Many homeowners love the idea of adding a Koi pond or water garden to their backyard, but don't quite know where to begin.
How do you make sure the water does not turn green? How to do make sure the water is healthy enough for Koi and other pond fish? How many Koi can you keep in your pond? These are just some of the many questions many new pond owners ask themselves.
The purpose of this article is to answer these common questions while providing some insights from an experienced pond builder that can help anyone avoid many common pond building mistakes.
While the terms water garden and Koi pond are often used interchangeably, in reality they are two very different things.
A water garden is generally designed primarily for holding water lilies and other aquatic plants.
These planted water features are commonly lined with rocks to help create a more natural appearance and are usually rather shallow, generally less than two feet at their deepest point.
A formal Koi is designed with fish in mind.
These water features should be at least 4 feet deep and should not contain rocks.
The filtration requirements for a true Koi pond are also very different than those needed for a planted water garden.
While a simple bog filter can be used for a small planted water garden, this filter type would not be sufficient for a pond with several large Koi fish.
Koi fish can easily reach sizes up to 30 inches in length and weigh well over 20 pounds.
The waste produced by one adult Koi easily exceeds the waste produced by over 100 smaller goldfish.
So if your plan is to ultimately keep Koi in your pond, care should be taken to ensure your pond can handle the bio load.
The vast majority of first time pond owners ultimately decide to construct their ponds using EPDM pond liner.
Plastic and PVC pond liners commonly sold at home and garden stores are not durable and tear easily.
These types of liners generally need to be replaced after a year or two.
EPDM pond liner, which is actually made by Firestone - the same company known for making tires, is actually guaranteed to last for 25 years under normal conditions.
Installing a pond liner is a straight forward process.
Simply dig your hole, lay some underlayment material designed to protect the liner from sharp objects in the ground, then install your liner.
Pond liner is rather heavy, so you may want to recruit some of the neighborhood kids to help you carry it to your pond site.
Filling it partially with water during installation can also help to remove crease and folds, resulting in a better appearance once your pond is completely filled with water.
When designing your pond, a good rule of thumb is to dig your pond as deep as possible.
This added depth will help you to provide a better living environment for Koi and goldfish, while also allowing your pond to handle a larger fish stocking rate.
Koi keeping can be quite an addicting hobby, so trust us, the added size will be appreciated later on.
The biggest regret we hear from customers who decided to build their own pond is not making their pond bigger.
When it comes to pond filtration, there are several quality options to choose from.
For water gardens full of plants and goldfish, a pressurized pond filter or do-it-yourself filter are great options.
For larger pond designed with Koi in mind, many pond owners in the USA recommend bead filters.
These systems resemble sand filters commonly used for cleaning swimming pools, but are specially designed for use in Koi ponds.
The best pond filters of this type include an air blower, which aids during backwashing.
Choosing a bead filter without a blower will result in diminished water quality within the first year of use as the bio media will eventually begin to clump together, requiring eventual replacement.
We hope you have found this article useful and welcome an questions or comments.
How do you make sure the water does not turn green? How to do make sure the water is healthy enough for Koi and other pond fish? How many Koi can you keep in your pond? These are just some of the many questions many new pond owners ask themselves.
The purpose of this article is to answer these common questions while providing some insights from an experienced pond builder that can help anyone avoid many common pond building mistakes.
While the terms water garden and Koi pond are often used interchangeably, in reality they are two very different things.
A water garden is generally designed primarily for holding water lilies and other aquatic plants.
These planted water features are commonly lined with rocks to help create a more natural appearance and are usually rather shallow, generally less than two feet at their deepest point.
A formal Koi is designed with fish in mind.
These water features should be at least 4 feet deep and should not contain rocks.
The filtration requirements for a true Koi pond are also very different than those needed for a planted water garden.
While a simple bog filter can be used for a small planted water garden, this filter type would not be sufficient for a pond with several large Koi fish.
Koi fish can easily reach sizes up to 30 inches in length and weigh well over 20 pounds.
The waste produced by one adult Koi easily exceeds the waste produced by over 100 smaller goldfish.
So if your plan is to ultimately keep Koi in your pond, care should be taken to ensure your pond can handle the bio load.
The vast majority of first time pond owners ultimately decide to construct their ponds using EPDM pond liner.
Plastic and PVC pond liners commonly sold at home and garden stores are not durable and tear easily.
These types of liners generally need to be replaced after a year or two.
EPDM pond liner, which is actually made by Firestone - the same company known for making tires, is actually guaranteed to last for 25 years under normal conditions.
Installing a pond liner is a straight forward process.
Simply dig your hole, lay some underlayment material designed to protect the liner from sharp objects in the ground, then install your liner.
Pond liner is rather heavy, so you may want to recruit some of the neighborhood kids to help you carry it to your pond site.
Filling it partially with water during installation can also help to remove crease and folds, resulting in a better appearance once your pond is completely filled with water.
When designing your pond, a good rule of thumb is to dig your pond as deep as possible.
This added depth will help you to provide a better living environment for Koi and goldfish, while also allowing your pond to handle a larger fish stocking rate.
Koi keeping can be quite an addicting hobby, so trust us, the added size will be appreciated later on.
The biggest regret we hear from customers who decided to build their own pond is not making their pond bigger.
When it comes to pond filtration, there are several quality options to choose from.
For water gardens full of plants and goldfish, a pressurized pond filter or do-it-yourself filter are great options.
For larger pond designed with Koi in mind, many pond owners in the USA recommend bead filters.
These systems resemble sand filters commonly used for cleaning swimming pools, but are specially designed for use in Koi ponds.
The best pond filters of this type include an air blower, which aids during backwashing.
Choosing a bead filter without a blower will result in diminished water quality within the first year of use as the bio media will eventually begin to clump together, requiring eventual replacement.
We hope you have found this article useful and welcome an questions or comments.
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