need Koi advice

rihanssu · 09-04-2006, 02:01 PM

since i have no tank right now and i'm bored and i had eye surgery this morning so i got nothing else to do. i'm going to put a koi pond in my back yard and since i have a back and a spade it'll be free to dig out!
was wondering on input from some of you Koi guys on as to how deep i should dig. its in a back yard so there isn't really a city ordinance for it so i guess the skys the limit!

csb123 · 09-04-2006, 02:48 PM

Dig it as big as you can budget for. Once you get a pond going and experience the rewards you'll want to expand.

As for depth, deeper is better. Deeper ponds apparently improve koi body conformational developement. My pond is 4 feet deep which is fine for maintainence (I can jump in with waders on) but I think the koi would like it deeper.

Also,if you will over-winter the koi outside, 4 feet is probably minimum. I've had wintertime fatalities so now I bring the koi indoors.

Maybe Devin can pipe in.

Welcome to another obscessional hobby!

rihanssu · 09-04-2006, 02:50 PM

lol thanks =) i had a koi pond at my last house but it was in the front and my city won't let you have one deeper then 15'' so now that i got a new house with a big bak yard i can do it. i wasn't planing on doing anything till next spring but i got nothing to do so i might as well dig it out.

oyam123 · 09-04-2006, 03:10 PM

you can make part of the pond 2-3' deep for your plants and for the fish to sun. The pond can then drop to a 5-6 foot deep section to winter the fish and give them a deep place. thats how my pond is. Size = Size of liner, unless you are doing clay. Lots of good DIY stuff on the net for filters, etc. will you have a water fall on the pond?

rihanssu · 09-04-2006, 09:27 PM

yeap i'll have a water fall gonna collect rocks for free from construction zones and such. and put it together

clownfishcrazy · 09-06-2006, 01:05 AM

I reconmmend atleast 4' deep for koi ponds, especially if you are going to winter them outside. 6' is probably the best depth, they can really build muscle mass which makes for better body conformation if they have a deep pond. If you want to keep plants too, I would build a seperate pond for them, koi will eventually destroy most plants you will put in with them. For a true koi pond it is best to make the side walls as strait down as you can (without making them structurely unstable). That way preditors have a hard time getting at your fish and it gives you more total gallons cause you don't have plant shelfs taking up space. Plus more water equals more stable water conditions, and you can have more fish!

Also, DO NOT PUT ANY ROCKS ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POND!!!!

Install a bottom drain, research filtration, and by filtration I don't mean skimmer box and bio-falls. Those don't have enough surface area for bacteria to be able to sustain fish.

Also, join the Koi Club, go to some meeting and talk with people about their experiances and ponds, and remember you can not research enough!

www.umkoiclub.org

jenajet · 09-06-2006, 02:08 AM

Not sure of birds of prey in your area but I recently found out that it was a heron that took off with $200 worth of koi. Caught it in the act. I suggest using netting to cover the pond. May not be necessary for deeper ponds tho. Mine is 2 feet so the bird had easy access before adding the net. No losses since.

Bathypelagic Zone · 09-06-2006, 08:49 AM

I'd double check with the city first, and at the least make the one call for location of underground utilities.

oyam123 · 09-06-2006, 09:16 AM

I got some 2' koi for trade.......Sump?

Brandon L · 09-06-2006, 10:51 AM

Just like reefing, you can never research enough. Try a few of the forums online like Koiphen.com or Koivet.com. There are others as well. Koiphen is used by many and they have an overwhelming amount of information and knowledge. There are many DIY filtration ideas there. Most of the site focuses on 'Koi Ponds' vs. 'Watergardens'. The philosophies are different, but can be melded to have a watergarden with koi type filtration. Figure out what your budget is and double it, then figure on adding 10% to that. I agree with Bathy - check with the city. They may cover ponds under their swimming pool ordinance once the pond gets to a certain square footage and/or depth. If you will be going with an advanced filtration system or are even considering it for the future, get your plans on paper before you touch a shovel. You don't want to redig that hole if you find you want more filtration, more capacity, more flow, etc, etc.

Good luck.