Building a Koi Pond - Everything you need to know
If you are dreaming of building a koi pond, there are many things to consider before you actually dig the hole. As with every project, careful planning up front will save hours of rework because of problems that develop due to lack of knowledge or carelessness. Guys, this is one of those projects where you really should plan to read the directions first. I know--you were about to skip them, right? Please don’t. Digging your pondThere is nothing worse than digging a 3-foot deep hole in your backyard while you are building a koi pond only to find out that the place you selected will not work…or worse…you get your new pond full of water only to find out that it is in the shade all day long and plants will not grow. Be sure and read the section on pond excavation and leveling before you dig. You will be glad you did. Also, try not to build your koi pond too near trees. The leaves fall into the pond, and decay. A pond skimmer can help, but if you have a lot of leaves, your skimmer will not be able to keep up.Download our free eBook to refer to as you Build Your Pond
Some koi pond building tips to think about in your pond designTypes of Ponds you can BuildDo you want to build a fish pond, or do you want to build a backyard pond that will not have fish? When you are building a koi pond, the types of plants you can choose will be determined by this decision. If you plan to have certain types of plants, the amount of sunlight that will be available in the location you choose for building your koi pond will be important.If you want to build a waterfall and pond, you will want to place the pond in a location where the waterfall can have something to support it, like a corner or a wall. Often, building the waterfall as part of your pond filter is a good option when you build a koi pond. Pond building is not that hard as long as you have good information to guide you. If you don’t feel like you can tackle the job of building a koi pond, you can choose to hire a contractor to build your koi pond. Have you considered above ground ponds or preformed garden ponds? You can build an above ground pond and put viewing windows in so you can see your fish as they swim under the water. This is really a cool idea to consider when building a koi pond. Preformed garden ponds work well, but will limit your ability to design a unique shape and size. In my first pond, I used a small preformed pond as a secondary pond for my waterfall to flow into before it flowed into the main pond.
Another option is to build a concrete pond, but concrete pond construction has its own set of issues. My first pond was a concrete pond that had been built by the previous owner of a house I bought. The pond was not level, and in spite of trying to seal it several times, we never got it to completely stop losing water. But, we learned from it, and I learned to love ponding and koi from that experience. Feel free to share your garden pond ideas and pictures. Your pond ideas and experiences while building a koi pond can help others as they plan their own dream pond. Where to Locate your PondOnce you have decided on the type of pond you want to build and where you want to put it, the next thing to do is to mark off the location. If you are using a pond liner, you can go with almost any garden pond design you can think of. You can easily use a garden hose or rope to do this. This will help you get the shape just the way you want it. Once you get it just right, you can mark off the spot with marking paint.Use this handy pond liner calculator to determine the size of pond liner you need before you ever dig the hole. What you don't want to have to do is to piece together a liner when you are building a koi pond. One suggestion I have is to mark off the spot for the pond, and then check out the sunshine and shade in that area during the morning and evening hours before you dig. If you plan to sit outside and enjoy your pond in the evening, you probably don’t want to sit in direct hot sun. Also, if you plan to have water lilies in your pond, you will want to make sure the pond gets good direct sunlight each day. The lilies love sun! Another consideration is predators. As soon as the herons and raccoons find out that you are building a koi pond, they will be figuring out a way to get a free meal. You will want to make sure that your pond is located and designed in a way that your fish have a place to hide from the predators. While we are talking about building koi ponds, another thing to remember before you start pond excavation and leveling is that your koi will need a deep area to get into for winter. You should plan on building a pond that is a minimum of 30” at some places so that the koi can get below the freeze line. Where I live, here near the Gulf Coast of Texas, this is not so much a problem, but where you live it might be. When you are building a koi pond, another thing to plan is the garden pond landscaping for your ponds. There are many cool things you can do to landscape around your pond to make the garden oasis you have dreamed of. You can put in garden statues or garden bridges to dress up the area. You are only limited by your imagination, but you should consider this as you are planning before building koi a pond. It helps to plan all of this ahead of time, as your pond plumbing is much easier to do when you are in the initial planning and digging stages, than it is later on after your pond is full of water and fish and plants. You will always be adding cool new water features, but if you plan ahead to have an electrician put in a couple of GFI outlets where your pumps and waterfall are, you can easily later add more water features, or an underwater light. While we are on that topic, I would be derelict in my duties, if I did not mention pond safety. Obviously, any idea that involves electricity near water should have careful planning for pond safety. Always engage a licensed electrician for this job. Another thing to consider on the topic of pond safety, however, is the pond location, especially if you have small children. You will want to make sure that your small children or pets cannot wander outside and fall into the pond and drown. It only takes a split second, so be sure to build this into your plan before you build koi a pond. So, now that we have those preliminaries out of the way, lets get to the instructions for building a koi pond. Do it yourself ponds can be rewarding and fun. One warning though…once you have built your first pond…you will probably have to build more. Something about it is just habit forming. Everything you need to know to build your koi pond is found in this website including some handy pond kits that contain everything you need to get started. Building a koi pond is a wonderful rewarding experience. Be sure to look around our site for more information and products that will help you with everything you need to build your sparkling koi pond. Get more valuable pond building advice and informationSign-up today to receive our free ebook “Creating Sparkling Koi Ponds” and receive the Sparkling Koi Ponds newsletter as a bonus.
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