Attempting a garden pond

[micaaronfl76]

hello all,

See picture attached i would like to install myself a garden pond in the corner of my back yard. something big enough to hold small koi and some plants.

Anyway anyone recommend what equipment i should use? any good FAQ, i dont want to spend a ton of money, basically i dont want to go overboard, something basic.

Thanks

 

[addy1]

Welcome, where are you located?

Remember small koi become big koi and a little pond won't do for them in the long run.

 

[j.w]

micaaronfl76
Is there such a thing as small koi :regular_waving_emot

 

[micaaronfl76]

well i dont need the 2k dollar kind, im about 40 minutes outside philly.

 

[sissy]

Ok and welcome and love PA and koi get big fast if you look at some of the pics on here of fish you will see that .I have my Auntie Ag and she is 6 years old was about 3or 4 inches long when I got her now she is around 2 feet long

 

[j.w]

I just meant that I think it doesn't matter how much they cost.........even the cheaper ones grow pretty big and need quite a large amount of room. How big is that area in your photo? It's kinda hard to tell by the photo. It gets very cold in Philly right? So the deeper you can make it the safer it will be for the Koi cuz they go down deep to find the warmer waters in the winter. It will be fun seeing photo's of your pond dig as you build it :regular_waving_emot

 

[sissy]

You are right about cold too jw .I just broke down and bought a pond heater clearanced out at pet mountain and it was a little over 30 dollars 750 watt name kh .My neighbor bought one of them last year and all she does is press a button and it goes from floating to submersed and it works great .Figured I would check hers out before I bought mine .I never wanted one because of the bad stories I have heard about them but after last winter .well that says it all

 

[micaaronfl76]

i was told to go at least 2 feet down for koi?

does anyone have a decent equipment list im going to need? i dont want to go to a pond store and they try to sell me everything under the sun.

 

[sissy]

most koi need 4 feet or more .I live on the southside of VA and mine starts at 2 feet on 1 end and goes to a little over 4 feet on the other end .Last winter was hard on my pond and was really worried the whole winter about my fish .Average temps here are 50 degrees and very little snow and this past winter was terrible

 

[j.w]

Two feet is not enough for your cold area. The fish will need sweaters and gloves if you don't go down about 4ft. What's another 2ft anyway................your back will mend in time

 

[addy1]

My pond goes from 1-2 feet to 5-6 feet deep. The ice was 8 inches thick this winter.Deeper is better

 

[sissy]

I agree 100% jw and there are plenty of filters on here you can build yourself just go into the diy section or pond construction and there are tons of ideas there .Pumps do not have to cost a fortune either and oxygen pump should be used koi need lots of oxygen

 

[micaaronfl76]

ok 4 feet then no big deal, i have an auger and neighborhood kids. anyone have any equipment suggestions, assuming a filter, heater, fish food, i also wanted to put lights in the water.

what else?

 

[addy1]

Well 4 feet deep out long and wide?

I would suggest reading some of the build threads, diy threads, get an idea of what you might want. It is real hard to give you a list of what you need, a lot is based on how you are building it, fish load etc.

 

[sissy]

underwater lights are not cheap but I got my single ones from harbor freight .I also found with my first set which were the tetra ones the seal does not work well had to add silicone to the top to seal them water tight .Filter you can use a tote from any store with what ever media you choose .I use myself permanent furnace filters and lava rock and I am using quilt batting too right now to clean everything out of the water .I use tetra koi food in sticks cheapest at that fish place in P.A. you can find them online I paid 25 dollars for 6.61 lbs but you will not need that much