I need help on building my pond! ANY IDEAS AND TIPS?

[timmylucas]

I live in Oregon and I want to build a koi pond. I am a hobbist that cares for arowana and I wanted a new change of scene. I want to build a pond that will house about 5 or so koi. I want to build my pond on an affordable budget because I dont plan on staying at where I am living for more than 4 more years.

I want to build a pond about 7 feet long and 4 feet wide as well as 2.5-3 feet deep.

I really want a waterfall and a good filtration system that I was hoping to be able to do myself. I am just not sure about how to build the filtration system/skimmer and I'm not sure if I should incorporate the filtration system in the water fall or not.

My climate:

- we have cold winters but not too bad
-The pond will be in partial shade

What I want
-I want my filter unit hidden, whether it is hidden in the falls or underground.
-A clear pond so my fish are visible
-Low maintenance
Questions:
-Should I have gravel at the bottom of my pond or what kind of filter should I install to reduce maintenance.


can you please post detailed instructions on the building of a filteration system and a waterfall as well as look at my diagram and let me know what i should change or add. I am thinking about a rectangle pond but maybe an abstract shape would look a bit more natural.

Any opinions, diagrams for a noobie would be appreciated!

 

[dieselplower]

Put the pump as far away from the waterfall as possible. This creates good circulation. Do not put rocks on the bottom. They get gross. Pond is probably too small for Koi and most will say it should be 4 feet deep minimum and at least 1000 gallons.

 

[capewind]

Welcome ... I agree with DP ... 500-600 gallons is too small for any koi ... but can be a pretty little pond for various goldfish breeds ....

 

[timmylucas]

What dimension would you recommend for koi??

 

[addy1]

I don't have koi, but from what I read, most say 1000 gallons for the first fish. They get huge and need room to swim, move around, turn, very fussy about their water ie filtration

 

[dieselplower]

For 5 Koi you are going to want around 2000 gallons. To figure out how many gallons are in a pond you multiply length times width times depth times 7.5. You have to reverse engineer that to figure out the size needed.

 

[dieselplower]

Of course, a smaller pond will be ok when the fish are only 4" long, but what are you going to do when they are 2 feet long? Will you take the Koi with you when you move or leave them a miserable life with a new owner in a too small pond? Just something to think about.

 

[addy1]

If you want to keep your pond smaller, look at shubunkins, very nice coloring, a lot of different colors, pretend koi! lol But they will do fine in a small pond. I have a bunch of shubbies, just love them.

 

[HARO]

can you please post detailed instructions on the building of a filteration system and a waterfall as well as look at my diagram and let me know what i should change or add. I am thinking about a rectangle pond but maybe an abstract shape would look a bit more natural.

Any opinions, diagrams for a noobie would be appreciated!

Detailed instructions can be found elsewhere in these forums. Just look them up!
John

 

[DoDad]

How's the pond coming along?

 

[JohnHuff]

Don't think he's coming back!