Koi Care Basics Blog

With Koi pond equipment, as with everything there are both wants and needs. You must be able to determine which are which.

There are also some types of equipment that, while not necessities, make caring for your pond so much easier that you should acquire them if you are able to.

Remember also that you will need to make decisions on some of these things during the initial stages of your Koi pond design and construction. If you leave out the necessities at the beginning it will cost you many times over to add them later.

NEEDS:

Pond Filter:   This piece of equipment is the “heart” of your Koi pond.  It keeps the water clean and healthy for your fish. The filter plays two very important roles. First, it mechanically removes fish waste and anything else that causes cloudiness in your pond.  Second, biological filtering changes the ammonia in your pond into nitrites and then to nitrates which renders them less toxic to your fish.

Bottom Drain:   Bottom drains are of the utmost importance in order to have a successful Koi pond.  Some ponds even need several bottom drains. Without a bottom drain your filter can’t do it’s job correctly.

Pump:   The last piece of necessary Koi pond equipment is your pump. You will want a large enough pump to send all your pond water through your filter every two to three hours. There are several factors to consider when choosing a pump. Make sure you choose an efficient pump designed specifically for Koi ponds.

These are the things you cannot do without to maintain a happy and healthy environment for your Koi. Make sure to invest in quality models of these pieces of Koi pond equipment!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

In my opinion all Koi ponds should be at least three feet deep and not have any areas of the pond that are less than two feet deep!

All of the sides of the pond should go almost straight down rather than tapering. The pond just won’t be safe for your Koi otherwise. If you have any spots, particularly near the edge of the pond, that are less than two feet deep it is like sending out an open invitation to dinner to all the raccoons and blue heron in the area.

Even if you think you live in a relatively predator-free area you will find out differently if you don’t construct your pond defensively when it comes to depth. You might think your fish are safe if you have built a deep area with a cave for your Koi to hide in, but it will still be no match for the blue heron.

This Koi predator will simply wade out into your pond and wait patiently for the fish to come out of hiding.

It is much more aesthetically pleasing to build your pond properly than to find out later that it’s necessary to cover it with a net. A deep pond with steep sides is the best defense against Koi predators.

Another thing to know about depth is that Koi get the most exercise by swimming up and down in the pond as opposed to back and forth, thus to raise healthy, large Koi three feet deep is just the bare minimum. You might want to include an area up to six feet in depth to provide for plenty of exercise as well as safety.

There is a little room to play with when figuring depths for your Koi pond but make sure you take the forgoing tips seriously when planing your Koi pond design!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

Just how important is shape in your Koi pond design? The answer is that it’s much more important than many people realize.

Sometimes people will get overly creative with the shape of their pond. This creates many problems they don’t realize until it’s too late.

The consequences of some of these rambling designs become noticeable only after the pond is built and filled with water.

They find that it is very difficult and time consuming to keep these types of ponds clean.

Many times the pond is shaped so that it has “dead” areas where  water doesn’t circulate properly. Organic debris such as leaves, twigs and grasses will collect there and eventually sink. Then this debris will begin decomposing at the bottom of the pond.

The bottom contour of the pond is another important part of your Koi pond design. Flat bottom ponds will need frequent vacuuming to keep them clean.

If you want to build a pond that is as “maintenance free” as possible then you need to pay close attention to both the shape of the pond and the inside contour, right from the edge of your pond all the way to the bottom drain.

You want to contour the bottom of the pond so that, through gravity, debris makes it’s way along the bottom towards the drain.

A well designed pond shape and contour can save you many hours of  work and provide a healthier environment for your Koi through proper Koi pond design!

You can find out how to plan for a well designed Koi pond in my Ebook “Koi Care Basics” available at KoiCareBasics.com.

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

When you are deciding about the placement of your Koi pond there are several things to consider.

First, koi ponds do better in a shaded or partially shaded spot than in full sun.

You can place a Koi pond in full sun, but a shadier area will  slow algae growth considerably and helps prevent the water from becoming too hot during the warm summer months.

If you build your pond in a sunny location you might want to consider putting up an arbor or awning to provide your pond with some shade.

Shade also helps with protecting your Koi from predators…it gives them a place to hide. And, believe it or not, Koi can get sunburned so having some shade gives them a place to go to keep out of the direct sunlight!

Leaves from trees near the pond, with the exception of pines, shouldn’t cause problems  if your pond is well designed.  Pine needles can create quite a mess as they can make their way through skimmers and leaf baskets and clog up your pump.

Once you have picked a spot and decided on a shape for your pond you can use a garden hose or rope to outline it’s size and shape.  This will give you some idea of  how the pond will look.

Keep in mind that your new Koi pond will probably be the central feature of your landscaping. Once you have the general outline shape of the pond established you can get a approximate idea of how many gallons it would be by multiplying the average length by the average width by the average depth by 7.5 gallons per cubic foot.

You’ll still have quite a few decisions to make but you’ll have a good starting point!

Happy pond designing!

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com

One of the most common mistakes people make when designing their first Koi pond is that they plan to build it too small.

The smallest pond I would recommend building is 1500 gallons, which would be approximately 7 feet wide by 8 feet long and 4 feet deep.

This may sound very large to some people, but if you build a pond much smaller than that, you will probably not end up being happy with it.

One of the problems is that Koi fish are extremely addictive and just like with Lay’s potato chips, it is hard to be happy with just a few!

You also need to keep in mind that you may start out with several 6 inch long Koi, but within 3 to 4 years they could grow to be 2 feet long or more.

With very few exceptions, most people end up wishing they had made their first pond bigger.

Bigger isn’t always better though. The largest pond I would recommend building is 15,000 gallons. The dimensions would be approximately 17 feet wide by 21 feet long and 6 feet deep.

A Koi pond design much larger than that can cause you several problems. For example it can become almost impossible to catch one of the fish if you need to.

If it becomes necessary to medicate the pond it will become more expensive the larger your pond gets. In addition, all the water in the pond will need to be filtered at least once every three hours. Operating pumps large enough to get the job done can cost hundreds of dollars per month.

Last, but not least, if you design a pond that is too large you won’t be able to enjoy your Koi as much because the larger the pond the less your fish will be visible.

Make sure to plan your Koi pond design carefully to comfortably accomodate your Koi and please your sense of aesthetics!

You can find more helpful information about Koi pond design in my eBook “Koi Care Basics” found at KoiCareBasics.com

Alan Deacon
KoiCareBasics.com