Fiberglass Ponds - Just add water!

Many people want the attractive look of a pond without having to invest so much time and energy into digging up the back yard. Making a man-made pond or lake is pricey. A popular, quick and much less expensive alternative is seen in fiberglass ponds. They are basically really really big fish bowls that go outside of the house. Fiberglass ponds are tough and low maintenance. You can sink them in the ground or surround them with rocks and bushes to cover up the fiberglass. Fiberglass ponds come in many shapes and sizes.

Before You Take The Plunge

Ask yourself some questions before you go shopping for fiberglass ponds. Being honest with yourself now can save a lot of time and money later. You may wish to buy or borrow books about making and creating ponds to see what you are getting yourself in for. The books will also help you answer these questions:

How much can I spend?
If I’m renting, will my landlord allow me to put fiberglass ponds in the yard?
What do I want the pond to do? Keep fish? Just look pretty? Be a large permanent birdbath? Do I want an ornamental pond with a waterfall?
What will be this pond’s water source? Do I get a lot of rain, or will I have to fill it up with heavy buckets of water?
Do I have the time to maintain the pond properly and keep the water, and any plants or fish in it, healthy and clean?

Going Shopping

Now that you know what you want the pond to do, you can take your pick of fiberglass ponds. As a general rule, the smaller fiberglass ponds can only maintain small plants – larger ones are needed for fish keeping. If you just want the water as an attractive water garden, a small fiberglass pond will be fine.

Fiberglass ponds are easily available in garden stores, aquarium shops, some hardware stores and on line. You will also have to purchase a filter for keeping the water clean, and tests to make sure your water has the proper level of ammonia and acid to keep any fish or anyone who drinks out of it healthy. Try not to put the pond right under trees that can drop a lot of material in the water and mess up the chemical balance. You will also have to keep check on the algae growth, as this can also change the water balance.