The tools you will need are a shovel, pond liner and underlayment, a long enough rope, coping stones and decorations, plants, a pump (you will need a pump to run a filter, fountain, or waterfall and it will keep water circulating and plants healthy), a filter system and some cooperative friends or family members. Now you can get started.

Time to choose Several options are available and you could actually build a goldfish pond in a day, depending on size you want it to be. Begin by deciding where in garden you would like a goldfish pond.

* It should be near your house, as that would make it more accessible to power supply sockets.

* It should not be at end of a sloping garden because when it rains all water along with chemicals from garden would run into pond.

* It should not be under too much of shade, as a pond needs at least four hours of sunlight.

* It shouldn’t be very near trees as falling leaves and debris would fall in and clog pond. You would be cleaning up all time.

Time to dig

* Decide on shape and size of pond. Use rope to outline shape you want and then begin digging. That’s why you need a couple of helping hands so that work gets done faster!

* Do not go for a small pond for goldfish because they need space. Also try and keep different levels of depth, as in a swimming pool. Mark out shallow areas and deeper areas. This would give pool a natural variety.

* Usually ponds in moderate climates should be at least 2 feet deep while in more colder climates, you would need to make sure that pond is deep enough to allow for at least 12" to 16" of water below freeze zone.

* Dig according to shape you want and dig a shelf-like level around perimeter of pond, which is about one foot deep and one foot wide. Also make provisions for a waterfall by digging a slight slope to one end.

* Time now to position external pond filters. If you have pond skimmers as well, then you would need to place and level these in proper places. Also dig a ditch to external pond pump from skimmer and from pump to external pond filter or waterfall.

Time to line

Goldfish need food that is a combination of carbohydrates and vitamins to help them grow and fight disease. They particularly need vitamin A to make their colors look bright. They do need protein but just about 12% so that they can build muscle. In natural habitat, Goldfish mainly feed on plants. They eat a fiber diet that includes algae, grasses and aquatic plants in natural environment. Thankfully you do not have to sweat much to provide them with equivalent nutritional needs because you can get it off shelf! These processed food available at pet stores include:

Flake food

This is one of commonly available goldfish foods, especially made for them and it consists of brine shrimp. It is easily eaten by Goldfish and helps in avoiding a particularly fatal sickness called Air Bladder Disease.

Pellet food

This is also flake food with brine shrimp but it’s packaged as a pellet. The only problem with pellets is that it sometimes swells in goldfish’s stomach and makes it lose its balance. This is what is Air Bladder disease.

Frozen food

This includes live food that is frozen. You have an array to choose from as in frozen brine shrimp, daphnia, tubifex worms or mosquito larvae. This will come frozen in slabs from which you have to break off bit-by-bit and hand-feed your goldfish. You can also opt for Freeze-dried foods, which includes Krill, Pacific plankton, brine shrimp and bloodworms.

Homemade food