Beginner BACKYARD POND Build - Mistakes were made

First time making a pond and pretty satisfied with the end results. Hopefully in watching this you take away some tips and do it better than I did. Below all the major items I bought off Amazon:

[charmnGUY]

I'd recommend filling the water first before rocks...because the water will pull the liner and conforms to the shape...this way it won't pull or over stretch the liner

[ClutchEastwood]

My wife and I accidentally found this post...
(she won't let me leave the video). Now I can't stop watching with her. Gud Job!

[leahpennington]

Your "mistakes" will be our success. Thank you for your honesty in this video

[eskimoquinn]

I'm a novice pond guy with more fish experience. I know it's 2y since this was posted but a couple notes for you/others to consider:
1. initial mild algae bloom is normal after set up of tanks/ponds (and every spring, for those with snowy winters). I'd stock lightly or not at all until you get things stable and allow for early beneficial bacterial colonization of the rocks/filter. Usually you can just ride it out. Using chemicals too early can start of a vicious cycle ("dead stuff" = more growth = more chemicals = more "dead stuff", and so on).
2. This is a very small pond for bass and even bluegill, I'm wondering how they've done. I'd guess you'd need very frequent water changes or a significantly robust filter system for them to thrive). Even so, more/bigger fish = more algae issues, especially in a small pond. I generally start by stocking light/small and add creatures slowly. You'll see lots of videos online of tanks/ponds getting filled with fish early (because it looks cool) but what you don't see is the algae fight and die off that is likely to come later.

Still love the video and appreciate you leaving in all the mistakes - lots of pearls of wisdom in it. Thank you!

[Rysdad]

For public knowledge since I've built dozens of these... newspaper underlayment = free. And use roofing rubber mat for lining. Sometimes roofing companies will even give them away

[jefft]

My first pond took me all summer to finish. It was finished, but I kept tinkering with it until I was happy. I was moving things and adding things constantly.
To me it was always a work in progress. Which I loved and enjoyed.
It ended up, being a very relaxing spot for me to enjoy after a long day at work.👍👍

[jmartin]

Nice 1st attempt. Just some recommendations. After digging your hole tamp the bottom and sides so they are firm. Then spread about a half inch of sand in the bottom. Then place your liner and then wash your gravel of choice and spread it along the bottom.

[frontlineboards]

Watching your video made me feel better knowing I’m not the only one that made the same mistakes

[Joesmith_]

Just a couple of thoughts, usually you dont want water that close to your house as it will overflow and cause rising damp, also in Australia atleast you need a fence around it just like a pool if you go to deep, thats all, nice vid

[margaretrosin]

I used old carpeting as my underlayment. It was free, and extremely durable. When you wet it down it conforms to the curves or the ground nicely. That, coupled with a nice and thick pond liner, and I never experienced a leak in my pond ever. Nice job on your first pond build! What a beautiful piece of property you have. 😊

[jennsorbe]

I really appreciate you talking through the process and the mistakes and successes! It was so encouraging to me. Failure is not trying. You didn't quit! Thank you for this video!!

[leod]

You may not want to hear this - but putting rocks and gravels in the bottom is a really bad idea - the pond may look really nice and natural for the first season, but soon detritus will accumulate in nooks and crannies which will cause proliferation of anaerobic bacteria - which once accumulated to a high enough level will cause fin rot, ulcer to fish due to bacterial infection. To take care of this you'll either need to drain the pond on an annual basis to wash off detritus (or hover/siphon), or better still, take out all the rocks and gravels... In a few months time in summer the liner will grow a layer of green algae which will completely cover the black rubber - giving you a nice natural look. Only rock the edge of the pond and potentially the top shelf to help hold the liner in place. I speak from regrettable experience which killed multiple fish, until I took out all the gravel. Namo Amituofo

[amj.composer]

My favourite part of this video is how many times you messed up, I mean this in a genuine way. It's brave to do something that's not your expertise and come out with something beautiful. Congratulations, seriously.

[joemacarthur]

thanks for including your mistakes, that really added to the video. Great work!

[magickaldust]

The merkiness in the water from the dirt from the rocks would have settled over time. For anyone reading this that doesn't want to fill, drain, and fill their pool again, you can just leave it completely unbothered overnight and by morning it should be pretty clear

[Hoodoo]

Thanks, I'm building right now and this helps very much! 🐟🐟🐟

[CalcioFanEver]

Pickaxe is something I've come to love with my ground being full of red clay haha

[robertyboberty]

I suppose making mistakes and rectifying even though it seems to turn into a full time job at times is all part of the hobby. The best thing I ever did was to build a bog filter from a water butt . Water clears dramatically. Thanks 🙏

[emilyb]

Great video! Informational and I loved to see how you troubleshoot. Projects always have hiccups, but it's easy to forget when you see the videos where everything is edited to look perfect from start to finish. Also, we the audience get to learn a lot from your experience. This gives me more courage to try adding a water feature to my yard!

[More-Space-In-Ear]

9:04 you should try to take all sharp stones out, spread about 1" sand or use an old carpet as a base. Water is heavy and if you use a cheap liner it will tear, try to buy a liner with a 25 year guarantee. one good thing was having clay, this is a great smoother over rocky places.