Every now and then someone sends me a pond story that perfectly captures why so many people decide to build a pond in the first place.
This one comes from Scott in Maryland, USA.
Here’s Scott’s story, lightly edited for readability.
A backyard pond was a vague dream before I found Kev’s videos, but they helped give me the confidence to believe it was possible.
I used the formulas from the Pond Blueprint to size my bog filter and pump, then adapted the bog-in-a-barrel design to suit my own situation. The water quality has been fantastic.
I’m located in Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. The pond sits in a shady corner of my small suburban backyard and measures a little over 6 feet by 8 feet.
The entire pond was dug by hand.
The bog filter is hidden behind the waterfall inside a 150-gallon Rubbermaid stock tank. To create the void space at the bottom, I used plastic milk crates that I cut in half. The stock tank already had a threaded outlet near the bottom, which allowed me to connect a clean-out and drainage pipe.
The intake bay, visible on the left side of the pond, is also built from milk crates because I can get them free from work. The pump vault is simply a plastic bucket.
My pond sits beneath a huge tulip poplar tree and beside a large euonymus hedge. Despite the constant rain of leaves, petals and debris, the intake bay does a great job of keeping the pond clean.
The thrifty move I’m most proud of is getting all the rocks for free.
They were collected from highway cuttings where roads had been carved through hillsides. For an entire summer, every family day trip ended with a car full of rocks coming home with us.
I drove my wife crazy.
But she’s pretty happy with the result now.
The pond is home to three Sarasa Comet goldfish, a colony of White Cloud Mountain Minnows, and several Japanese Trapdoor Snails that are happily reproducing.
I’ve also introduced some natural-type Neocaridina shrimp and a starter culture of amphipods, although they tend to stay hidden most of the time.
I’ve planted both the pond and the hill behind it, although this is still the first warm season, so everything is continuing to fill in.
One of my favourite things is watching the local wildlife enjoy the pond. We get regular visits from neighbourhood songbirds that come to bathe in the water and steal any moss I try to establish so they can build their nests.
This pond has had a genuinely positive impact on my life.
I get daily enjoyment from sitting outside, watching the fish forage and chase one another around the pond.
My kids love helping feed the fish and exploring around the waterfall.
It wouldn’t have been possible without Kev’s videos and the information he shares online. It really wouldn’t have happened.
So thank you.
– Scott
A Few Thoughts From Kev
What I like most about Scott’s pond isn’t the waterfall, the fish, or even the fact that he managed to build it using free rocks and recycled milk crates.
It’s that he turned a vague idea into something real.
A lot of people dream about building a pond one day. Some spend years collecting ideas, watching videos and saving photos.
Scott took the next step.
He adapted the concepts to suit his own backyard, worked with the materials he had available, and created something his whole family now enjoys every day.
That’s exactly what I hope people take away from Ozponds.
You don’t need to copy my pond.
You don’t need expensive products.
You just need to understand the basic principles and apply them to your own situation.
Thanks again to Scott for sharing his story and photos.
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