it is in a school or just not needed becuase it has no fish just small critters.

Debbie McDonnell - 9 years ago

Fantastic video! I need to chose flat stone to line the edges of mine. What do I ask for at the quarry? And for a pond 8m x 4 m how much would I need do you think?

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Debbie McDonnell Sounds like you're about to make some expensive mistakes with that build so feel free to phone me as there is so much to say about the construction and underlay. My phone is playing up so keep trying between 9-5 any day on 07772848730. Sometimes I just get messages telling me I have missed calls but it sometimes doesn't ring. You could text for me to ring you if that is easier.

Debbie McDonnell - 9 years ago

+Pondguru Outdoors I haven't come across anyone who seems to know thier stuff the way you do! I'm struggling to know which type of liner to choose. I watched a youtube clip of some American lad who showed how easy it was to puncture the rubber firestone liners with a biro pen . The LDPE option is way cheaper and looks robust but i'm not sure if it is super difficult to work with. Our pond is Kidney shaped, 7m long and 4m at widest point. It has one uniform shelf running right around at about 10 inches below surface and then the depth of the whole thing is just slightly shy of 1m. What would you recommend? Also, would old carpet work as underlay? I have enough to line the whole lot.

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Debbie McDonnell I never used to work out exactly how much stone I would need until the hole was dug and then I would collect more than I needed to give me better options. You need to ask for either random paving or thick crazy paving but if you let them know what the perimeter measurements are and the size of stone you're looking for they should sort some out for you and price for it.I don't build ponds now unfortunately and I think I'm going to have to even cut out the filter / pump work too as I get hardly any time due to now having an internet based sales business.

Debbie McDonnell - 9 years ago

+Debbie McDonnell Fancy a Scotland project?!!

forster kimberley - 9 years ago

nice bit of professional workmanship.

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Alan Watts
Jesus, this commenting system sucks and I can't reply to you properly.
I think it was 5-6 days but I had help on one of the days.

Zeemike1 - 9 years ago

Very nice job...can't wait to see it mature,

Ricard Hulteke - 9 years ago

Hahaha! If you watched part 1 to 6 you have my condolances! :) I have to invite you to Sweden to build somthing like that! Great job!

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Ricard Hulteke If I was still building ponds I would jump at the chance but the temptation would be to spend the whole trip fishing, lol

100. comment for How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru

wouterman98 - 9 years ago

Nice pond! But I have one question how do you call the plant you put under the stone at 42:30

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+wouterman98 It is Brooklime - Veronica Beccabunga. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Jack Reckitt - 9 years ago

Wow! Absolutely Great. I wish I Had one in my yard.
Thanks!

alair alex - 9 years ago

a verrrrrryyyyyy nice job!!!im enjoy to watch this video!!!!i love this kind of work!!!

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+alair alex No worries, glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.

Star Light - 9 years ago

rajesh devassy - 9 years ago

best beauty fishes

Matt Taylor - 9 years ago

Been looking at videos for pond building I have to compliment you on yours. I have been a landscape gardener / wall builder I my life and you have a lovely eye for stone work :-)

I have been collecting stone from various people for a while so I have some nice bits. I want to do a nature pond and the underwater dry stonewall is something I'd never thought about. So I have just got some stone extra pieces from gumtree that are perfect. They seem to have come from a stone fireplace as they have been used. Is it safe to use in the pond underwater as the stone still has bits of whatever cement was used. Not sure if anything unique is used indoor wall building that might effect wildlife?

Matt Taylor - 9 years ago

+Pondguru Thanks for reply.

Pondguru - 9 years ago

+Matt Taylor I reckon that the cement will be cured well beyond the point where it will release large amounts of lime into the water but it would still be best to chip off as much as you can. It will make it easier for laying dry too probably. The dry stone wall is a great way to get a secure hiding place for all sorts of wildlife.Glad you enjoyed the video as I loved making the pond videos when I built ponds.

Josh Lamoreau - 9 years ago

Nice pond good work. I am american and i live in america but i still know metric units i think most people should know metric units now a days, just saying most people dont really need the transition, but keep doing it you never know.

Pondguru - 9 years ago

If we all used the same units it would make life much easier as we have crazy imperial stuff as well as the metric system and you have cups, quarts and other things I have no idea about, lol
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Tezdez07 - 9 years ago

Brilliant! Thank you. Will begin my small pond at Easter...2015!

Pondguru - 9 years ago

Best of luck with the building.

ArkTiger4c - 9 years ago

Fantastic pond ...large enough to not need pumps and filters AWESOME

Pondguru - 9 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the video as I loved putting this one together since it was so different to most people's idea of a wildlife pond.

Shane Fitzgerald - 9 years ago

pick up some good tips here, thanks

Pondguru - 9 years ago

No worries, that's great to hear you enjoyed the video.
Thanks for watching.

Fun Vids - 9 years ago

Great Job :) well done !

jbatacan2 - 9 years ago

Built myself a pond a long while ago, a little 4 by 6 foot, and i thought THAT was hard! Love the video, u make it look easy!

Pondguru - 9 years ago

This one was easy as someone else dug the hole - that's the hard part, lol

Rocklcon Rolan - 9 years ago

This is an awesome job. Looks like you are so constructive and talented in such work.

Rocklcon Rolan - 9 years ago

My pleasure. You are welcome.

Pondguru - 9 years ago

I used to love installing ponds but had to give it up about a year ago.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Ronita Robinson - 9 years ago

my hats off to you brother, you do awesome work.

catite1 - 9 years ago

a alguien le sobra el dinero

kenneth hanaburgh - 9 years ago

i did not see a filter or pump and with no waterfall to put oxygen in the water i think you will soon have an algae pond

Drassodes Corona - 9 years ago

It looks hillarious when your smashing up the rocks XD

Reinhard VON NOSTITZ - 9 years ago

wonderful...! built three smaller ponds....had to make sides steep.....flowing into each other...creatures like shallow edges....but I have koi and gold fish.....raccoons do not like steep sides and herons do not like it either..
Reinhard

Pondguru - 9 years ago

Yes steep sides will keep fish and animals safer from land based predators so that was a good idea
Glad you enjoy the videos and thanks for watching.

