Thinking about adding a pond to your landscaping?

Do you already have one but want to expand?

Get ideas, talk to fish and pond experts and enjoy a day spent visiting with members of the Mid-Columbia Koi and Pond Club during the group's eighth annual pond tour Sept. 9.

The self-guided tour runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will showcase 10 club members' ponds throughout the Tri-Cities.

There's a wide variety of ponds and water features on the tour, ranging from small, intimate ponds to those which -- like Ron and Gloria Boedeker's 8,500-gallon main pond -- nearly qualify as a small lake.

If you're thinking about putting in a pond, follow the advice of club President Phyliss Hirschel and "don't hesitate to ask the pond owners questions about how they installed their pond and what kinds of equipment they use."

And don't let the answers discourage you. For, Hirschel added, you'll likely find out that "none of the ponders have anything in common in regards to how their ponds are set up or what kinds of filtration they have."

This is one hobby where you can build it yourself, or you can buy nearly everything and simply install it yourself or have someone do it for you. It just depends on how handy you are and how much you're willing to work or spend.

Included in the tour booklet are sources in the Tri-Cities and elsewhere for pond liners and filters, plants and fish and other pond related products.

The families opening their ponds to the tour are Gloria and Ron Boedeker; Jim and Sandra Haun; Mike and CinD Hall; Ron and Lorrie Wilson; Alan and Jan Jordan and Jay and Angela Reinhardt, all of Richland, John and Ricki Curran; Don and Joann Sayler; and Carmen and Gunar Rieksts, all of Kennewick, and Don and Adeila Hammerstrom of West Richland.

Where to get pond tour tickets

Tickets are $5 per person. They're available through Sept. 9 at:

-- Kennewick -- Heritage Nursery, 2816 W. 27th Ave., and Koi Joy Pond Shop, 422 East Columbia Drive.

-- Pasco -- Irrigation Specialists, 2410 N. 4th Ave., and Mac's Garden Center, 6711 W. Court St.

-- Richland -- Beaver Bark, 607 Aaron Drive.

-- West Richland -- Water Gardens West, 4261 W. Van Giesen St.

-- Prosser -- Yellow Rose Nursery, 600 Merlot Drive.

* Reporter Loretto J. Hulse can be reached at 582-1513 or via e-mail at lhulse@tricityherald.com.