I have (had...the dog put a hole in it and I have to do the whole thing again :angry ) a 9ftx11ft pond that I put in myself. I dug out a raised flowerbed, lined it with some old carpet scraps, lay the liner on top, and weighted the sides with rocks. I added an underwater pump that led to a small waterfall. I put anacharis to float on top (will spread quickly, but easy to remove excess). It keeps the water crystal clear. I also have some iris, elephant ear and waterlily. To jumpstart the pond, I added a couple of gallons of water from a low water crossing. I was able to net about 4 mosquito fish at the time too. Those 4 fish turned into THOUSANDS (really!) within a year. My turtle had plenty to eat! My pond was not set up to be a "show" pond....more of a natural wildlife pond. I never did water changes and topped off with tap water (in a smaller pond though, probably best to use better quality water). I let the mud build up to a degree to give the turtle something to dig/hibernate in. You would not believe all of the creatures I had! There were garter snakes, frogs, toads, dragonflies, butterflies, birds, racoons, possums, squirrels, lizards, newts, etc etc. My mosquito population actually DECREASED because of the fish. I loved my pond and was devestated when the whole thing drained overnight! I am not sure whether I still have the turtle or not. I have been keeping the mud wet just in case. Guess I will dig the pond all over again in a month or so. <_<