I'm currently in the process of planning to move my koi pond from one house to another. The original pond is almost 15 years old, 15 x 20 about 2500 gallons. I put it what I thought was the latest and great back then, UV light, skimmer, waterfall feature, bottom drain etc. (biofalls filter and skimmer, Aqua UV, too many pumps to count over the years). I have a bare liner with no rocks in the pond except for the coping stones around the sides.
Now I'm moving the pond to my new house and have the chance to change anything I didn't like about the first set up. I'm going with approximately the same size but since the new pond won't' have a wall to be against my waterfall is going to be different because I don't want a volcano in the middle of the yard. Thinking more of a river option this go around.
So my first question is to people, what would you do differently if you were going to do it all again? I have a submersible pump now and I've been thinking of doing that again instead of an external pump as since it's in the middle of the yard it will be hard to conceal it to my liking. Or am I missing out on something if I don't switch to an external pump? I've also been eyeing the Savio skimmerfilter (love the UV in the unit feature and can get a Aqua UV set up) and the Savio Livingponds filter (love the bottom drain idea there - no more dragging out the wet shopvac to clean out the box). Am I being sucked into something I won't like / need?
The other things I'm trying to do this time around is choose options that are economical to run - I run my pump year around and of course my UV and pond lights only in the warmer months being in Northern Illinois. Also thinking of putting my bottom drain under the liner rather than on top of the liner but the thought of cutting a hole in my liner just gives me the willies. My old bottom drain is passive, just gravity fed into the skimmer box. I like the idea of some of the newer ones having more of an active system (or at least that is how I'm reading some work now).
Thanks - this is a lot but any tips or advice this go around will be appreciated. I plan on starting to buy things and have found some coupons on Webb's Water Gardens.com and they have price matching. Any thoughts there is also welcome. I hope to break ground in early April with the plan to move my koi in May after the water starts it's cycle.
Margo
Now I'm moving the pond to my new house and have the chance to change anything I didn't like about the first set up. I'm going with approximately the same size but since the new pond won't' have a wall to be against my waterfall is going to be different because I don't want a volcano in the middle of the yard. Thinking more of a river option this go around.
So my first question is to people, what would you do differently if you were going to do it all again? I have a submersible pump now and I've been thinking of doing that again instead of an external pump as since it's in the middle of the yard it will be hard to conceal it to my liking. Or am I missing out on something if I don't switch to an external pump? I've also been eyeing the Savio skimmerfilter (love the UV in the unit feature and can get a Aqua UV set up) and the Savio Livingponds filter (love the bottom drain idea there - no more dragging out the wet shopvac to clean out the box). Am I being sucked into something I won't like / need?
The other things I'm trying to do this time around is choose options that are economical to run - I run my pump year around and of course my UV and pond lights only in the warmer months being in Northern Illinois. Also thinking of putting my bottom drain under the liner rather than on top of the liner but the thought of cutting a hole in my liner just gives me the willies. My old bottom drain is passive, just gravity fed into the skimmer box. I like the idea of some of the newer ones having more of an active system (or at least that is how I'm reading some work now).
Thanks - this is a lot but any tips or advice this go around will be appreciated. I plan on starting to buy things and have found some coupons on Webb's Water Gardens.com and they have price matching. Any thoughts there is also welcome. I hope to break ground in early April with the plan to move my koi in May after the water starts it's cycle.
Margo