PM Wifezilla... she built an awesome pond.
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does anyone have any tips on how to build an outdoor pond?????????????
- Thread starter lcw
- Start date
My husband put his pump outside the pond so he wouldn't have to pull it if it needed worked on. He built a bench overlooking the pond, and the pump is under that. His biofilter is a rubbermaid trashcan surrounded by stone. He really put alot of thought into his pond. BTw, it's a 1900 gal and he HAND DUG IT !
Jen
Jen
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Rusty
You need to place a space between the last word of your sentence and your smilie...like this:
Rusty
Be aware that ponds, especially ornamental artificial ponds like you're talking about, do not take care of themselves. Ten times moreso when you have big pooey fish in them
You will need a filter system and the pond will require regular fiddling with to keep it from getting skanky. Once you add up the cost of a liner and filter/circulation system, and the labor of digging a big enough hole, it isn't going to be particularly cheap or easy, no matter how you slice it.
A smaller pond without fish -- especially if it is a little aboveground 'container pond' -- can be cheaper and easier to build, and easier (in most respects) to manage.
Good luck, have fun,
Pat
A smaller pond without fish -- especially if it is a little aboveground 'container pond' -- can be cheaper and easier to build, and easier (in most respects) to manage.
Good luck, have fun,
Pat
Yes, PLEASE pics of peoples ponds!!!
I want one like they have at the feed store here, its inside, set above ground with a fountain and has the most beautiful koi in it.
This might one of my summer projects this year (of course co-ercing adult kids, siblings and any other available family member to help,lol.
)
Yep, I have heard the bigger ponds take a lot of work to maintain them.
I want one like they have at the feed store here, its inside, set above ground with a fountain and has the most beautiful koi in it.
This might one of my summer projects this year (of course co-ercing adult kids, siblings and any other available family member to help,lol.
Yep, I have heard the bigger ponds take a lot of work to maintain them.
Actually bigger ponds find a better balance and more quickly. Good bacteria..
I think a skimmer is a must for a larger pond. It eliminates a lot of the leaf scooping, pollen skimming chore.
At least 50% shaded, by pants. Floating water hyacinths are my favorite in summer for shade. They multiply and help filter excess nutrients from the water. Potted plants help use up the extra "nutrients" in the water, from fish poo and decaying leaves. Good bacteria and shade help to keep the algae in check. Along with a hefty filtration system. Good bateria will thrive in peagravel, so I like to run a small waterfall through a tub of peagravel. I also add powdered bateria now and then.
Koi are dirty fish. They dig around in plants and poop a lot. It helps to have a bottom drain for koi. You will have to drain and clean with them. I prefer shubunkins, which look similar to koi, but are not as messy. Koi also jump... and are expensive to find on the lawn after a scarey thunder storm
I love koi...in someone elses pond
I float a deicer in my pond in winter to keep a hole in the ice. My fish stay out all yr.
Free range chickens and ducks are not pond friendly.
Look up aquascapes website...they ROCK. Literally
I think a skimmer is a must for a larger pond. It eliminates a lot of the leaf scooping, pollen skimming chore.
At least 50% shaded, by pants. Floating water hyacinths are my favorite in summer for shade. They multiply and help filter excess nutrients from the water. Potted plants help use up the extra "nutrients" in the water, from fish poo and decaying leaves. Good bacteria and shade help to keep the algae in check. Along with a hefty filtration system. Good bateria will thrive in peagravel, so I like to run a small waterfall through a tub of peagravel. I also add powdered bateria now and then.
Koi are dirty fish. They dig around in plants and poop a lot. It helps to have a bottom drain for koi. You will have to drain and clean with them. I prefer shubunkins, which look similar to koi, but are not as messy. Koi also jump... and are expensive to find on the lawn after a scarey thunder storm
I love koi...in someone elses pondI float a deicer in my pond in winter to keep a hole in the ice. My fish stay out all yr.
