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Whether you are a hobby gardener, fish lover or just a fan of versatile garden design - for many people a garden pond is one of the indispensable elements in their home ornamental garden. If you still want to create one, you will be confronted with the question of the right pond size during the first planning steps. We explain the required minimum dimensions and dependencies so that your pond is a complete success.
The right pond size
Anyone who has already considered revitalizing a garden pond beyond the general goal of a garden pond will already realize that there is no such thing as one size for the perfect pond. Because numerous factors influence the width and depth and may also require a certain minimum volume:
- Planned planting
- Intended residents in the form of fish, shells, etc.
- Unintended residents expected through natural influx, such as frogs
- Planned use as an ornamental pond or swimming pond
- the stability of the biological balance, taking into account the planned filter system
- the desired type or the type specified by the local conditions
- the planned or affordable maintenance effort
minimum size
Ultimately, there is no real lower limit for the pond size. Mini ponds can be as big as a car tire. The other end of the scale, on the other hand, can be several hundred square meters. When determining a minimum size, we therefore limit ourselves to perennial or perennial ponds in which plants and animals also spend the winter. This results in the first of the following minimum dimensions for a garden pond:
- Depth at least 80 centimeters to prevent freezing
- Better 1.00 to 1.20m depth to have buffers for extreme cold periods
- In the case of near-natural animation with shore zone etc. width at least 1.00m in order to maintain sufficient open water area for animals
- Area of at least 3 to 5 square meters when laid out with bank and vegetation zones, including the risk of silting up too quickly and insufficient water flow
notice: The magic limit for ponds is around 3 to 5 square meters. For sizes below that, there are pond shells that make it quick and easy to create, including planting terraces. Above that, a pond usually has to be modeled with pond liner. Prefabricated bowls are already available in small sizes, but here individual elements of near-natural ponds are usually dispensed with in favor of size reduction.
size and balance
The activation certainly has the greatest influence on a dimensioning that deviates from the minimum pond size already mentioned. This not only means plants and fish, but also all other creatures that cavort there. With bacteria and microorganisms, this also includes all the creatures that create and maintain the biological balance in the garden pond. Basically, the larger a pond is, the more stable is the ecosystem that is created in it with all its participants. External influences can be absorbed and buffered much more easily with a larger volume. This can be, for example:
- Temperature fluctuations in the pond water
- changes in oxygen levels
- Entry of foreign matter such as leaves, sand, dirt
- Immigration of animal and plant species such as algae, insects, frogs, etc.
fish and plants
In addition to the biological balance, the larger inhabitants, i.e. fish and plants, are the more obvious influencing factors on the length, width and depth of the pond. In the case of fish, the size of the garden pond depends largely on the type of animal planned. Because depending on the species, there are different requirements for the size of the body of water due to:
- size of the fish
- Number of specimens to be kept together (shoal fish)
- swimming behavior
- Other behavioral characteristics, such as flight reflexes or preferences for open water or shore zones
danger: Well-known species of fish, such as koi or goldfish, are often found in very small ponds. Although the animals can survive there, they are far from being kept in a species-appropriate manner. However, this should definitely be the goal and can only be implemented with a sufficiently large pond.
With the plants, some of the aspects are omitted, but you should always keep in mind that small plants also grow at the beginning and take up more space. Floating and underwater plants in particular have a very large influence on the garden pond itself and should definitely be kept in mind when dimensioning it.
use
A pure ornamental pond can obviously be much smaller than a real swimming pond. But even a possible targeted breeding of a certain fish species can already account for a significant increase in space requirements. The use of the pond is therefore one of the very first things that should be defined when dimensioning it.
cleaning
In addition to technical filter systems, there are also various options for naturally keeping the pond water clean. There are also various mixed forms. Although the size of the garden pond determines the dimensions of the filter devices, certain systems are only suitable for certain pond sizes. Biological self-cleaning is only possible above a certain volume, since the stability of the system depends to a large extent on the water parameters remaining the same. The stability of the equilibrium therefore plays an essential role. If, as a pond owner, you value the use of a specific filter technology, this can result in a certain determination of the size of the pond.
entertainment and care
Finally, it makes sense to consider the maintenance and care required in addition to the creation, appearance and life in the pond. The most beautiful, generously dimensioned pond does not remain intact in the long term if there is not enough time to keep it entertained. Whether it's fishing off fallen leaves or cutting back and cleaning the shore zones, the larger the garden pond, the greater the effort. If you take this point into account when planning, you won't experience any nasty, recurring surprises later.
