When using a preformed pond liner, it can be difficult to create a design that blends seamlessly into the landscape, complementing the existing curves and lines of its surrounding features. Layout and Shape Limitations of Preformed Ponds Whether your pond is measured in gallons or acres, BTL Liners offer a flexible liner that meets your design’s specifications. When using a flexible liner such as AquaArmor, a pond can be created that is any size, shape, depth, and layout you desire. But even at their largest conceivable size, they are impractical for many pond applications.Ĭontrary to what one may think, smaller bodies of water generally require more maintenance and filtration to maintain water clarity and a stable pond environment. Larger sizes can be custom ordered however, size exponentially increases shipping and installation costs. Shallow ponds are often plagued with overgrowth of algae and generally require more maintenance than their deeper counterparts.įlexible liners, such as those offered by BTL liners, can be installed to virtually any depth, providing design flexibility that encompasses the needs and purposes of any pond.ĭue to their one-piece design, preformed ponds have a limited size range. Many plants, such as lotuses, water lilies, and cattails, also require more depth to thrive.Īdditionally, shallow bodies of water heat up and cool off quickly causing undue stress on fish. Preformed ponds are typically too shallow for most fish species other than small koi (which quickly outgrow a shallow pond) and goldfish. Then the ponds depth is substantially reduced when you consider any sand, rock, decorative items and the accumulation of natural muck.

This is fairly shallow, to begin with, especially for Koi who thrive best in a pond that is at a minimum of three to four feet deep. Most have, in fact, a maximum depth of 18-24 inches. When the pond is filled with water, the weight of the water causes stress in areas where backfilling has been inadequate, leading to stress cracks and future premature failure. Because the liner has shelves and near-vertical walls, it can be difficult to get sand into every crevice to support the entire outer surface of the pond. The preformed pond liner is placed in the excavated hole and then sand is backfilled around the liner, providing a cushion between the liner and the ground. The excavation must be more precise - a couple of inches larger than all pond surfaces.

Installation requirements also cause some difficulty during the install. It cannot be changed or altered, and these constraints can be unforgiving. Some of the biggest disadvantages associated with a preformed pond are due to its essential nature – it is pre-formed. In fact, many times, preformed liners are more costly, more difficult to install, less durable, and cannot meet the design specifications for varying pond applications when compared to a flexible liner. It does not store any personal data.Preformed pond liners are often touted as the “answer” to many pond installation dilemmas and as an easy and affordable way to build a pond however, their marketing claims often fall short. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Performance'. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Other.

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Large preformed pond shells