Make a pond

[Omer]

Hello, I have a structure which is 2 meters wide by 1.5 meters depth by 1.5 meters deep (2*1.5*1.5). it holds approximately 4000 liters of water or about a 1000 gallons. It doesn't have a bottom drain. It is built out of concrete, and been sealed against water.
I would like to make it a koi pond.
What do i need to by and do to make this into a koi pond?

 

[peter hillman]

First test to see if it holds water. Then you'll need some hardware, pump, filter. Patience.

 

[Omer]

First test to see if it holds water. Then you'll need some hardware, pump, filter. Patience.

This pond mentioned to be grey water system, and we already sealed it. We built it 6 years ago and in the winter it holds water very good, never leaked and the concrerte never craked.
I want to know what kind of hardwer I need to by and what kind of modifications I need to do.

 

[barryian]

This pond mentioned to be grey water system, and we already sealed it. We built it 6 years ago and in the winter it holds water very good, never leaked and the concrerte never craked.
I want to know what kind of hardwer I need to by and what kind of modifications I need to do.

This can be somewhat simple or high tech & complex. First, do you have a budget ? Also, do you want a dedicated Koi pond which it seems you do? If you post a couple of pictures of the structure, it would help to figure out what can be modified and what you will need.

 

[sissy]

If you are using it as a grey water system it will not work .Grey water should be filtered by plants not by fish .Only way you can do water filtering with fish is hydroponics and that is where plants use up the fish waste .Koi will not survive water with any kind of waste water .Koi also get very large .

 

[Omer]

If you are using it as a grey water system it will not work .Grey water should be filtered by plants not by fish .Only way you can do water filtering with fish is hydroponics and that is where plants use up the fish waste .Koi will not survive water with any kind of waste water .Koi also get very large .

We wanted it to be a gray water system, but we did not had the time the make operate, so we decided to make it a fish pond.

 

[sissy]

Koi get very large and do it fast .I am up to a 5000 gallon pond and koi are over 2 feet long .You need afilter which you can build yourself and you need a pump

 

[MitchM]

A 4000l or 1000g pond is on the small side for koi.
Some pictures would help.
How much time do you have for maintenance?
You will need to have a separate area with electricity for a filter and plumbing.
I would check what other koi pond owners in your area are doing.

 

[Omer]

This can be somewhat simple or high tech & complex. First, do you have a budget ? Also, do you want a dedicated Koi pond which it seems you do? If you post a couple of pictures of the structure, it would help to figure out what can be modified and what you will need.

We don't have a budget, but we don't want it to to cost a lot.
We would want it to be somewhat simple, and not really high tech. Here is a couple pictures of the structure. Right now it has kind of a roof and a lot of wood poles on it.

 

[barryian]

We don't have a budget, but we don't want it to to cost a lot.
We would want it to be somewhat simple, and not really high tech. Here is a couple pictures of the structure. Right now it has kind of a roof and a lot of wood poles on it.

I'm not very familiar with a grey water system. So, you do have a budget and want it simple? I'm the wrong one to ask but here is a cut and paste which makes me think a grey water system doesn't seem suitable for koi ....

Keep in mind that grey water filters do not remove salt or other chemicals which may harm plants, the filters remove particles to prevent clogging of outlets. There are two ways to filter grey water: manually cleaned filters and automatically cleaned filters. Manually cleaned filters are lower in cost than automatically cleaned ones, but require frequent maintenance, and thus are often the cause of system failure or abandonment. (Most people find it tiresome to clean a yucky filter month after month, year after year.)

 

[Omer]

I'm not very familiar with a grey water system. So, you do have a budget and want it simple? I'm the wrong one to ask but here is a cut and paste which makes me think a grey water system doesn't seem suitable for koi ....

Keep in mind that grey water filters do not remove salt or other chemicals which may harm plants, the filters remove particles to prevent clogging of outlets. There are two ways to filter grey water: manually cleaned filters and automatically cleaned filters. Manually cleaned filters are lower in cost than automatically cleaned ones, but require frequent maintenance, and thus are often the cause of system failure or abandonment. (Most people find it tiresome to clean a yucky filter month after month, year after year.)

It had never been and never will be a grey water system. When we designed this structure it meant to be a grey water system, but now we just want it to be a regular pond.

 

[morewater]

Seems pretty straight-forward to me. If there is a drain in this system for the intended "grey water", simply seal it off.

I'd coat the inside of the concrete structure with a waterproofing material (Pond Shield), most likely black (maybe blue depending on the surrounding landscape). Stick in a retro-bottom drain plumbed to a debris handling pump (AquaScape) to a adequately-sized UV-equipped pressure filter, then fire in some dwarf Papyrus and some Taro.

I'd stay away from the Koi, but stick with Sarasa Comets or Shubunkins. They're cleaner (due simply to size), don't root around as much and are just as attractive. I personally prefer lots of smaller fish than just a couple of Loch Ness monsters.

The whole thing shouldn't cost you a whole whack of money, the money really was in the concrete structure itself.

 

[Omer]

Seems pretty straight-forward to me. If there is a drain in this system for the intended "grey water", simply seal it off.

I'd coat the inside of the concrete structure with a waterproofing material (Pond Shield), most likely black (maybe blue depending on the surrounding landscape). Stick in a retro-bottom drain plumbed to a debris handling pump (AquaScape) to a adequately-sized UV-equipped pressure filter, then fire in some dwarf Papyrus and some Taro.

I'd stay away from the Koi, but stick with Sarasa Comets or Shubunkins. They're cleaner (due simply to size), don't root around as much and are just as attractive. I personally prefer lots of smaller fish than just a couple of Loch Ness monsters.

The whole thing shouldn't cost you a whole whack of money, the money really was in the concrete structure itself.

Thank you very much. What is the rate of flow that i need to have in the system?

 

[morewater]

Calculate your total volume, either mathematically or by hose water meter, then select a pump that will move at least 1.5X the total volume.

For instance, if that pond holds 1000 gallons, select a pump that delivers 1500-2000 gallons per hour.

Ditto for the pressure filter. Select a filter that is rated for 1000-1500 gph flow-through.

Don't buy cheap. Get the best and buy it once. Use larger gauge tubing rather than smaller gauge tubing.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Echoing Morewater, Goldfish would be the wiser choice.