Go Big or Go Home, First Timer Building a 2500gal Koi Pond

[CometKeith]

Well, I’m hoping the once will be enough with good filtration! I spent I don’t know how many hours comparing pumps and trying to get the most GPH for the least KWH. But, the plumbing I have planned should support more if I need it to! We’ll be keeping an especially close eye on the water quality in the first few months and can then add another pump or adjust the filtration if needed.

Speaking of filtration... Yay for bog filter design! Took a lot of info from @addy1 ‘s bog filter masterpost and had too much fun.
View attachment 133246

Hi. I love all the planning, sketches, and drawings you have done. It’s really amazing! I agree with some of the comments above about simplifying some of the filtration. I would definitely have a good biological filter and a bog and maybe one more if you think you need it. My pond is about the same size and I have a lot more water moving that you will have. I have 3 internal pumps and one external for my bead filter and they are all way over 900 GPH. Also I have a good air pump. When you account for the head you will be lucky to get 500-600 GPF from your pumps so they probably won’t be sufficient. I would consider doubling their size. Most experienced ponders will tell you that you can never have enough water movement. Every pond is different though so it depends on how much sun you get and other factors. Good luck!

 

[eroyal93]

Hi. I love all the planning, sketches, and drawings you have done. It’s really amazing! I agree with some of the comments above about simplifying some of the filtration. I would definitely have a good biological filter and a bog and maybe one more if you think you need it. My pond is about the same size and I have a lot more water moving that you will have. I have 3 internal pumps and one external for my bead filter and they are all way over 900 GPH. Also I have a good air pump. When you account for the head you will be lucky to get 500-600 GPF from your pumps so they probably won’t be sufficient. I would consider doubling their size. Most experienced ponders will tell you that you can never have enough water movement. Every pond is different though so it depends on how much sun you get and other factors. Good luck!

It’s in a fairly shaded area, probably around 4-6 hours of sun per day on half of it, less on the rest. I’m definitely going to just go with the bog filter and maybe a mini trickle filter! I’ve looked into air, I was originally going to do an aerated bottom drain, but I might do airstones instead for the adjustability. Gotta do more research there!

We’ll look into more powerful pumps in the future, right now we’re just trying to get it all set up before winter at this point!

 

[CometKeith]

It’s in a fairly shaded area, probably around 4-6 hours of sun per day on half of it, less on the rest. I’m definitely going to just go with the bog filter and maybe a mini trickle filter! I’ve looked into air, I was originally going to do an aerated bottom drain, but I might do airstones instead for the adjustability. Gotta do more research there!

We’ll look into more powerful pumps in the future, right now we’re just trying to get it all set up before winter at this point!

I use a Koi-mini air for my air stone. I keep it running year round to help pump O2 into the water. In the winter fish need O2 too and it can be dangerous if the pond gets totally covered by snow for more than a few days. Also I use a pond breather in the winter to keep a hole open. My fish were fine even when we hit 26 degrees F below two years ago. I also keep a water pump going in the winter but make sure the tubing is low enough so it will squirt water under the ice and not create a skating pond for my neighbor! Even if you are not 100% done by winter with your setup but it is usable I would consider adding a few small fish right away to help the pond cycle. A brand new pond takes a while to cycle and it can't hurt to have the fish in it to help it so things go a little better in the spring. The fish contribute ammonia to the pond and eventually you will have good bacteria to convert that to nitrite and then more good bb to convert the nitrite to nitrate.

 

[eroyal93]

I use a Koi-mini air for my air stone. I keep it running year round to help pump O2 into the water. In the winter fish need O2 too and it can be dangerous if the pond gets totally covered by snow for more than a few days. Also I use a pond breather in the winter to keep a hole open. My fish were fine even when we hit 26 degrees F below two years ago. I also keep a water pump going in the winter but make sure the tubing is low enough so it will squirt water under the ice and not create a skating pond for my neighbor! Even if you are not 100% done by winter with your setup but it is usable I would consider adding a few small fish right away to help the pond cycle. A brand new pond takes a while to cycle and it can't hurt to have the fish in it to help it so things go a little better in the spring. The fish contribute ammonia to the pond and eventually you will have good bacteria to convert that to nitrite and then more good bb to convert the nitrite to nitrate.

I think I would die if I had to brave weather like that! Whew... thankfully I’m in North Carolina, so temps very rarely get below even 20degF in the coldest of winter.

We’re planning to try putting in a couple of mosquito fish and gold fish initially just to make sure it’s working, and like you said to cycle it, before we invest in some pretty Koi! I’ll look into that specific air stone, though. Thanks!

 

[Tula]

@CometKeith what do you use for the diffusers with your koi mini?

 

[CometKeith]

I think I would die if I had to brave weather like that! Whew... thankfully I’m in North Carolina, so temps very rarely get below even 20degF in the coldest of winter.

We’re planning to try putting in a couple of mosquito fish and gold fish initially just to make sure it’s working, and like you said to cycle it, before we invest in some pretty Koi! I’ll look into that specific air stone, though. Thanks!

