How to make an above-ground pond

It seems common practice among garden bloggers to nickname their significant others and family members. Since I have one son and one daughter, I've chosen to refer to them that way.

But "hubby" doesn't quite do it for my better-half. From now on, I'll refer to him as the "fishman." There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that the man is fascinated with fish the way I'm fascinated with plants. Enough said.

I had to give him an official name because he gets the kudos for our new above-ground pond. The approximate dimensions: 66 X 45 X 20 inches. We've talked for years about adding a water feature. While we didn't want to go elaborate, we wanted a modest pond, with a few fish and some water plants.

I'm mechanically challenged, so he did all the work. Plus, he had a vision. So here's how the fishman got it done:

He started with a plywood base.

Next, he measured and added two-by-fours for the sidewalls.

Screwed them together to create the sides of the pond.

Measured and cut oriented-strand board (OSB) to form the interior walls.

Added styrofoam in the bottom and along the sides for insulation.

Moved (with the son's help) the nearly finished pond to its home on the patio.

Checked to make sure it was level (it was!).

Flattened and then placed the 10- X 8-foot PVC pond liner.

Stapled the pond liner in place with stainless-steel staples (at the top only) and added water.

Added the filter, pump, and fountain.

Tested the fountain—yay, it worked!

Added small milk crates, granite weights, rocks, and pebbles for structure and interest.

Took a break to enjoy the view (and the rain).

Next, came the fun part: I helped pick out the plants!

Typha latifolia variegata

A variegated Cattail for marginal structure, filtration, and interest;

Ceratophyllum demersum

Hornwort (we think it's C. demersum) for oxygenation; and

Nymphaea 'Clyde Ikins'

A deepwater Waterlily for beauty, interest, and cover for the fish. We'll probably add more plants next summer, but this is a good start.

Speaking of the fish, here they are: three goldfish. (We had four but one died.) I chased them around and tried to capture good photos of them, but they are fast! And I'm terrible at capturing objects in motion (not to mention under water). They'll give me some practice, that's for sure!

But the best part of all is now I get to play with photographing water plants!

Oh, and see the first photo for the nifty tongue-and-groove cedar siding the fishman used to decorate the sides of the pond. Send me an email if you'd like more information on the materials and methods, or if you have any questions. I'm sure the fishman can answer them.

(Thanks to Donna at Garden Walk, Garden Talk for suggestions on experimenting with higher ISO camera settings in low light.)

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Added 1.9.14: I've received many requests for the dimensions and more specifics about the building of this pond. Please note that I added a later post, "The 'pond post': most popular by a long shot," that should help you determine what supplies you need to build a similar pond. Good luck!