ScottCioffiDotCom - 10 years ago

Thanks, bro, for sharing. Have you ever tried it without a liner, and instead with shading it with trees, etc. and tamping organic clay really well?

Pondguru - 10 years ago

My large pond / small lake at home is clay and works very well. That was built before I had a video camera unfortunately.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+Jennifer Lette
No problem, I really enjoyed putting this video together and I'm glad it was of some use to you.
Best of luck with your own pond building.

Jennifer Lette - 10 years ago

I wish you were in Australia. Your pond is wonderful and I'm going to copy what I can, especially the nooks and crannies. Thanks for taking such time and care in preparing it.

erecmc1 - 10 years ago

Great video.

Diggertrev out and about - 10 years ago

Watched it all great video i am inspired :)

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Groovy - dig for victory.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+Nancy England
How to Build a Koi Pond Video - Part 1 ( by Pondguru )

Nancy England - 10 years ago

Could you share your video on How to build a koi pond. Thank you

Nancy England - 10 years ago

Very interesting and I enjoy watching all the 6 parts and would love to see how it grows .Thanks for sharing

Killian Crausaz - 10 years ago

Good video thank you … :D

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No worries, glad you enjoyed it.

Impaler - 10 years ago

Hello Richard. I want to build a 10 ft deep pond,but I dont want to use that rubber liner. Do you have any videos like that?

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Unless you have a deep natural clay base you will have to go with blocks, concrete and render which will then be painted or fibre glassed. Check the video I did a while back called 'How to build a koi pond - part 1'

Mirah Carter - 10 years ago

Love this video. I landscape, as well. This video is laid back, easy to follow. Thanks for the days it took to film.

Albert Clérissi - 9 years ago

+Pondguru Outdoors

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No worries, I really enjoyed making this video and a over 70 minutes it is my longest on Youtube.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

falcosparverius1 - 10 years ago

Please go back and video tape the pond after the plants have matured a bit and post the result, I would love to see it. Thanks

Moon Doddler - 10 years ago

I love watching this. I have pond material but no stone as of yet. Nice to learn how to do this. Great teaching :)

Jennifer Langley - 10 years ago

Why do I get the feeling that as a child, you were bringing home every critter you possibly could and making a home for it. Very cool pond.

Jennifer Langley - 10 years ago

Awesome way to be :)

Pondguru - 10 years ago

You get that feeling because that is exactly what I was doing and still do, lol

DONFREDO - 10 years ago

That's real work, hard graft, out in the rain, working with his hands. Nice pond.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the video. I used to love making ponds but had to give up last year as it was only a 6 month season.

rdocb7 - 10 years ago

Does it always rain when you dig pounds old boy!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Yes, that's why I gave up installing ponds at the end of last year as I was sick of getting wet and cold, lol

Scir John - 10 years ago

Nice video...

Jim McDonald - 10 years ago

Quality.... Nothing less. :)

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No worries, glad you found the video useful.

Zaheer Ali - 10 years ago

What about for turtles

Monkey Mike Outdoors - 10 years ago

Nice job, if i want to do a trout pond does it have to have shelves?

Monkey Mike Outdoors - 10 years ago

Ya I figured it had to be alot bigger ha ha.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

It needs to be about 50x bigger than this and a minimum of 2.5m deep. Shelves are optional.
Gad you enjoyed the video, man.

kingisdead1 - 10 years ago

Very nice job, good ideas it gave me for my pond, but we have snakes to deal with don't know if i want to many hiding places for the water moccasin, but would love to have a place for the frogs and plants. At first I thought you were a bit sloppy but the total job at the end was very nice.

kingisdead1 - 10 years ago

lol

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+kingisdead1 No worries, man. I didn't take offence at all.
I really liked building this pond and if I ever get back to that side of the city I will get an update video provided the kids haven't wrecked it, lol

kingisdead1 - 10 years ago

Okay sloppy was the wrong word, and you were building a wildlife hab, not a koi pond lol, but the final job was great, not at all sloppy,

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Sloppy, lol.
Glad you liked the video. We don't have to consider snakes up here as it's too cold but in a warmer country I guess it is a real concern as that hibernaculum is a perfect hiding place for them.

Alex Levine - 10 years ago

Great video thanks for been so detailed. I'm planning my own wildlife pond right now but I just had one question about it. How do you prevent a pond from becoming stagnant, is it just by using the oxygenating plants? I always thought the water had to be aerated by something. Thank you in advance if you could just clear this up for me. :-)

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Provided there isn't a load of decomposing waste on the pond floor and it is well planted it will not become stagnant. An air pump can help but usually isn't necessary. Oxygenating plants will do the job of aerating the water but shouldn't cover over 2/3 of pond or you will get huge swings in oxygen and carbon dioxide from day to night. I tend to go with around 1/3 of pond with oxygenators and the rest marginal plants.

Moi L - 10 years ago

Lead??? You really put lead in a wildlife pond...... Wow, that's so NOT right!
Get a pebble, an elastic band and tie that around the plant. That's the non-toxic way to sink the oxygen plants!

Volker Racho - 6 years ago

screamingshiter sorry but you are the moron.. as long as it is PbO2 - the grey and not the shiny stuff, it's no problem at all as it is not toxic. As long as you don't have it in small particles like in paint. PbO2 is nearly not dissolving in water at given temperatures in a pond. Lead in paint is forbidden because these small lead particles dissolved are elemental pb and have a much bigger surface to react. So it's much more easy for small elemental particles to enter your skin because of your dermal fat film. Lead dissolves easy in fat not in water.

screamingshiter - 7 years ago

fish still live near Chernobyl so it must be safe to leak radiation into your backyard. How stupid are you ?

screamingshiter - 7 years ago

If its harmless it would still be used in paint. do you insulate your childs crib with pipe tobacco ? Asbestos never killed anyone either right? Fucking moron.

