13 replies to this topic

[paulm]

any advise on setting up a pond would be great witch filters designing the pond ect:ideacyclops:

[koikeepr]

welcome paulm! You are asking an extremely broadbased question that can have endless answers. If you could help us with a tad more information, we will be able to send you down the right path.

For starters, here are some questions you can perhaps answer:

What size pond are you hoping to end up with?
Are you planning on goldfish or koi?
Do you want a pond that is above ground or are you going to dig it below ground?
Where exactly will your pond go on your property?
Do you have access to electricity in this area or will you need to add it?
Are you a handy DIY'er?

Anything else you can provide us with would be helpful so that we can guide you a bit based on some of your specifics.

[koiguy1969]

there is alot of wisdom here paulm just read and learn.. your filter and other equipment has to match your pond..so figure out what size pond you want..is it gonna be a dedicated koi pond or garden pond with fish..how many fish you want. and what kind of fish you'd like to keep in this pond.. figure out what you can afford etc... when you get a basic plan, then ask for assistance when you can give an idea of what your looking to acheive.
the one piece of advise i know i can give now is: figure out what size pond you want and double it...lol

i see koikeepr and i were posting at the same time... apparently she types faster!!

[koikeepr]

but it proves the point that we will also be inquiring about the same questions from our new friend paulm to assist him.

So true about the doubling the size, koiguy. The minute your pond build is done you're thinking about how to make it bigger. LOL!

[paulm]

at the moment its all up in the air im trying to get some ideas the pond will be going in my back garden the area im thinking of is about 20 feet by 10 feet

[paulm]

the pond will most likely be going in the ground how big do i need to go to keep koi carp with some goldfish

[koikeepr]

I am actually building something similar. But mine will be partially above and below ground.

The deeper the better. Do not go less than 3 three feet (US) deep, but 4 feet is even better.

Are you thinking of something rectangular in shape? Can you do a 15 foot long, 7 foot wide pond in that space? That will give you a good 3,150 US gallons if you go 4 feet deep. That would be ideal and respectable for a koi/goldie pond.

[paulm]

if i go deep i will have to fence it off as i have 3 kids one with special needs thats my main worry finding one of the kids floating

[koiguy1969]

your winters are mild in ireland arent they? if it were me in your situation..i think i would go 1/2 above ground and 1/2 under.. that way its got some elevation to help protect your child and the depth to protect your fish. now the 3 foot or more sugestion is a good one, but not neccessarily mandatory if your winters arent extreme..we have several ponders here who even keep koi in ponds less than 2' deep.. pondlady lives in utah and has large koi in a 14" deep pond. and over winters them there. i could easily overwinter mine in my 28"deep pond, but i just assume enjoy them year round so mine have a 800 gallon pond in the basement. but the deeper the pond the safer your fish are from preditors to.

[paulm]

preditors mmmmmmmmmmmm the neighbours cats gonna go missing should he take a shine to my fish lol

[koiguy1969]

cats are not really the worry...herons cranes wrens kingfishers hawks owls eagles racoons bears theres alot of animals that may find a pond a meal ticket... different threats in different areas of the globe

[paulm]

thankfully in this part of the world we dont have much of the above wildlfe i have alot of homework and planning to do over the winter months looking forward to getting busy in the spring over the winter i may start picking up some of the hardware needed filter liner ect...

[koiguy1969]

definately start now... shopping off season is a good way to save some money and spread out the spending over time instead of having to come up with it "all at once"

[Dragonfly]

Hi paulm!
If you're planning an in-ground pond and are worried about your kids, another possibilty with the size you're going (the same as mine) is to gradually slope in to a deeper area, or have wide shelves all around. You could also make one side unaccessable via shrubs and a hidden fence and keep the deeper side over there.
Kids and dogs HAVE ended up in my pond, but it's just a shallow dunking as the 5 foot deep part is only in the middle.
I personally think that the larger volume of water you get by going deep helps keep the water clear and the fish and water lilies happy.