33 replies to this topic

[roscogruen]

all,
my gf set me to digging a backyard pond. i've pulled out about a dumptruck full so far. i asked he to please look into supplies as i dug over the last two days. it is her spending the $. i'm just doing the work. 12hrs so far.
anyhow, feeling this would add up to be some serious $ i looked up and found that a pond to support Koi would be 3' deep and this pond, with the shelving she wants, will be about 3,000 gallons. from online pricing, i'm guess a minimum of $2000 to get a bare-bones Koi pond. i told her this and she said put the dirt back. this doesn't include the waterfall she wants.
i'm pretty at a loss as to how to feel about all the work and then just pulling the plug.

she then said $500 is my limit. i'm saying my limit is her not participating and she puts dirt back.

any thoughts as to how a koi pond can be built for under $500?

[koiguy1969]

although 3' deep is better than 2' deep ..my pond is only alittle over 2' and i have koi, pondlady has a 14" deep pond with koi, alot of people have koi in ponds less than 3' deep. build your own bio filter..much cheaper, and better than storebought. for the money. a good skippy filter cost 100-150 dollars to build and will out perform any filter anywhere close to that price. leave your hole 11'x12' and 2' deep a 15x15 liner will be around $200..$125-$150 will buy you a decent pump... if its square,this pond would be just under 2000 gallons..there are many people with smaller ponds and koi. minus landscaping and plants. you could do it.$ 600 would do it for sure. at 2' deep you wont need the planter shelves. ingenuity that what it takes.

[DrCase]

You can make a nice pond with the 500 limit
every thing dosent have to be done at once, and you can always add more to it..If you have a place to pick up rocks for free that keeps the price way down

[koiguy1969]

free rocks would be nice...just put them around the pond not in it, atleast not on the bottom!!

[koikeepr]

Since it sounds like you're a handy DIY'er, you can do a lot of things like waterfalls, filters, and such on the cheap or nearly free. You just need to be inventive, and you will find that pond folks are some of the most creative folk around. You'd be surprised what they can make out of a few pieces of pvc pipe and some plastic!

There is a ton of instruction all over the web that will walk you step by step with how to create these things. You can start basic now, and then upgrade parts slowly over time as you get the $.

Ebay, for one, is a great source for cheap or even used stuff that is perfectly usable.

Don't skimp on several things: a good liner, make yourself a good 55-gallon barrel filter (instructions are on this site), and a decent pump. If those three things are in place, then everything else is just purely decorative and not what the fish need to survive.

Good luck. We look forward to following your adventures!

[BBK]

Liner, rocks, and pump are the only expensive parts. You can make a DIY skippy filter for it for around 100-150.

[koikeepr]

If you go to a car wash (that's how the auto soap comes) they will usually give you the 55 gallon barrels for free of just a few dollars. I bought one on Ebay for $16. I think the whole barrel filter with pvc and some media cost me around $70 bucks, but I bought a few Matala filter pads, which can be pricey, but last many many years. You can go cheaper than that and spend about 50 bucks on a filter if you get the barrel free or cheap.

My barrel is buried in my filter pit, so you can't see it, but I've seen people do very creative things to hide them behind rocks, fences, shrubs, under decks, etc.

But BBK is right. liner and pump will be what you will spend money on. Don't go thinner than 45 ml liner in my opinion. You will regret anything thinner because you can easily puncture the thin stuff. Try to find rocks (if you're going for that look) on your property or neighbors if you can swing it. I've seen people gather free brick and such even.

Also, don't forget to lay old carpeting on the floor of your pond before putting the liner in, so that your liner has something soft to sit on. Again, you can go to a carpet store and ask them to save you some from a job they are gonna rip out. This should be free. Do not pay for underlayment like this.

[BBK]

I got some underliner (carpet like stuff) from the city when I built mine. Its the same stuff they put under concrete when they build roads. May be worth asking them if they have some scrap pieces.

[aviator79]

pondliners.com
15x15 liner for $99 and $141.02 shipped to me. May have to take ledges out to make that fit.
http://www.pondliner..._Pond_Liners_15
Ideally go a little deeper and get a 20x20 for $174+shipping
http://www.pondliner..._Pond_Liners_20

If you were able to do that much digging that quickly iom sure you could get away without an underlier. I got one cause im building in rock so I am using that, carpet and concret to smooth things out.
My skipy filter actually cost me about $250 with everything, but could be done cheeper im sure. And a lowes pump for $150.
So you pitch in $100 and you have a pond.
You didnt sstate where you were from, so not sure how readily available free rock is, but that all can be done later.

[aviator79]

or there is this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/...%3A1%7C294%3A50
$79 shipped for a 45mil firestone 15'x15' liner. DANG!

[koikeepr]

aviator79 said:

or there is this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/...%3A1%7C294%3A50
$79 shipped for a 45mil firestone 15'x15' liner. DANG!

BINGO! Good find Aviator! LOL!

[roscogruen]

Koikeeper,
thank you for the information. the hole will be 12'x12' and the hole 3' deep. this means i'll need a 22'x22' sqft piece of epdm, 45mm. it is necessary to jump up to a 25'x25' piece of epdm because of limited size avaibility.

if you see this a 25'x25' piece that is awesome.

all help is appreciated.

[BBK]

Go big. You can always trim the liner but you can't stretch it.

[roscogruen]

BBK,
that is understood. i'm looking for a 25'x25' piece of epdm pondgard. if anyone knows where i can buy this, please let me know.
oh, about the size, that is all i can squeeze between a fence and a sewer line.
thanks!
r

[roscogruen]

plan for pond - 12'x12'; 2' at waterfall & 3' at far end.

pondliner.com is very expensive! usually by $100

justliners.com is by far the cheapest liner distro ($371 w/ shipping for 25'x25').

& birdnest.com sells the cheapest pumps ($165 w/ shipping for Beckett 5000gph).

PIY filter - i've planned on using a stock tank with scrap filter media such as scrub pads.
skimmer - jury rigged and i'm wondering about my idea: i'd like to put a quick-release to a contraption at intake of 5000gph pump. it will "T" to top where i'll jury rig a skimmer and also another branch of "T" to bottom of pond where there will be an intake screen. this should extend the life of pump but i'm wondering if i should just let Lower branch of "T" go without screen. if they both clog up, i'll kill the pump. i'll have gate valve (is gate cool?) at lower end of "T" to direct how much flow goes to skimmer.
also, i'll put a gate valve (?) before the PIY filter to direct some flow to waterfall. the pump will have about 4100gph at the height of PIY filter intake. for a 2'-3' deep, 12'x12' pond, can will this pump be able to supply both waterfall and PIY skipper filter?