How To Measure Garden Pond Depth and Pond Volumes
Pond depth is one of those factors in pond building much talked about and
misunderstood especially by those people who "mix" with dedicated koi keepers.
So often you must ask yourself do I want a koi pond in which I want to raise
monster sized or prize winning koi or do I want a garden fish pond containing
koi around which I can sit with the family and enjoy the scene. If you belong to
the dedicated koi keeper class then yes depth of your pond should not be less
than 4 ft and preferably 6 feet. This is quite simply to provide space to swim
and exercise.
For most garden ponds 3 feet is deep enough and even less suits many
situations. In cold climates shallow ponds freeze and in hot climates they get very
warm. In shallow ponds you see MUCH more of your fish and their behaviour.
If you need to calculate the pond's volume .... the volume of any pond is the
surface area multiplied by its average depth. The more accurately you know both
these numbers the more accurate your calculation will be. If you have a pond and the depth is not constant you can make a very good
estimate by taking a stick and mark it in intervals of say 3 inches with an
indelible ink pen. At 10 different places in the pond insert the stick and
record the depths (get 10 numbers).
Most aquatic plants prefer shallow ponds but many water lilies require 3
feet of water to grow to their best showing. Deep ponds cost much more than
shallow ponds ... is this the reason for many deep pond recommendations or
am I sceptical?
Finally the choice comes down to personal preference, space and money available.
Add the numbers together and divide by 10.
Use this answer as the average depth of the pond.
If your pond is of equal depth and the same cross section then you can accurately measure the pond volume using your pond pump. Do the following ....
Record the depth of the pond accurately before doing anything else.
Using the pond pump and a pipe time how long it takes to fill say a 5 gallons container to the 5 gallons mark (not much more not much less).
Now pump water out of the pond for say 5 minutes
Record the depth after pumping out water
The pond's volume is then calculated as follows:
S = depth of pond in inches or any unit before pumping starts
D = inches or any unit of water pumped out of pond when pumping
i.e. difference between start depth and final depth.
T1 = time to fill the container
T2 = time pump was run to pump out water
V = volume of container
you make an incorrect change.Volume of pond = (S x V x T2) DIVIDED BY (D x T1)
Example:
S = 30 inches
D = 3 inches
T1 = 1 minute
T2 = 10 minutes
V = 3 gallons
Pond volume = (30 x 3 x 10) divided by (3 x 1)
= (900) divided by (3)
= 300 gallons
If container was in gallons then final pond volume is in gallons. If container was in litres then final pond volume is in litres
It does not matter whether you measure depth in inches or any other units.
Use the pump to pump out water in the same position used to fill the container.
Measuring volume of water in garden ponds ... Pond volume ... another way to measure it
Measuring pond volume in USA .... Burt Ballou pointed out that in USA most
homes have a water metre which can be accessed readily.
This makes pond volume measurement simple if you start with an empty system.
Just make sure that while filling the pond nobody uses then toilet, takes a
shower does the washing up etc. All you have to do is then record the start and
finish readings from the metre to get a very accurate indication of pond volume.
Measuring pond volume using science .. this is worth pointing out for its simple but brilliant bit of chemistry. Once more I am grateful to a reader for pointing this out to me.
This method depends upon a pondkeeper using salt in the pond water. By measuring the salt concentration in the pond water before and after adding a known amount (lbs) of salt to the pond it is possible to calculate the pond volume very accurately and easily assuming the salt hydrometer is also accurate. I have created a calculator that is free with my book.
Get your very own pond design assistant. My calculators have been designed to do just that help you. The calculators described below were created to take the misery out of selecting the right equipment and to avoid making costly mistakes. These calculators will only work if you have the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program installed on your computer (this is part of Microsoft Office suite which most computers have). Once you have got the calculators I suggest you make a back up copy since they are not protected in any way. This has advantages because you can then modify them to suit any personal requirements you might have.
Pond Calculators
Learn more about this unique personal pond design assistant to save you time, trouble and money in making sure you select the right equipment for your own unique pond situation.
You can see an example of the pond design pumps selection calculator by clicking here. This example is in pdf format so it cannot be used for calculations. It is shown to allow you to see layout and type of information needed and how answers are presented. I suggest however you print it out and study it - you can always design your own if you have the knowledge and I have no objection to your copying the logic or method if you wish to do so. For the calculators to "work" you need Microsoft Excel. The full calculators can only be obtained by buying The Complete Pond Solver Book or any other book by Tony Roocroft. They can be bought separately for the equivalent in your own currency of $8.00 US and if you do buy them you get the waterlilies book free too. Buy calculators or any book
