Artificial lakes, also known as ornamental lakes, are like small pools attached to the ground outside the house. In addition to creating a beautiful look for the garden or yard, they are relaxing, inspiring, and, best of all, easy to do.
But before thinking about starting your artificial lake, you need to raise a few important points:
- How big is the external space available?
- Is it possible to dig, even if little, the soil of the yard or garden?
- Once assembled, can the lake hinder the circulation in the environment?
- Will the lake be just decorative or will it feature ornamental fish?
After raising these points, you can start the production of your artificial lake.
How to make an artificial lake?
Initially, check if the artificial lake you want to build can hold between 1,000 and 30,000 liters of water. This ensures that pumping, cleaning, and maintenance systems are applied.
- Mark the selected area and make sure that there are sockets nearby for using the pumps. Start excavating the place and remember that everything must be removed, from stones and roots to small plants. The cleaner the area gets, the better.
- Dig until the inner walls of the artificial lake are about 45 degrees to the ground. This makes it easier to apply decorative items after assembly.
- Make the depth of the artificial lake between 20 and 40 cm.
- Apply the chosen material for waterproofing the lake. Today you can find prefabricated materials and canvas, or PVC canvas. The prefabricated style is more resistant but does not offer many variations in size and depth. PVC canvas, on the other hand, guarantees more freedom when creating and is more customizable.
- Use stones to secure the screen along the lake’s shore. Remember we talked about the 45 degrees needed on the inner walls? Now is the time to cover this space with stones, preferably round stones to avoid holes and tears in the canvas.
- Choose the location to receive the pumps and filters. As in an aquarium, they are more than necessary for the conservation of your artificial lake.
- Apply coarse sand with gravel about two centimeters at the bottom of the artificial lake. Then insert the plants that need to be in full contact with the water at the bottom of the lake. They can be inserted in the sand with gravel or in pots inserted in the bottom of the lake.
- After placing all the decoration items, start to fill the lake with water with the help of a hose without pressure.
- Only after filling the lake can you start the pump. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Wait at least 24 hours to place fish in the pond.
Necessary Care With the Artificial Lake
- Avoid building the artificial lake next to trees. It can damage the roots, in addition to being contaminated by leaves or small fruits that can fall into the water;
- If your idea is to put fish in that pond, remember that it needs to have at least one part that is in the shade. Also, an artificial fish pond must be at least one meter deep. This allows fish to enjoy a larger area of oxygen in the water. In this case, it is also indicated that the artificial lake has a space of, on average, 10 square meters.
- Maintenance of artificial lakes needs to be performed at least once a month and does not take long. It is necessary to check the operation of the pumps and measure the pH of the water to check whether it is necessary to change it or not.
Having an artificial lake at home is much simpler than you imagined isn’t it? And now that you know how to do it and the necessary care to keep it always beautiful, how about checking out some images of artificial lakes to inspire you?
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