Taking different depths of the garden pond into account during planning is particularly important so that your pool does not later have the appearance of an oversized puddle. Plants and fish also need different water depths to maintain the biological balance. We think The deeper the pond the more natural it looks.
The size of the plot, the soil conditions, personal taste, the intended use and, of course, the costs are the essential criteria when it comes to the size and thus the depth of the new garden pond. In order to keep temperature fluctuations in the pool as low as possible – which in turn has to do with the desired ecological balance in the water – the garden pond depth should be at least 80 cm, or better still between 90 and 120 cm.
A replica of nature – the pond zones.
As usual in natural water bodies, the ornamental pond has several zones with different water depths and different plantings.
- Swamp zone: For the riparian zone, a width of 30 cm from the inner edge of the pool is sufficient. A depth of 10 to 20 cm would be optimal, so that the edge can be excellently designed with low marsh plants and the shore zone is additionally concealed.
- Shallow water zone: This area, at least 30 to 50 cm wide, should have a depth of 20 to 60 cm and should not be modeled with too steep a slope. There is room here for nutrient-hungry pond plants, which, appropriately arranged, minimize the risk of excessive algae growth.
- Deep water zone: To prevent rapid and complete freezing during permafrost, a minimum water surface area of 2 m2 at a depth of at least 90 cm is recommended for this pond area. Water lilies, floating leaf plants or even underwater plants can be used here.
Pond depths for species-appropriate fish keeping
Since the different fish species react very sensitively to water that is too warm, it is essential to consider a pond depth that corresponds to their natural way of life. Only in the case of very small species or the well-known aquarium fish can you be relatively sure that they will survive an ornamental pond frozen over for more than three months (NOT frozen through) alive. Nevertheless, you should also protect your mini pond over the winter with an ice freezer or supplemental aeration.
Tips
If you intend to breed Japanese color carp, you should plan for at least a pond size of 6 by 8 meters with a water depth of about 1.5 meters. By the way, the koi, which are not easy to keep, feel most comfortable with a pond volume of around 60 m3.
