Mine is my fish, and my waterfalls, and the fact things are always changing, everyday there is something new, this pic is a month or so old,,and the one waterfall wasnt quite finished, and we were needng the rest of the mulch, next year we are gonna redo it,, and we have since added a skippy filter, {{gwi:232596}}

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My favorite feature of Ohiopond's is the doggies! :D VERY cute and cuddly.

For my pond, it's the stream/creek, because that's where the birds congregate and have parties. :) If I could have built it longer, I would have.

Brenda

thanks for the nice words on the dogs, the jack russell can not be left alone around the pond, as the fishies make a nice game, catch an eat,,she calls it,,lol,,,the saint bernard is my exercise buddy we adopted him in april he is very small so vet recommended lots of exercise to get him beefed up, an slim me down,,lol, not sure who is benefitting more

Wow!! Beautiful pond. Just looking at pictures like this gives me several ideas on how to do things on the next one. Thanks for sharing.

My koi. I absolutely love my koi, and enjoy just sitting at the edge of the pond watching them swim and interact with each other and with me. If I'm adjusting the rocks at the ponds edge, I will sometimes glance in the pond to find the koi all lined up with their faces out of the water watching me. Really cute.

I also like the sound of running water, and the way the whole effect of the pond makes my yard look like my own private paradise.

We never really thought too much about ponding until last Spring, and even then we looked at it as one more problem that the "money pit" we had just bought threw at us.
My husband & I started cleaning up the area but in June, due to severe health issues, it became my husbands sole responsibility. Over the past couple of weeks I have been able to go out and "supervise" while he & our son re-landscaped. It looks amazing...our neighbors have commented on the transformation but more importantly, the fish are very happy. Our favorite feature is the waterfall, listening to it while you watch the fish swim creates such a sense of sererinty.

My fish. I love how they rush to me when I approach the side of the pond. If I make a sudden move they scatter and then they re-group and wait imapiently for me to give them some food. Certain ones will try to push others out of the way to get the first morsels. Some will just stay right where they are knowing I'm going to drop some right in front of their face. And a couple especially the Oranda will go right to the bottom to get the morsels that made it by the others and fall to the bottom. And my clear water that allows me to see everything all the way to the bottom. And last but not least my Bullfrogs and Leopard frogs. I thought my bullfrogs were huge until I saw some really big ones posted on the forum. Now I'm glad that they aren't that big. I believe others when they say theirs will eat anything even birds. But I just know that mine would never do that.
My pond summer 2007
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My pond summer 2008
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Some of my fish
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More fish
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And I can't forget my Purple Martins that are absolutely convinced that I made the pond just for them. Last summer during the re-build they scolded me constantly from the time I emptied the pond until I filled it with water again.
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And the babies that will return next year to "their" pond to raise their babies.
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And they all lived happily everafter. Glenda

The sound of the water. In the morning I stick my head out the bathroom window just to hear it. After work I get a cup of tea and sit on the pond deck listening. It calibrates the soul.
The fishies are wonderful too, of course. They come rushing over when I tap my foot on the deck, this is their signal that there's food coming!
I love "pottering" around the pond for whatever reason I can come up with. The part of the yard where I can't hear the water gets much less attention.

Lovely fish and dog pics!

:) Mary

My favorite so far???...My alligator spitter!!...Isn't he the cutest :)

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I want one of those. Of course I'd have to make him a little orange and blue jersey with a "15" on it. Glenda

Great idea Glenda...Go Gators :)

I LOVE my fish. I tell everyone that they are my flowers in the winter. Even in the winter I can see them and enjoy their colors, except for Jan when my pond ices over for a few weeks. I use a stock tank heater so I may catch a glimpse of them even then. They really cheer me up to see them still swimming around all fall, winter,and early spring. It's my quiet place to re-group and unwind.

Pikecoe, I love your orange and white fancy goldfish, I'll have to look for one like it...beautiful.. and your pond is beautiful, my doggies love mine too.....makes a great waterbowl.....lol.

Thanks Kittcatt. He's one my favorite also. In another post I tried to give all the names of my named fish and forgot him. He's Appollo (or she) Glenda

Glenda, what is that large black fish in your 3rd fish picture down????

