filter?

[DareEhler]

hello, im going to be building a small DIY koi pond in my back yard in two weeks and my back yard is quite small. i have kept tanks for tropicals and goldfish for 16 years but this is going to be my first koi pond. now i know they are normaly recommended, but if i 25-40% change my water every two weeks, and have alot of plants, do i HAVE to have a filter? if i dont have to and can jst do small water changes i would rather do that. the link is to a video of how my pond will be.
[ame]

 

[koiguy1969]

theres no one here that would reccommend a pond without a filration system, if you plan on fish....even, at least a pump with a fishless pond to keep the water moving so as to aid in the prevention of the water going stagnant....

 

[shakaho]

If you put 2 or 3 goldfish in a pond of that size without filtration they would be fine, but your water will probably not be clear so you won't see them. A grown koi is as big as a small to medium sized dog and produces several times as much poop as that dog. But a koi wouldn't survive to grow up without filtration.

What's wrong with pumping water through a filter and having a nice waterfall at the end of your pond? If you have no fish, you don't need a filter, but the waterfall is still an attractive feature.

I think there are many small pond designs that are a lot better than the one in the video. You'll find lots of good ideas reading through the forums here.

 

[addy1]

Run your water through some pea gravel and plants at least, to have some biological filtration. And koi do poop, I stick with goldies, shubies

 

[Shdwdrgn]

I have to agree with the above... you do NOT want your pond water to sit motionless. Even with water changes, it will probably start to stink within a week. There are many biofilter designs on this site that can be hidden under a deck or within vegetation. You can pipe the output from the filter back to the pond in any manner, so waterfalls are not a requirement. Many people also have plants growing in the top of their filter, which hides the unit and provides even more filtration.

Since you keep aquariums, here's an easy comparison... Ever had one of those goldfish bowls sit for two weeks without a water change? Now imagine a 100-gallon tank sitting outside in sunlight, with leaves and other vegetative matter falling in the water. Also remember that motionless water WILL attract mosquitoes.

A decent biofilter is almost completely maintenance-free. Other than flushing the drain pipe every few weeks, I haven't touched my filter in the last two years. A filter is just not something I would ever consider as optional.