Manc - 10 years ago

you put lead on plants in fish tanks it is harmless to anything that's going to live in there it is a very small amount nothing wrong with it

AKARazorback - 10 years ago

Thanks a lot! Such an awesome, awesome video :D Thanks for making the time to create and upload this video. Very much appreciated! Would love to see a shot of the pond after all these years, is that possible? :)

AKARazorback - 10 years ago

As someone else commented I really liked how you kept some spaces around the pond as well for wild life to breed and live. Very cool!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Would be good to go and get an updated video but I'm never in that part of town or any part of town if I can hep it - I'm more a lakes and mountains sort of guy.
Glad you enjoyed the video, man.

AKARazorback - 10 years ago

I have 0 knowledge of ponds (which is why I am watching this video) but I'm wondering isn't this pond rather shallow for fish to be kept in? I mean won't the pond fully freeze up in winter?

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+AKARazorback It would be cheaper to just get a pump and filter if you wanted fish. Wildlife won't stay in one place.

AKARazorback - 10 years ago

Ah ok! Thanks for clearing that up... so in theory you could keep a clear pond without a pump as long as there are no fish in it? Could a mixture be achieved as well, maybe by making some basins of sorts where the fish can't get to, so you get best of both worlds?

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+AKARazorback Fish eat daphnia which in turn eat single cell algae (green water) so you would need a pump and filter to keep the pond clear if there were fish in it. They would eat the majority of tadpoles and newt larvae too so aren't recommended for a wildlife pond. Make it an extra 1' (30cm) deeper and fish would be no problem (but you wouldn't have much wildlife for the schoolkids to study)

AKARazorback - 10 years ago

Ah ok awesome I thought it would also include fish :) Would it be possible to also have fish in it if the pond were deeper? I mean, they might eat some wild life but not all of it I assume? Thanks for responding mate!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Yes it is too shallow for fish as it would ice over (not freeze solid as we are in North East England) but it is a wildlife pond so will not have fish in. Fish eat the wildlife. Check out my other how to videos or fish pond and koi pond building.

Keith Fox - 10 years ago

It would help to provide annotation link to your updated videos. I can't seem to find any updates, but great builds though! :)

No Good Names Left - 10 years ago

1st lemme say - amazingly detailed video, thanks!
2nd - we need to see a follow-up. Need to see how it held up. How sustainable it really is. I've seen your reply about not working for that company anymore but I'm SURE if you sent an email to the school explaining that you just wanted to check on the pond when the kids aren't around, I'm sure they'd be fine - especially if you sent them a link to this video so they knew your true purpose and how much time & care you put into it.
3rd - did you enter the "additional tags" yourself or does Utube automatically add them? (why in the heck would 'biggest oscar piranha" or "how to build a fish tank" or ".22 bushcraft" be in your video's tags?)

Pondguru - 10 years ago

I could go back anytime I suppose but I am only very rarely in that part of town so I haven't called in.
Glad you enjoyed the video as I really liked building this pond.
With regard to the tags I put in random tags in the hope that this video would link with previous and future associated video of mine and also show better in searches.
Not sure tat makes much difference as some videos just get lucky as far as views go.

East Coast - 10 years ago

excellent!
how often does one have to add water?
did you add any critters?

Thanks again!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Other than what came in on the plants, no but I'm sure it will be teeming with life now. I was just employed to install the pond to my own design. In the UK it is illegal to knowingly relocate amphibians but there may well have been young newts, tadpoles etc. arrive with the plants.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Andrew Nguyen - 10 years ago

do you work by yourself?

Andrew Nguyen - 10 years ago

Love your pond work and skills

Pondguru - 10 years ago

I generally have another lad who helps me on pond construction.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+Janine McMahon
No worries, I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

Rahis Thapa - 7 years ago

Pondguru Outdoors the filter which u used in wooden pond

Pondguru - 7 years ago

I have just answered the same question but it was on a different video which had a different filter in it? Link to filter is in video description for this one.
Sorry, I've just checked and its not in the video description as this video is about a wildlife pond where there is no pump or filter.

Janine McMahon - 10 years ago

watched from the beginning - great video - learnt a lot - thanks for sharing

Byron Church - 10 years ago

What a cool thing to do.And what a pro!

zoltan87 - 10 years ago

Really great video, also it's good to see that you put so much emphasis on the habitat of the pond. For me that is the most interesting part of a pond: observing all the different kinds of life forms in it.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

A well constructed pond should be a hub for all sorts of wildlife so thanks for recognising that and appreciating the video.

martin harland - 10 years ago

thats a very nice job luv it

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Rajeev Das - 10 years ago

this is awesome man,thanks for the detailed description ,i hope to build something like one day!!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Best of luck if you do build a pond and thanks for watching the videos.

wahyu widiyanto - 10 years ago

man,this is awesome.well,don't you put some fish into the pond?or just letting animals live in it...btw I'm an animal lover too, it's so exciting live with them u know..keep going man!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

You would never put fish into a wildlife pond as they will eat the wildlife, lol
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

mrbraio - 10 years ago

awesome!! do you know the latin names for the plants you used?? greetings from mexico!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Yes but I have a problem remembering the common names as when I am pricing for jobs etc. I use the latin names.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Amy Mondi - 10 years ago

Me and ma friend cought a tutle and this really helped make the pond

Ron - 10 years ago

I really enjoyed your video on building this pond, I learned a ton of things and appreciate that you took the time to make it for everyone to view. It's refreshing to view something good that is positive and fosters good nature for mankind. THANK YOU!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No problem, I really enjoyed making this video so thanks or watching and appreciating it.

C. William Genest - 10 years ago

just watched the whole thing for the second time since last year and man, so bloody good ! Nicest pond EVER and I believe I have the confidence now to try it myself. Thank you Good Sir.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I wish you the best of success with your upcoming pond project.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Amy Mondi - 10 years ago

Would I be able to put a turtle in a pond like that

Pondguru - 10 years ago

In a warm country, yes.
In the UK it is way too cold.

