A bigger pond

[Stu74]

As i said in my introduction i have a small pond with goldfish and i want to increase the size so i can hopefully add a few koi to the gang.
All i really know about keeping koi is i will need the pond deeper than it is now so the frost dosnt kill them in the winter.I was told they are not as hardy as goldfish so need deeper water.
If anyone can give me some advice on other things i need to concider before i make a start on making my pond bigger for koi i would be very grateful.

 

[Waterbug]

Learn as much as you can before you build is my best advice. Maybe the most interesting thing to read treads in different pond forums of people who did basically the same thing you are. It is amazing how alike each story ends up.

 

[addy1]

read read read as wb says, it helps alot

 

[fishin4cars]

Explore the unlimited options! LOL It's not just read anymore. Youtube videos, forums, books, Pond clubs, koi clubs, magazines. Really get a feel of what you want and plan on going bigger than you need. Not overly bigger but almost everyone agrees, I wish I had gone a little bigger at some point. take into consideration the size of koi, Don't crowd them. They are so much more graceful when they cruise around. Take into real considerations of what the max temp. and the lowest temp will get to be in your area. Koi like depth. They can live in 2' of water, But they prefer to swim in 5-8ft. Very few will dig a pond that deep but the fish will love it if you do. Filtration is a big key. Koi keeping is different than water gardening. In a water garden you are working with multiple types of wildlife. Koi keeping you are working on keeping the most pristine water, and hopefully raising a GIANT fish. Believe us, to be sucsessful at keeping a large koi pre planning is probably your most important key to being sucsessful.

 

[Stu74]

Thanks for all of your advice.
I am reading up on the internet and checking out all sorts of web sites trying to get as much info as i can.
The more i am reading the more i doubt i will be able to keep Koi .I am limited to the size of pond i can create.I know i can go very deep but i dont really want a pond that is deeper than about 4.5 ft.
I am going to expand my pond size as big as i can and get as much information and advice along the way.A rough calculation i think i am only going to be able to have a 500 - 600 gallon pond.If i cant manage to get a lot more i will have to go onto plan B and just get a few more Goldfish.

 

[sissy]

You tube has great pics of builds and you could be on there for hours .Every shape and size you could dream of .Sometimes I think it gives you pond brain overload :razz:

 

[Stu74]

I have watched lots of videos of pond builds on youtube and i also like checking out the pictures of ponds that members on here have.It gives me ideas and inspiration of how i want my pond to look.

 

[Stu74]

Just thought i would drop in and give an update on my new bigger pond build.Unfortunately ive been busy so havnt been on here for a little while.
So far it has gone very well.I decided to just stick with goldfish due to limited space.So because im only keeping goldfish i only dug the pond about 8 inches deeper than before making it a little over 30 inches(i think) So far I have filled the pond and put the fish in a few days ago.The fish love the extra space im sure i can see them smiling lol.
The edges of the pond need to be trimmed a bit more need to be decorated with rocks and plants etc.Today we bought a lot of slate and other things to create a waterfall.The waterfall was something we decided on after i filled the pond but it shouldnt be to difficult to make.
I will get some pictures on here later today to show how the old pond looked and how the new one is getting on so far.

 

[Stu74]

this is my little pond just before i started to remove it.It had seen better days.

This is a few pictures of the work on the new one.

I put my fish in this big bucket until the new pond was ready for them.

This is how it looks at the moment

I just need to get this looking nice now.

 

[sissy]

Another preformed hits the ground .I had 4 of them from ponds i took apart for realtors .They are never deep enough unless you buy the 600 or 700 dollar ones .I made a water feature out of one for a friends house .It looks good and soon the fish will agree with you .I bet they are happy with the extra room they have .Are you going to line around the top with rock .Just make sure you put in an overflow or in heavy rains you will have fish on the ground

 

[Stu74]

Sissy I have got some rocks to put around the edge to make it look nice.Unfortunately weather has turned bad today where i live.It is raining very hard and the pond is now totally full.I keep checking on the pond and so far so good.The water is draining out in 2 places and running away from the pond.I dont think the fish are in any danger but i am going to keep a close eye on what is happening.

 

[sissy]

I have a 4 inch pipe set down a little ways down on my liner with a grate over it .The grate is for drainage in a yard and small enough openings that even the smaller fish cannot get in there .But if they do they will come out the other end of the pipe into a bucket since my pond is partially above ground .

 

[Stu74]

That could be something i could do.I might just use a 2" pipe with a fine mesh grill over the end.My pond isnt very big so i think 2 " should do the job.I can add that to my list of jobs to do.Thanks for the advice Sissy.

 

[sissy]

Your welcome and that will depend on the amount of rain you get but should work except in torrential down pours .Just remember to keep it clean i have toilet bowl brushes and baby bottle brushes for that .

 

[Stu74]

Here in England we get rain all the time but usually just constant drizzle.It pours down heavy every now and again but nothing like i have seen in other countries.So 2" should do the trick.