Kitt

That is Gary, my dark Koi-hybrid or mutt or mule or whatever you want to call him. Part Koi and part comet. He was given to me by a friend and was about 1 1/2 in long when I got him. The other one is a white with dark red spots named Tebow. They can't reproduce, but they do chase the females to eat the eggs. And don't look too hard to find a fish that looks like the orange and white one mentioned in the previous post. He is a beautiful fish, but in the picture there is another fish immediately under him and some of the fins belong to the other fish. The one underneath is just like the red and white one above him only reversed color. I call them Pete and Re-pete because one is red where the other one is white and vice versa. Glenda

I have two small rectangular ponds, 4X6 feet and 5X10 feet. Both are right next to my back patio. No single feature is best, its the combination. They are not really 'natural' but close enough for me for the amount of time/money/labor I have to invest. The two holes (lets be realistic here (g)) are edged with dry-stacked sandstone varying in height fro six inches to a foot above water level. In the crannies and crevices is moss, vinca minor (a groundcover) and frogs! Plants are a couple of small variety lillies, dwarf papyrus, American sweet flag, dwarf cattail. Small waterfall, about 14 inches wide by 18 inches high. I like to sit out in the morning with my coffee, listen to the burble of the waterfall. Watch the birds and bees come for a drink, the various dragonflies and damselflies doing their thing. If there are some Japanese beatles about, catch and feed them to the frogs. My dachshounds drink out of the ponds and the goldfish come up to see if they are going to get fed. So we have a combination of the green of the plants, brown of the stone, the movement of the 'guest' animals and the sound of the water. Calming..peaceful..pleasant to the eye. A welcome break from the "got to do it now" of nowadays. .

Hey John...I'd love to see a picture of your ponds :)

They sound very nice...I used dry stacked sandstone also.

Hi
Easy question It quit leaking after a repair!!. What's more ugly than than one that leaks.??lol Okay even more beautiful would be one that didn't leak in the first place??
gary

Having it right next to the deck outside the back door.

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And along with the plants, fish and water sounds, I really like my underwater lighting so I can enjoy the serenity of my pond after dark.

S

The wildlife it attracts, like little tourists and little puppies. :) ...and big ol' hound dogs.

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OOps one little puppy is about to fall in. Look at the edge of the dock

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Wow! Such incredible beauty. It looks like that little puppy wants to taste a little fishy.

I like the bridge from the back door of the house to DH's study.

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Renee

Very beautiful Renee and very natural. Nice bridge too

Joann

Renee, that's wonderful!!!!

Nice to 'see' you Joann! I love the Japanese Maple (or whatever it is) to the left of the dock. Hope you and the Head Groundskeeper are well.

S

I love all the pics on here. Your ponds are beautiful. I am collecting wonderful ideas from you to incorporate into my next pond. Compared to some of the pictures you show, mine seems like a tester pond..lol.

My favorite feature about my pond? Hmm, "everything about it".

Hi Sarah, We're are fine, thanks for asking...
I have been keeping the Head Groundskeeper real busy doing carpentry and decorating...no rest for the weary!

Joann

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Your ponds are all so beautiful, thanks for posting the pictures.
Joann...is the puppy a Boston? It's soo cute and so is your "little tourist". I have to admit you have the pond of my dreams. It looks like a tropical oasis :-)

Glenda, I love your purple martins. I've tried to lure in "nice" birds like that, but all I get are the "killer" house sparrows and starlings. ;-( They chase everything else away.

Joann, just curious. How deep is your pond and how many bottom drains do you have? Your layout is beautiful, and the butterfly koi are stunning, especially Terminator and Silver. But all of them are wonderful.

Nancy, I keep their compartment doors shut until I see them sitting on top of the house each year. They make it very easy for me because they arrive almost the same day of the month every year. Then I open the doors and they set up housekeeping and I don't think any birds we have will bother them then. They are pretty feisty. But you don't want to let some other bird get into their house and set up houskeeping before they do. Then when they say goodbye and leave I clean out their compartments and shut the doors again until the next year. This year hubby and I left for 2 weeks before they left. The day we returned we were out by the pond and they flew down around us twittering, very obviously saying goodbye. The next day they were gone. It was as though they were waiting for our return to leave. I haven't had any problems so far... We are planning to put up more houses for them next year. Glenda

Hi deborah
Yes the puppy is a Boston. Both our son's have Bostons.
Max is the first Boston.
This is Max
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Max is the 'Pop' to our other son's Boston, Dante.

Here's Dante. He was born on April 22nd, so he's almost
5 months old. His Mother is very small, so I don't think he's going to be small for a Boston.

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Hi Nancy, To answer your question, half the pond is 3 1/2 feet and the rest is about 2ft.
The dog leg section was an add on the second year, which made the pond shaped like an irregular horseshoe.
There is only one bottom drain. We have a DIY gravity fed system.

And the little girl with the gorgeous hair. Is that a mermaid? Grandaughter? She is adorable. Looks like she really enjoys the pond and fishes. Glenda

Yes Glenda, She's our Grandaughter. Her name is Kaitlyn.
My Daughter-In-Law said she looks so much like me (and acts like me) that she
legally added Joann as her middle name about a year ago, when she was 2 1/2.
When I pick her up I say, "It's Like looking in a mirror!!!" (from Shirley McLaine --In terms
of endearment)
LOL!

Joann