Susanne Barker - 10 years ago

Beautiful. Thank you!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Steve C - 10 years ago

Great job , i would copy this pond for sure but i'm not sure if i would use the lead to weigh down the pond plants .. Thanks for the great detailed video :-)

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+Steve C
Arrgh, I hate those sort of questions as I can never remember, lol
I think it may have been around £2.3k but I'm not sure.

Steve C - 10 years ago

hanks ill check em out shortly , Thanks Steve

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+Steve C
I think this one took about a week and the biggest pond I have done was my own which is in a few of my videos.

Steve C - 10 years ago

Fair play to you working in that rain LOL , How long did it take from start to finish , also what is the biggest pond you have done.. Tyanks Again

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No worries.
Glad you enjoyed the video, man.

Jakendrick WatkinsTv - 10 years ago

Add fish into It.

terasinas - 10 years ago

Very nice. I really enjoyed these videos and learned a lot. Lovely pond. You might want to use something else besides lead. Ever hear of lead poisoning? I wouldn't want your frogs and fish to grow up with learning disabilities, lol. Thank you so much for sharing! BTW, I am going to make a small pond in my backyard this summer, so I am trying to learn as much as I can and different alternatives I have.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.
The lead doesn't build up and affect short lived animals the same as it does with humans so don't worry about that. Even back in the day when people were drinking from lead pipes which stretched for 100's of metres the effects were minimal although I had a relative who lived up in the hills went mad, lol

Diane Jean - 10 years ago

Awesome and yes I watched all 6 parts....... ty for all the great information... Much love

Pondguru - 10 years ago

I'm glad you liked the video and found it useful. This is my longest by far but also one of the most popular as it has many different ideas for wildlife ponds.

mothballjim - 10 years ago

Im building a pond about 6 ft by 4 ft how much would all the stones roughly cost for something this size?

mothballjim - 10 years ago

Cheers buddy. Finished building my pond now. What's the best way to show you the finished product so you can have you opinion on it?

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+mothballjim
NO worries, buying direct from a local quarry will always be the cheapest way.

mothballjim - 10 years ago

Brilliant, I just need to find where my nearest quarry is now, thank you!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

If you source them locally (from quarry) you will pay much less than if you go to garden centre or DIY store. As for how much they will cost I can't begin to guess at that as I don't know the construction detail.

Michał Malinowski - 10 years ago

Could You say what is the model of the torch you are using? Or give any suggestions about the torches that would help with the liner?

Pondguru - 10 years ago

It is just a small torch used by plumbers and I got it from Plumb Centre but you can get them from any DIY store. The torch is only used for joining the underlay together.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

maxdecphoenix - 10 years ago

You ever use Bentonite?

Pondguru - 10 years ago

I haven't used it personally but I've seen ponds which were constructed using Bentonite and they seemed to go in great.

guitargodPR - 10 years ago

Great video! You are great! Can you add some fishes to keep the mosquito larvae out of the pond?

Pondguru - 10 years ago

You could but I'd go for either native minnows or rosy minnows as other types of fish will also eat the young tadpoles, newts etc.

JC JLC - 10 years ago

I look at this vid from time to time and always pick up tips.... nicely done

mannixon711 - 10 years ago

great job! i really learn a lot from this video. thanks for sharing. i dream to have this, i am so obsessed about fishpond.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No worries and I'm glad you liked the video.

Andy & amandas art dogs & V logs - 10 years ago

i enjoyed that i wonder what it looks like today

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Unfortunately I gave up working for the company who I did this for. This was one of the only sites which didn't have me frustrated by work cards, health and safety, wearing a different coloured jacket when I was using the heat gun and losing half a day on 'induction' when I was working in a field.
Nobody needs that crap so I decided to do without it. That said, I would really like to see what this pond looks like now too as I really enjoyed putting this one in.

Russell Brown - 10 years ago

A+ thanks for posting this!

Pondguru - 10 years ago

+jideofor Ezewata Yes, will work no problem.
If you search for a splitter from Oase called Y-DB that will allow you to split (and control) the flow to two filters.

jideofor Ezewata - 10 years ago

+Pondguru Can two filters work with just one pump? if yes how can it be connected...

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No problem man. I was pleased with the finished pond and the video with this one.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Abdul Bholim - 10 years ago

VERY STUNNING. I SAW RAIN POURING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS AN OVERFLOW.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

If it rains enough to overflow the pond then all surrounding land will be waterlogged but the surrounding land is quick draining and area around grass has drains so surrounds of pond will never be boggy.

kneenad - 10 years ago

dude this is all cool and all but what about the organism called mosquito. those mofos will be first one to ruin your pond. They will come and stay in humongous community in your pond wouldn't they? I really like your idea but, i am worried about bugs and mosquito. But I will give you 12 out of 10 for being hardworking and innovative

Pondguru - 10 years ago

As soon as pond insects arrive (water boatmen, pond skaters, beetles etc.) they will begin eating any mosquito larvae and there will also be a nation of invertebrates eating the eggs in a wildlife pond too. Frogs, toads and newts (and their offspring) will do their part too so provided the pond supports any of the above you'll not get mosquitoes successfully breeding in there.
Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Natalie Markworth - 10 years ago

Thank you for this cracking video and for taking the time to do. Its really informative and I will definetley refer to it when rebuilding my pond. I have one which was with the house when it was purchased. It has a solid liner, but I want a wildlife pond and I feel its not big enough and making do isn't working so considering starting from scratch…. you have inspired me. I was skeptical about the hibernaculum, but you've sold it to me as essential for a wild life pond….. those lucky children. :-)

Pondguru - 10 years ago

Best of luck with the build and I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching.

Gvapo Tripinovic - 10 years ago

Excellent and very informative video :)
Thanks

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Darktoad Darktoad - 10 years ago

Outstanding. I'll definitely be building a hibernaculum when I get around to building my pond. Thanks for taking the time and effort to explain it all.

Pondguru - 10 years ago

No worries, man. Any time.
Best of luck with the build.

Abang Ajoi - 11 years ago

Can you help me doing this in my school at Malaysia?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

That would be an awesome thing to do and I would like to travel around the world installing ponds but I'm tied to the UK unfortunately.

