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Hello! I inherited a pond at my last house, which was 50 years old and a maintenance mess, but enough to get me addicted to it. Now, I’m looking to build a koi garden pond at the new place. I’ve read through a lot of the go-to tips for construction and newbie questions, but I still have some left as I start my planning (and I’m sure I’ll have another round soon enough). Please feel free to make recommendations as well.
Basic specs:
Goals:
- Home for at least 20 non-jumbo Koi (pedigree doesn’t interest me, so realistically I may get a couple fancy ones some day, but I best most will be American bred Koi that won’t grow larger than 20”)
- space for lotuses (in baskets)
- bio-filtration with extra for backup if needed
Pond:
- irregular kidney shape
- ~18’ long x 11’ wide
- max depth of 4’ desired, at least 3’ (freeze line is at 15” for my area)
- 2 shelves, one at 1’ and one at 2.5’, averaging 1ft deep
- shelves lined with boulders and then pea gravel
- pipe layer along shelves to pull extra gunk away and to rinse out when needed
- Skimmer and pump sit on the south wall
Bog:
- 11’ x 7’ OR 16’ x 4’ (haven’t decided)
- 1’ deep (although likely keep waterline to 8” deep)
- fed from below via the main pump
- sits on the north end
Waterfall area
- Whatever I can safely fit in a 15’x15’ liner
- hopeful large spillway rock and at least 2 different fall sections that connect and then part
No stream
Equipment - this is where I have all the questions:
- A 5-6,000 gph external pond pump should be plenty? Should I plan on a second one from the pipes along the shelves or can they just feed into the skimmer area?
- Do I need extra filtration to start, or can this be added in later based on the performance of the bog/shelf?
- I do plan on a bottom drain, do I need an air diffuser? Should I get one anyway since it’s hard to change later?
- How do I calculate stone needs? I’ve seen several formulas, but it honestly never seems like it’d be enough.
- Has anyone successfully built a pond themselves, but then had a landscaping company come in to place a few large boulders that otherwise couldn’t be managed? If so, any tips for this?
Main question - Besides getting a good liner, what is worth splurging on and what can be upgraded later as desired?
Thank you and I appreciate you!
Basic specs:
Goals:
- Home for at least 20 non-jumbo Koi (pedigree doesn’t interest me, so realistically I may get a couple fancy ones some day, but I best most will be American bred Koi that won’t grow larger than 20”)
- space for lotuses (in baskets)
- bio-filtration with extra for backup if needed
Pond:
- irregular kidney shape
- ~18’ long x 11’ wide
- max depth of 4’ desired, at least 3’ (freeze line is at 15” for my area)
- 2 shelves, one at 1’ and one at 2.5’, averaging 1ft deep
- shelves lined with boulders and then pea gravel
- pipe layer along shelves to pull extra gunk away and to rinse out when needed
- Skimmer and pump sit on the south wall
Bog:
- 11’ x 7’ OR 16’ x 4’ (haven’t decided)
- 1’ deep (although likely keep waterline to 8” deep)
- fed from below via the main pump
- sits on the north end
Waterfall area
- Whatever I can safely fit in a 15’x15’ liner
- hopeful large spillway rock and at least 2 different fall sections that connect and then part
No stream
Equipment - this is where I have all the questions:
- A 5-6,000 gph external pond pump should be plenty? Should I plan on a second one from the pipes along the shelves or can they just feed into the skimmer area?
- Do I need extra filtration to start, or can this be added in later based on the performance of the bog/shelf?
- I do plan on a bottom drain, do I need an air diffuser? Should I get one anyway since it’s hard to change later?
- How do I calculate stone needs? I’ve seen several formulas, but it honestly never seems like it’d be enough.
- Has anyone successfully built a pond themselves, but then had a landscaping company come in to place a few large boulders that otherwise couldn’t be managed? If so, any tips for this?
Main question - Besides getting a good liner, what is worth splurging on and what can be upgraded later as desired?
Thank you and I appreciate you!