Written by Steve in Cleethorpes
1. Keep digging, make sure you have a decent depth. At least 24" I would say. I know it gets a bit boring forever digging and wondering how to get rid of all that soil, but you only have to do it once.
2. Consider burying a pipe to an outside tap,so you don't have to keep dragging the hose pipe out for topping up.you'll be doing it a lot if its heavily planted.
3. Do make sure you get an exact level, otherwise when completed you end up with liner showing one end of the pond and not the other. Here is a good way to get an exact pond level without using a spirit level.
4. You may not want a water fountain/pump but suggest you bury a power cable if a lot of your garden will be redesigned (using armored cable). In time you may change your mind. Not a pretty site seeing a cable running across the grass/concrete.If you later cut through concrete to lay a cable, you will probably always see the scar.
5. If you don't like the idea of potted plant in/around the pond. Think about doing what I did and Dam off one or both ends with rocks, line with Hessian and fill with soil.It looks good and you can plant things in as if you were planting in the garden. Think about using garden soil when planting (careful no chemicals etc have been added in the past)....a lot cheaper.
6. If you are having a fountain, see if you can get hold of a cheap camera tripod and attach it to the pump. That way you can adjust the height to exactly where you need it to be and adjust it so the fountain goes straight up and not on an angle.I remember all the mucking about I did, balancing the pump on bricks, putting stones under to try and get it level.
7. Fountains look nice, but no matter how much you clean the pre filter the jets soon block (usually straight away)...then it don't look so nice.Consider taking off the spray head,discarding the pre filter on the pump if it has one and have the outlet just below the surface of the water. It looks very effective. And of course if its a small pond it stops nearby Lilly pads getting a soaking, which they don't like.
8. Once established don't get too carried away with test kits.........feed 'em moderately and enjoy.
9. Pond plants are quite expensive, pinch cuttings from someone...dead easy to grow. Also try non pond plants....some of them grow very well in a pond. Hostas do very well in my pond, and I find Impatiens(bizzie lizzies)work.
10. If your water level goes down don't assume a leak, apart from evaporation, don't forget the more plants the quicker it will go down. On my pond in the summer, up to an inch per day.
12. You're probably bored now, but before you go have a look at this not so boring page (honest) on algae how it works and how to cure green water.