Kito - 11 years ago

around 2k it's cheap. cost a lot more in my country.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No unfortunately and the chance of me getting back to it are very slim as I am working online from home now.

simon page - 11 years ago

Aewsome really nice. Have you back since?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Yeah that would be very strong indeed. Thanks fro watching and appreciating the video.

MrAkasombe Cichlids - 11 years ago

Great video,just my opinion ,one thing i recommend especially since kids are involved ,i recommend notching the support post so the 2x4 are supported by the 4x4 and not the screws,just constructive criticism,hope it helps and not offend

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Yes, the water is the best level there is so I just add stones or take them away as necessary before cementing on the edging stones. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

TheBushdoctor68 - 11 years ago

That's a great looking pond you created there sir! How can you make sure that the whole thing is level? I noticed that when you started laying stones at the second shelf, the first section was partially submerged but further up it wasn't. Do you address that issue when laying the top slabs?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I used very old treated pine which was very dry ( and would leach very little treatment into water) but Oak is the best for long life and strength.

Daisy Grubber - 11 years ago

Great video. What timber would you recommend for the upright submerged posts ? Ta

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I've not been back to this one unfortunately. With it being at a school hopefully it is not full of crisp packets and cans, lol

Starrshine1701 - 11 years ago

Is there an update video of this pond showing how all the plants have grown in?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Generally the cement is above the water line so doesn't affect the water noticeably once it cures. For large cascades I would recommend filling the pond and running it for a week or so before completely draining it to flush out much of the harmful stuff which comes out of the cement. Then once it is refilled leave another week before you add a few fish weekly thereafter.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Construction method just has to be appropriate to the situation so It's good you're looking into all the choices.

marc alexi - 11 years ago

cheers, am only considering construction methods at the moment, reinforced concrete with waterproofing additive or pond paint may be the best for me,

Steve Jones - 11 years ago

Hi buddy.. When you use cement to hold your stone down do you use lime free cement? Or are you not worried about positioning the fish?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

WTF dude? You subscribed to me then say that this is the worst video you have ever watched. Gotta admit, that made me laugh. Thanks for watching and subscribing.

Adwoa Sika - 11 years ago

that was the worst video that i have ever watched

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Yes this worked out very well. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Jefferson Moreira - 11 years ago

good job ! amigo do Brazil !

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching and appreciating the video. Glad you found it informative.

Victor Baerner - 11 years ago

Thanks for sharing. Very informative and very thorough and systematic in your explanations. I put in a pond at my old home in Santa Cruz, CA (USA) with not much to work with except my instincts and will to have a pond. It worked out decently, but it was quite a learning experience. I'm very glad to have watched through your process as the next time I do it I'll have both knowledge and experience to work from. Take care and I'll see you in your next project!

Pondguru - 11 years ago

This one was a real pleasure to build and I hope the children at the school are making good use of it.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Yes although some wildlife may be lost into the pump unless it had a fine guard on it.

Aaron Campbell - 11 years ago

could you add a waterfall feature to a pond like this?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Not aware of any pH friendly concrete but a concrete and render pond painted with proper pond paint will provide a hard waterproof barrier which will last a very long time. If the pond is large and constructed properly from concrete and rendered (2 coats) it will cost more than a good quality rubber liner but will not be punctured.

marc alexi - 11 years ago

My only concern with this construction method is vandals intentionally puncturing the liner, is there a higher strength method? Like with an eco friendly PH neutral mortar or concrete? I'm looking for a large pond to be constructed on my land but no way would I pay for the plastic liner method.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

It is a wildlife pond.

RmS Rms - 11 years ago

No Fish?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Not sure about that, lol. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

candy cane - 11 years ago

Loveeee these vids your so talented

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries. Thanks for watching and enjoying the video.

Judy White - 11 years ago

I watched the entire video!!Amazing job and you make it look so easy!No wonder you are called the Pond Guru! I learned a lot.Thank you.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Maybe somewhere around 2k? Maybe less. I think I built this 2-3 years ago so I haven't got the information to hand. I'm not the best at keeping records of previous jobs. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Kito - 11 years ago

this has been the best n most detail video i ever see. one of the best contribution to the world of landscaping n youtube community. i have learn so much from. can you tell us what is the total cost of the all the materials spent.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Я рад, что вам понравилось видео

Вячеслав - 11 years ago

Красота!!!!!!

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Just like this but larger.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

lol on the contribution, I'm just happy to share my experiences. I do make money from having the videos on from Google since I am a Youtube partner so that's great when videos are popular like this one is shaping up to be. Stone has a very high place value so at source it is often very affordable. Its the transport which kills it but good stone is never money wasted. Glad you found the video useful. If I had the time I would do more 'How to' videos. Thanks for watching and appreciating.

rojman1 - 11 years ago

I'm now the proud owner of a wildlife pond, your video was my inspiration. The main problem I had down here was sourcing decent stone for the edging. I finally found some Derwent millstone grit on e-bay and got 2 tonnes for £200 (inc delivery). Locally all I could get was reclaimed limestone at £360 a tonne! You should give the option for a contirbution to your business for your ideas Richard, I would have gladly paid something for your video, it helped me every step of the way!

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Christabell Xx - 11 years ago

Really enjoyed watching the video thanks

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries. Glad you found it useful and thanks for watching.

Suraj Dangol - 11 years ago

thanks this video helped me a lot

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries. Glad you found the video useful and thanks for watching.

Shaymaa Elsayed - 11 years ago

That is some hard work. Thanks.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Just checked it out and well done. Glad you took something from this video and thanks for watching.

TheMarchbrown - 11 years ago

Hi, well you've inspired us to build our very first pond - it's small but perfectly formed and we're really pleased with it. It was going to be a wildlife pond but we ended up adding fish. The next one will be for wildlife! We've uploaded a video. Many thanks.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

The amount of lead compared to the volume of water will have no measurable effect but if in doubt, just use a planting basket for the oxygenators, no worries. As the pond is in a city school it's probably full of crisp packets, chewing gum and anything else the kids can throw in so a few bits of lead may be the least of it's concerns, lol.

gorgeousdzastr - 11 years ago

Nice video and work. I still can't figure why you would do such a beautiful job, to the very end throw 'lead' in the pond to weigh down those plants. Wouldn't the lead leach lead into the water, and eventually into the "invertebrates"? ergo lead poisoning?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching, man.