Yes 26 below was rediculously cold. You could actually hear the ground cracking at night! Fortunately I didn’t lose one fish that winter. If you are looking for nice Koi I really like Champion Nishigikoi for their Tosai. (6-7 inch) You can get some very nice examples of Koi at a reasonable price if you don’t mind starting out with juvenile Koi. Also it will give you time to watch them grow and make adaptations to the pond over time before they get large.

 

[CometKeith]

@CometKeith what do you use for the diffusers with your koi mini?

Hi Tula. It comes with a difuser. When it gets stuffed up I just wipe it off and it works fine. I got the single difuser one but they have a dual one also. I have had it almost three years running nonstop and it works fine.

 

[eroyal93]

Yes 26 below was rediculously cold. You could actually hear the ground cracking at night! Fortunately I didn’t lose one fish that winter. If you are looking for nice Koi I really like Champion Nishigikoi for their Tosai. (6-7 inch) You can get some very nice examples of Koi at a reasonable price if you don’t mind starting out with juvenile Koi. Also it will give you time to watch them grow and make adaptations to the pond over time before they get large.

Haha, I’m sure they’re lovely, but I don’t fancy driving 2000 miles for some Koi! We’ve got a few local suppliers we’re looking into

 

[CometKeith]

Haha, I’m sure they’re lovely, but I don’t fancy driving 2000 miles for some Koi! We’ve got a few local suppliers we’re looking into

Hmm... It would be nice to take a trip there, but I buy them on line and have them shipped! Even though I live in a large city there really are not any suppliers of high grade Japanese Koi here.

 

[eroyal93]

Digging a 2500+gal pond by hand in Carolina clay during the rainy months:
- 0/10, do not recommend.

But, I’ve finally got SOME semblance of a shape now! Got the main pond mostly dug, just have to refine the bottom edges and completely level out the rock shelf. Ignore the concrete blocks here, was just using them as a temporary wall so I could level and tamp the rock shelf.

Started work on laying out the bog filter area and “river” down to the pond.

We’ll be pouring the footer for the retaining wall this upcoming weekend (hopefully), so the wall will finally start going up. Once that’s in place, I can get my liner. (I was already able to snag a box of underlayment cuts for cheap, yay!) Decided to go with BTLliners.com as the price for a EDPM liner alone was already what the RPE liners from BTL were WITH shipping AND custom cut. Crossing my fingers it’ll hold up as well as the EDPM over time! @addy1 are yours still doing well?

Slowly but surely coming together!

 

[eroyal93]

Oh! Also, not pond related necessarily, but finally got the research and concepts together for a little “sukiya/gazebo” of sorts in the zen garden. That probably won’t be done until next spring, but it’s going to be lovely to just chill and watch the fishies!

 

[addy1]

@addy1 are yours still doing well?

I used it for my pond in AZ, had the pond running for around 10 years, had to tear it down when I moved to MD and my house became a rental waiting for the market to recover. It was still in great shape, gave it to a ponder there.

I used it here, love the stuff, you can even install it without underlay, but we have a ton of rocks in the dirt so I did underlay.
It is a lot less slippery than epdm. I have had deer slamming their hooves into the liner when one got stuck in the pond, no damage. They walk the stream, no damage. It has been installed since 2010

IF I ever built another pond I would use it again.

 

[Mmathis]

@eroyal93 What is a ”deer scare fountain”?

 

[eroyal93]

@eroyal93 What is a ”deer scare fountain”?

It’s called a “Shishi Odoshi” in Japanese! It’s just a traditional bamboo fountain found in many gardens. The idea is a continual stream of water pours into an open ended bamboo shoot that’s on a hinge like a teeter-totter. When it fills up, it tips all the water out, and when the water flows out enough, it tilts back and the bottom hits a wooden or stone base with a “clonk!” sound from the hollow bamboo! It’s very rhythmic and the flow can often be adjusted for meditation breathing or the like. I suppose the original idea was a loud noise to scare away deer from the garden, hence the name, but it’s very “zen” to me!

 

[eroyal93]

I used it for my pond in AZ, had the pond running for around 10 years, had to tear it down when I moved to MD and my house became a rental waiting for the market to recover. It was still in great shape, gave it to a ponder there.

I used it here, love the stuff, you can even install it without underlay, but we have a ton of rocks in the dirt so I did underlay.
It is a lot less slippery than epdm. I have had deer slamming their hooves into the liner when one got stuck in the pond, no damage. They walk the stream, no damage. It has been installed since 2010

IF I ever built another pond I would use it again.

Thanks for the info! Sounds like it will definitely hold up like I’m hoping. Do you happen to have any gopher problems that you can advise the liner durability for? We DEFINITELY have them like crazy here, and I know the recommendation is to install hardware cloth to keep them at bay, but I was wondering if the tougher RPE liner could allow me to forego it. I’m having trouble sourcing it for a decent price, and I’m getting down to the wire on the pre-liner phase.