It is particularly important to take different depths of the garden pond into account when planning, so that your pool does not later appear as an oversized puddle. Plants and fish also need different water depths to maintain biological balance.
The deeper the pond, the more natural it appears
The size of the property, soil conditions, personal taste, the desired use and of course the costs are the main criteria when it comes to the size and 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 should be at least 80 cm deep, preferably between 90 and 120 cm.
A replica of nature - the pond zones
As is usual in natural bodies of water, the ornamental pond also has several zones with different water depths and various plants.
- Swamp zone: A width of 30 cm from the inner edge of the pool is sufficient for the bank zone. A depth of 10 to 20 cm would be optimal, so that the edge can be designed with low marsh plants and the bank zone is additionally concealed.
- Shallow water zone: This area, which is at least 30 to 50 cm wide, should have a depth of 20 to 60 cm and should not be modeled too steeply. There is space here for nutrient-hungry pond plants, which, if arranged appropriately, minimize the risk of excessive algae growth.
- Deep water zone: In order to prevent rapid and complete freezing in the event of permafrost, a minimum water surface of 2 m2 and a depth of at least 90 cm is recommended for this pond area. Water lilies, floating leaf plants or underwater plants can be used here.
Pond depths for species-appropriate keeping of fish
Since the different species of fish react very sensitively to water that is too warm, it is essential to ensure that the pond depth corresponds to their natural way of life. Only in the case of very small species or the well-known aquarium fish can one be relatively sure that they will survive an ornamental pond that has been frozen over (NOT completely frozen) for more than three months. Nevertheless, you should also protect your mini pond over winter with an ice preventer or additional ventilation.
tips
If you intend to breed Japanese color carp, you should plan a pond size of at least 6 by 8 meters with a water depth of about 1.5 meters. Incidentally, the koi, which are not easy to keep, feel most comfortable in a tank volume of around 60 m3.