TakebackTruth - 11 years ago

Great job, very enlightening and held my interest throughout .

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Will do. I am on doing a couple of interesting ponds at present so videos of them will be coming soon if I can ever get time to edit the footage.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I really should get back to this pond as it was a great one to build.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Yeah, man. No worries. Glad you enjoyed the video and I hope your project goes well.

Aziz Ghanim - 11 years ago

thank you very much for sharing this video.... this is a very inspirational video for me to get up and work on my first pond project. Cheers

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Fire away. I am open to any suggestions.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I'm cutting back on the amount of ponds I make. Moving more toward online efforts to earn money as that can be 24/7 and global. For the last few years I have been making ponds more difficult just to keep myself entertained. I need to devote more time to my family too. My son has been invited to train with a second football team affiliated with the big Northern clubs so I need to support him fully with that. I'll still do the odd pond job though.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

It's a long one, so thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

KissMyLisp - 11 years ago

Beautiful video sir

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Not in a wildlife pond, man.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

You'd only be working off and on for 6 months of the year, lol

young dodgerr - 11 years ago

Awesome mate gis a job

Butica Jij - 11 years ago

what about the watter pomp and filter ? were are them ?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Hopefully you'll have a rewarding project there and feel free to make a video and use it as a video response to this video. Would be great to see it. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Rev K - 11 years ago

Greetings from Canada. Incredible job and thanks for so many great ideas. If ours turn out 1/2 as good as your we will be happy.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

peter song - 11 years ago

good job man

Pondguru - 11 years ago

From what I've seen and any research I can find, it has no effect at all on aquatic creatures.

Tom De Wilde - 11 years ago

Isn't the lead going to slowly affect water quality? I know at our school the teacher was very angry at a kid because hè threw a bunch of oxyginators in the pind with lead on it.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

brad higgins - 11 years ago

Mate... seriously great video.. was very intrigued and very informative at exactly the right times when it needed to be... thanks for sharing!!

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

James B Temple - 11 years ago

Great job, great video. Thanks for sharing.

omar torres - 11 years ago

Pool

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I had a pair but they went in the tumble drier which knackered them. I really should get another pair.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

As the internet is murdering the retail business I'd always recommend buying from your local independent pond suppiler. 9 times out of 10 they can match the internet prices and you have the security of some sort of guarantee also.

PBplayerVINCE - 11 years ago

Is their a certain website where you get the under layer and liner

PBplayerVINCE - 11 years ago

Thanks

Pondguru - 11 years ago

If you've ever taken out a pond which had sand under it you'll notice that not much of it remains after a few years as it is taken into the soil by worms, washed out by groundwater and slides off any sort of gradient. Safest to use underlay as it stays where it is put down, including vertical slopes.

PBplayerVINCE - 11 years ago

If you use sand nicely in and nothing is rocky can you put in the liner even though its not the best

Thianro Uklian - 11 years ago

When using the heat gun at least try using a glove.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

From a local quarry.

Paolo Ubiadas - 11 years ago

Where do you get the flat stones

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Yeah, it's fun for 6 months of the year when people want ponds building but after that there is no money coming in and the joy soon fades, lol

May Snarlfang - 11 years ago

I wish I had your job! You seem very happy and satisfied with what you do. Plus it seems fun! :)

MdNazmul Islam - 11 years ago

Real clover

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Great minds think alike, lol

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Some people still refuse to accept that fact and have loads of fish in their 'wildlife pond', lol. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Kathy Biggs - 11 years ago

So glad you're telling folks that Koi and Goldfish, even mosquito fish eat our wildlife. Thanks!

Kathy Biggs - 11 years ago

Wonderful and thorough presentation! I think I'll add hybernaculms to my 2 ponds here in the States. Your video came up when I watched one made of me giving a presentation about the whole idea of ponds for wildlife. So glad you're doing it too. Kathy Biggs, California

Steven - 11 years ago

Very nice pond, I would like to see it after about a year or so to the plants fully grown and full.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Groovy.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Hope it all goes well with the build. Feel free to add any videos as responses to any of mine - they should all be set up to automatically accept them.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

This one is a bit epic at over an hour but it needed to be done to get all the stages across to the viewer. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Thanks for the big up, man. Glad you enjoy my videos.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Not really deep enough for koi but goldfish would be OK. Problem is they eat all the wildlife so it wouldn't be a wildlife pond if it had fish in it. Check out the video 'How to build a fish pond' for a more suitable design I did for fish. There is also 'How to build a koi pond' which runs through the building of a koi pond.

Darrick G. - 11 years ago

if you vote thumbs down on this video then you are on crack and watching something different then I just did. this guy is freaking amazing!!

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Thanks for watching and appreciating. I have not used a sand filter on any ponds although I did have a fluidised sand filter which I intended to use on a pond but didn't have suitable fittings for the inlet and outlet so I scrapped it. Sometimes wish I'd used it to see what it would have been like.

edvac1 dave - 11 years ago

Excellent videos! Thank you. We'll use some of your techniques on our next pond. Have you ever tried a biological sand filter with your ponds?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I don't often get back once I've built a pond as my work is very spread out and I tend to concentrate my videos on the construction method. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Leif Masrud - 11 years ago

I would love to see a video of you returning to this pond now that it's a year later and giving us another tour to see the plants filled in a bit and things looking settled. Otherwise, great job and thanks for sharing!

