We have two ponds and they are totally rocked to the bottom which we left bare. My husband is a mason and it killed him to leave the bottom bare this time.. last time we rocked the bottom of the one and it truly was a pain to keep clean. We have had no problem with it on the sides, except the big koi like to dig under the bigger rocks and pull them out once in a while.
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I started out with all rock, sides and bottom, and then had the trouble everyone said would come. I have a bottom drain and didn't think through the obvious issues with cluttering up the bottom of the pond with rocks, limiting the drain's ability to clear material from the bottom. So I pulled all of the rock out - not fun after the pond is full!

If I did it all over again I would do the sides in rock as you're thinking. I think it's a good compromise and I too like the look better. I have a ledge where my edging rocks currently sit under water but below that to the bottom is all liner and I don't like seeing it.

You're asking all the right questions and thinking it through...good for you. Some of us silly folks just got a shovel/backhoe and started digging (or maybe I'm the only silly one) :-)

Good luck - pics of my album below. If you're interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: My pond album

I had rocked sides with my first pond and loved the look. The koi fry also loved the rocked sides because they had little caves to hide in where the koi couldn't eat them. Therefore rocked sides = population explosion. My current pond doesn't have rocked sides. I did have a population explosion last year due to green water, but this year with crystal clear water and a school of hybrid blue gills I haven't had a problem.

Jenny

Build it with a shelf all around and no liner will show
along the edge. What size are you planning and are you
doing a bottom drain?
Joann

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