Koi Pond

Well the first thing that has to be done is to read about building ponds, and keeping fish (if you desire to keep fish in it). I found a couple of books on these subjects at the local library. After reading and noting the recommended depth of the pond for keeping Koi, I decided that the preformed liners were not for me.

I used an old hose to mark out the perimeter of the pond I was to build. I then started digging a hole in my back yard. From what I had read, I decided to make the pond tiered. By that I mean that there is a shelf, about 6 inches below the waterline (I really should have made this a bit deeper like 9 or 10 inches). On this shelf I can place shallow water plants (marginals). At the wide end of the pond (see photo above) it slopes down the shelf to 2 feet below the waterline. In the photo above you will notice a narrow end of the pond where the little waterfall is located. At that area the pond reaches 3 feet below the waterline. This provides a place for the fish to go when the temperature drops.

On the subject of temperature, you will want to assure that the pond holds enough water where sudden temperature drops will not cause a sudden drop in the water temperature. This is supposedly very stressfull on the fish. I reside in central Florida, where the cold snaps come and go quickly during winter months. The temperature dropped below freezing here for a couple of hours, the fish were lying down on the bottom of the three foot section. They survived.

It is important to check that your pond is level. I never did this, I just eyed it. It is a little lower on one side than the other. Not too bad, but just slightly. You may want to get a long 2x4 that can reach accross the pond and place a level on it to determine if the pond is even.

After I finished digging the hole, I went to a carpet store and picked up a section of left-over carpet that they were just going to throw in the trash. Great for me, since it was free!! Luckily enough, they had a big piece of carpet that fit the hole (to become the pond) nicely. I layed this on the bottom of the hole. This will help procect the liner from anything sharp, or from roots puncturing holes in it.

Then I had to get a liner. I knew not to get a cheap flimsy liner, as my uncle had made that mistake years earlier. The thing just fell apart. So I went and got a good grade liner that would fit my pond. To figure out what size liner you would need, the general calculation is the maximum width plus two times the maximum depth, by the maximum length plus two times the maximim depth.
For example, if you have a pond that is 6 ft wide and 10 ft long with a maximum depth of 3 ft. You have 3 x 2 = 6. So the length of the liner should be 10 + 6 = 16 ft. and the width should be 6 + 6 = 12 ft

You will also want to know how many gallons of water it will hold. This is usefull for calculating amounts of medicines (should you need them) or salt. For this Water Tropicals has a great little calculator.

Fill the pond with water. While it is filling keep pulling out the creases in the liner, making sure it is flat as possible. Once the pond is full it will be impossible to remove the creases due to the weight of all the water. Another thing to notice here is the water being used. I have a well that supplies a couple of water spouts and the sprinkler system. I used this water to fill my pond as it would have no chlorine in it. If you plan to keep fish, you must be sure to remove the chlorine from the water, especially if you use tap water. There are liquids you can purchase at the pet or aquarium stores that will remove the chlorine.

If you are going to put fish in the pond I recommend stringing fishing line across it. I cut a PVC pipe into 14 peices about 18 inches long each. I placed seven on each side of the pond and hammered them in 1 foot. I then drilled holes through them to string the fishing line across. So far (since April 2002) it has worked to keep the birds from eating the fish.

Next, you will need to determine if you want to add a waterfall. Also, you will need a good filter if you keep fish.

Jason's Koi Pond

Filters and Waterfalls