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Yeah, most would have gone with a local group of volunteers who would have invariably made and arse of it, lol

1989SPT - 11 years ago

Amazing job mate fair play to the school aswell for getting that made for the kids

Forest Exotics - 11 years ago

Love your videos.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

ArcanePath360 - 11 years ago

I really loved watching you work on this, and thank you for the plant names and how they react with the British climate. I also admire your dedication working through the rain.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I'll just keep bashing out the videos, no worries. Having tarantulas in the garden would put our little house spiders to shame, lol

suburbanhomesteader dallas - 11 years ago

PS I've hunted all over the world, done habitat restoration for ducks, water capture for wild sheep, bore-holes for game pond filling, and dozens of backyard wildlife ponds. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you after only watching 4 videos...LOL! Keep up the good work. Any way of donating to you if we can't purchase anything? If not, how do we help keep you doing videos to educate us? Or, do you have a storefront?

suburbanhomesteader dallas - 11 years ago

too cool!!! I just re-lined a very old, cedar-sided pond and found a couple of tarantulas (I'm in Texas) hanging out in the pockets between the liner and the rotted cedar. They would have loved this!

steve fox - 11 years ago

Realy enjoyed your videos.Thanks for an informative insight in to pond building.Look forward to more.Many thanks.Steve.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

The actual build took about 4 days. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

darren icome - 11 years ago

Wow! Cant believe u built that in just over an hour. Lol looks amazing dude :D

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

C. William Genest - 11 years ago

Outstanding.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. I really should do more 'How to' videos but lately I have just been hammering away trying to get through as many jobs as possible. I've got a job to start next week which should be an interesting project as it involves a fish pond, walling, pump & filter set up and electrics so I will make a 'How to' video out of that one - weather permitting. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Walter J Kennedy - 11 years ago

I must say i'm 23mins into the video and i'm enthralled. You have the best interests of the wildlife at the forefront of your thinking. You seem genuine and I can't wait to see the result but not until i've watched the full video. If I ever get the time and money i'll be doing this. Wonderful stuff mate :)

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I am in the UK so I've no idea what requirements those fish have. I also am not familiar whit the types of plants available for your area of the US so I'm not much help there too. Maybe the 'Ponddigger' would have a clearer view on this as he is also in the US (not sure what part - it's a big place)

redneckhotrodder - 11 years ago

Ok any recomendations on what to use? I plan on putting the edges to a long slope so its not such a drop to the pond and what about plant life? I got plenty of room for any kind of plant that can go in a pond there will be large mouth bass, small mouth, crappy, several kinds of brim, and cats in it

Pondguru - 11 years ago

It is always best to use good underlay so good on you for using it. Some people don't bother and they all end up regretting it. Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Yeah, it's really something which needs to be done in sections at time of construction. Not much you can do once it is full of water at that size.

redneckhotrodder - 11 years ago

thats going to be hard with such a large hole to cover. this thing is over an acres in length and about the same in width it starts at 10 feet and goes does to 30 feet deep at the middle

marie williams - 11 years ago

going to under lay my pond no i no how haha thanks

Pondguru - 11 years ago

With a clay lined pond it is often good to lift the clay out of the hole and fix a cheap plastic sheet system overlapped and pinned to ground under the clay being used to form the pond base / sides. This gives the clay something to spread out against which will minimise leaking. The sides will have to be shallow to reduce cave-in. Planting will stop erosion.

redneckhotrodder - 11 years ago

how bout doing a large pond like say half acre? and over 10 feet deep in the middle thats what im doing and i need help with ideas on it having trouble with the walls caving in and it wont hold water trying to use red clay to waterproof it being my yard is nothing but clay and rock i got a tractor to do the diging and stilling having problems any ideas?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Thanks for appreciating the videos. Most people consider a wildlife pond to be a dish shaped hole filled with cobbles and dirt but I prefer to keep them useable and actually give the wildlife some habitat. I haven't been working anywhere near this pond since I installed it unfortunately so I haven't seen it once the plants are established. It is in an inner city school so hopefully it won't be full of litter and shopping trolleys, lol

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Thanks for watching and appreciating the video. The cobbles are rounded and the liner is 1mm thick rubber over a good quality underlay so its not a problem, no.

alastairbaba - 11 years ago

great video, thank you. Looks like you are not at all concerned about puncturing the liner when tipping in the cobbles etc.?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

lol. Thanks for watching and appreciating the videos.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Well best of luck with that, man.

23fairplay - 11 years ago

this is a test for a bigger project, I can't explain everything as the comments are too short, the pond will help regulate the temp of dome & vica versa, cold spring water & shaded in the summer, also high up so always cool in the evening, only the deep part is in the dome, the rest of pond is outside, 8000 litres in all, it is quite well researched and based on working models, main thing is that normally wildlife & aquaculture aren't mixed while I want to mix them as part of a permaculture farm

Shane Kluin - 11 years ago

a nice pond i like

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Thanks for watching and appreciating the video.

Zarifa 3 - 11 years ago

The best How-do video on youtube ever! Great job building and explaning everything!

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Trout? The pond is way too small for trout and it will get too warm for them inside a greenhouse in spring / summer / autumn. Carp species including goldfish don't need so much oxygen so will be better suited to warmer shallow water. Can't quite understand the dimensions you've given so I may be telling you wrong information. Please clarify max dimensions of pond.

23fairplay - 11 years ago

hi pondguru, cheers for the videos, I have a project which is aquaculture + wildlife, pond is 2m wide and 1m deep steeping up in 3 steps to 0.4m deep and 3m at shallow end, 5m long with a 0.2m ledge, the deep part is inside a dome greenhouse, do you think it is possible to mix the two, I need at least a couple of goldfish that can get everywhere to eat mosquito larvae, but can design it to limit access to shallows for the trout, I could of done a wildlife pool and an indoor basin but prefer one

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating.

Salinas Uruguay - 11 years ago

Eres un maestro. Felicitaciones

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I've got such a poor memory I can never remember once a few months pass but one of the earlier comments has a chance to have a rough figure in.

Nathan Collins - 11 years ago

TOP JOB!! How much do u charge for something like this?

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching and appreciating.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Cement will be fine but ideally should be painted with a suitable paint to prevent lime leaching out and harming the fish. Check out 'How to build a koi pond - part 1' you will see the process of building a block / brick / rendered pond.