Free range chickens and ducks are not pond friendly.
Look up aquascapes website...they ROCK. Literally
Quote:
okay, somewhere i have a binder full of info on koi ponds. my own proprietary secret checklist compiled from lots and lots of research, observations, interviews, reverse-engineering the failures of others and stuff like that. i used to be a landscape/pool designer/contractor, but now with this economy I'm just chillin' with my peeps and almost eating dog food.
a few things i can remember off the top of my head...
make it at least 3-4' deep. 5 or 6 would be better. the koi get some exercise by swimming up and down the depths in addition to the length/width.
no steps, ledges, plant shelves, etc. less than 2' deep. this goes a long way to preventing predators from being able to grab little koi.
bead filters are the most awesome. the ones i recommend are "Advantage" and some guy in Sacramento makes them by modifying swimming pool sand filters.
UV sterilizer is also a must
the pumps used for koi ponds are a little different from swimming pool pumps. they look similar, but they run at half the speed and use waaaay (way way way way) less electricity and they're often so quiet that you can literally stand over one and not know if it's on. but the only way to successfully use one is to use big fat pipe.
I would use no other skimmer but the Waterway brand. my reasons are too numerous and engineerical.
use huge pipe for the plumbing, 3" or 4" pvc. i can't tell you how many times i've seen some dum-dum pool guy try to build a koi pond and use only 2" pipe. i've even seen a landscaper build one with 1" pipe. most pool guys have absolutely no business trying to build a koi pond.
I'm a gunite kind of guy myself, but if you want to use a liner, or even a fiberglass shell, I won't hold it against you. Gunite adds loads of cost because it also adds the steel tying phase to the process and both the steel guys and the gunite guys are likely to have a minimum charge, so you won't necessarily save anything by making it smaller. (it can easily cost more to build a small spa than an average pool).
that's all i can think of for now...I haven't even tried to think about this sort of thing for a coupla years.
okay, somewhere i have a binder full of info on koi ponds. my own proprietary secret checklist compiled from lots and lots of research, observations, interviews, reverse-engineering the failures of others and stuff like that. i used to be a landscape/pool designer/contractor, but now with this economy I'm just chillin' with my peeps and almost eating dog food.
a few things i can remember off the top of my head...
make it at least 3-4' deep. 5 or 6 would be better. the koi get some exercise by swimming up and down the depths in addition to the length/width.
no steps, ledges, plant shelves, etc. less than 2' deep. this goes a long way to preventing predators from being able to grab little koi.
bead filters are the most awesome. the ones i recommend are "Advantage" and some guy in Sacramento makes them by modifying swimming pool sand filters.
UV sterilizer is also a must
the pumps used for koi ponds are a little different from swimming pool pumps. they look similar, but they run at half the speed and use waaaay (way way way way) less electricity and they're often so quiet that you can literally stand over one and not know if it's on. but the only way to successfully use one is to use big fat pipe.
I would use no other skimmer but the Waterway brand. my reasons are too numerous and engineerical.
use huge pipe for the plumbing, 3" or 4" pvc. i can't tell you how many times i've seen some dum-dum pool guy try to build a koi pond and use only 2" pipe. i've even seen a landscaper build one with 1" pipe. most pool guys have absolutely no business trying to build a koi pond.
I'm a gunite kind of guy myself, but if you want to use a liner, or even a fiberglass shell, I won't hold it against you. Gunite adds loads of cost because it also adds the steel tying phase to the process and both the steel guys and the gunite guys are likely to have a minimum charge, so you won't necessarily save anything by making it smaller. (it can easily cost more to build a small spa than an average pool).
that's all i can think of for now...I haven't even tried to think about this sort of thing for a coupla years.
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You have to have a space before the smilies
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Best advice i can give you is to check out koiphen.com tons of info. lots and lots of pics and advice etc. Also check out my web site for some koi pics. I have not updated this year waiting on ice to thaw.
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