When designing a pond, there are a few things you need to figure out before you start construction.
- Decide what kind of pond you want. Koi, Plant and Goldfish Ponds have different needs and care.
- Koi Ponds
- Part Shade
- A minimum of 1,000 gallons of water
- Minimum depth of 30 inches
- No shelves in the sides
- Bottom drain
- Slopping bottom
- Pump system to keep water circulating
- Bio-filter rated to the number of gallons in your pond
- UV sterilizer/classifier
- Protected plants (Make sure nothing poisonous, Koi are omnivores and eat plants)
- Skimmer (optional, but it makes for easy maintenance)
- Plant Ponds and Goldfish Ponds
- Full sun
- 18 - 24 inches deep
- Plant shelves, approximately 12 inches deep and 18 inches wide
- One oxygenating grass (Anachris) plant per 2 square feet of surface area
- 60% to 70% water coverage (from either floating or emergent plants, or both)
- Pump system to keep water circulating
- No more than 1 inch of fish per 10 gallons of water (i.e. a fish that grows 4 inches long needs 40 gallons of water, 2 of those fish would need 80 gallons. Always use the mature size of fish for measurements, not the size you purchase them at.)
- Skimmer (optional, but it makes for easy maintenance)
- Koi Ponds
- Select a location
- Choose a spot from which you can view the pond most of the year.
- Select a site close to electricity or one that can electricity wired to it. Don’t forget a ground-fault-interrupt circuit.
- Make sure the area is NOT the lowest spot in your yard. If you have a low wet spot, make it a bog garden instead.
- Avoid large trees. If using a skimmer system, a pond can be placed closer to trees.
- How large you want your pond to be. While your minimum size is dictated by what kind of pond you’re building, you’re free to go larger.