Ibrahim Mohammed - 11 years ago

I am planning to construct a pond where I can stock tilapia fish, is it advisable to cement for that since the lining material and polyester are not readily available here (Nigeria). Gratitude for the great videos.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

If the water is clear, I'd leave it natural and try to remove the duckweed. Assuming the pond is a reasonable size you could put a few grass carp in there to control the duckweed once you get it mostly removed.

MrRoadkill282002 - 11 years ago

We just moved and right nex to the house is a natural pond. Covered in duck weed and seen a couple of turtles slide off in there. I want a garden pond. Should I leave this natural or drain and line it? I few feet down is clay.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

If I am anywhere the near the area in spring or summer I will call in as I'd like to see it mature too. Thanks for watching.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

The rubber liner waterproofs the pond in a lined pond construction. The polyester is used under the liner to protect it from puncturing from underneath. In a cement pond it should be painted with the appropriate paint. Check out 'How to build a koi pond' it will be one of the associated videos on the right side of this page or in my pond playlist. It has a concrete, block, cement (rendered) pond construction and explains the build.

Quetz M - 11 years ago

Hi Dear pondguru, can i just use cement instead of polyester to waterproof the pond? What if the pond is already filled with cement? Should I waterproof it with sealers too? thanks

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Thanks for watching and appreciating.

Keitho mojito - 11 years ago

loved the video man got some great tips thanks

Pondguru - 11 years ago

No worries, man. Thanks for watching and appreciating. Best of luck with the build.

Gez B - 11 years ago

Great informative vid there mate, not to far from you at wallsend & will be digging a wildlife pond in the spring.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

Not sure if you watched the video but the only stone which isn't cemented in place are the cobbles. There won't be much trashing going on.

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I just won't do it. Balls to all that crap. People are so hung up on creating jobs where people just sit in offices ticking boxes instead of making a contribution to the world. I'm going to close this out now as this is one of the few areas where I feel strongly enough to go on an uncontrolled rant - lol

Pondguru - 11 years ago

I intend calling in to have a look at this pond in the spring and getting an update video. The company I did this for won't be passing any more work on to me unfortunately as I didn't send the sub-contractors forms back to them this year. The levels of unneccessary red tape and form filling (bullshit) just to be on their list is not worth the hassle. Well not for me anyway - lol. Shame as I did some good work for them. Won't do the paperwork though.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

Knackered. I feel like I'm in a vice so I'll be sitting in the sauna for a good hour before bed I think - lol. Glad you enjoyed this video - this is one of my better ones.

ALESSANDROBUSETTI - 12 years ago

Great video! How is your back?!

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No worries, glad you enjoyed the video.

Luca Fiore - 12 years ago

You are a wonderful human!

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No way they'll see wildlife in the numbers they want if there's fish in,no. Thanks for watching,man.

mybackpocket - 12 years ago

I see they won't be having fish in this pond? Another brilliant pond mate.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

I'll video it if I am anywhere near the area - unless the kids have destroyed it and its full of litter - lol. Should be OK though as it is fenced off to give it protection. I was mid 20's before I found my first great crested newt and that was after searching the local ponds for over 15 years. It was a bit of a moment.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

I normally just do it by eye when its being dug. In a smaller pond or a formal pond with walls / straight edging and no internal dry stone wall I would use a level. For large ponds I tend to use a laser level. In ponds like this one it doesn't matter if its slightly off level as the wall will cover all liner. As long as the capping is level the job keeps right. Since its filled before the capping goes on, water is always level and the best guide to keep capping level.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

Once a few months go past I just forget. I price each job seperately nd give a quote depending on each situation.

Tom Watson - 12 years ago

How much would you charge for that?

Pondguru - 12 years ago

Yeah, I really liked doing this one.

Katie Donohoe - 12 years ago

gorgeous pond. i love it!

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching.

silvertopaz72 - 12 years ago

Brilliant, just Brilliant. You, sir are an Artist. I really enjoy every video. A little bit of beauty, in this time save's my soul. Thank You.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

I see my 'Dislike Troll' has crawled out from under his / her rock again. Jesus, I'd pay to know who hits the dislike button on the day of upload almost every time....

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching. I will be uploading a compilation of a 4 part 'how to build a fish pond' in the next few hours.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

If I am passing I will. Since its in a school, the kids have probably brutalised it beyond recognition but you never know.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching. I will be uploading a compilation of a 4 part 'how to build a fish pond' in the next few hours.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching. I will be uploading a compilation of a 4 part 'how to build a fish pond' in the next few hours.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching. I will be uploading a compilation of a 4 part 'how to build a fish pond' in the next few hours.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

No worries, thanks for watching. I will be uploading a compilation of a 4 part 'how to build a fish pond' in the next few hours.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

Some sandstone will frecture and split but it depends what the grain is like. We always select each piece from the quarry to prevent (or minimise) that happening.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

Just uploaded one about the difference between .17HMR and .22LR but I don't get the time to go out shooting since I am ultra busy just about all the time and any spare time I have I'm usually metal detecting now with my son. I'llk have to take a day off and have a rabbit apocalypse.

Pondguru - 12 years ago

Just ordinary cement with retarder / waterproofer. I think this took around 5 days -it was a while ago so I had just about forgotten about it until I had the idea of compiling the 6 part series into one video.

Fiskecampen - 12 years ago

Great job, Richard. What kind of cement are U using and how many hours did you use in total?

PKA RSK - 12 years ago

Cool vid Richard. Do you have any hunting videos comming up?

bobodriscoll - 12 years ago

Great video but im glad my house isn't built with sandstone with the way it shatters!!! ;-)

CobiNation - 12 years ago

this is amazing great job

dagandbodger - 12 years ago

Very Nice Pond. Well Done

Peppy The Miniature Schnauzer - 12 years ago

great video...can you do a revisit..

Joe Parker - 12 years ago

good vid :)

About How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru

The "How to Build a Wildlife Pond Video - Complete pond building video by Pondguru" video is part of the category, which contains similar videos like this one.