Wanting to build a koi pond

[mcmary]

Hi everyone, I've been looking through this forum and learning quite a bit. I like the easygoing attitude here. I currently have a small pond that is home to goldfish and plants. I started with a preform pond at my old house and that got me hooked on ponds. I thought someday I might like a koi pond. It turns out someday is now because our homeowners insurance decreed we had to move our in ground trampoline away from the deck. Impalement risk they said... I disagree and the reason we put it so close to the deck was so my son could jump off the deck onto the trampoline but let's not go there. Anyway, there is now a perfectly good empty hole and no better time for a koi pond! The hole is about 15' wide and about 4' deep (about the size of a trampoline) so it definitely will be deep enough. I'm thinking some kind of pier or something should be built in so it won't be so wide that I can't manage it. I was also thinking of a bottom drain mostly because everything I've read about koi ponds says you need one. I started looking and there are a bunch of different kinds of bottom drains. How do I choose? I have no idea how to do the bottom drain and protect it from freezing. With my current pond I just leave the waterfall running until we hit single digit temps then I pull the pump and put in a tank heater to keep an airhole. The waterfall usually runs all but about 2 months of the year. I really like the bog idea for plants and filtration. I have my old preform pond that I could maybe use as a bog. I was planning to incorporate it into some kind of waterfall anyway but the bog thing makes alot of sense because there will be no plant shelves in the koi pond and I really am a plant lover. Maybe the bog could waterfall into the pond? Here are a few pics of my goldfish pond with visitors including quail, meadowlark and hummingbird...

 

[Priscilla]

Hello and welcome! I can't offer too much advice because I am newbie too, but your pond size and shape sounds like mine, so I will share my mistakes with you.

1. I can't reach the middle of my pond to net the leaves or whatever out - the bottom drain might help this problem, but I don't have one, so I don't know.
2. My sides are also steep, making it impossible to hide the liner nicely, suggest you make a 6 inch shelf around the edge of your pond, at the water line, once the liner is in, you place rocks on the shelf, no more liner - that was a major mistake of mine.
3. That's a big pond, so prepare for some issues and panic with your water levels and stocking and so many things. In three months, hopefully, yours will settle down (mine did), sit back and enjoy!

Priscilla

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome!

 

[RobAmy]

Welcome. I am really liking your pond visitors.

I have a larger pond with no bottom drains but use a pond vac and net with great success. It also has a skimmer and stream. I use a pool net to assist in reaching all the way to the middle and bottom of the pond.

I agree with Priscilla about the shelf to help hide the liner. If you look at my showcase you can see my rock work.

Good luck with what sounds like a great project

 

[sissy]

welcome and never had a bottom drain as i did not think I could do it right .I just use a swimming pool net like a lot of the others on here .

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Maybe the bog could waterfall into the pond?

That is kind of what I have, though the bog flow is so slow it's just a trickle. I personally plan on building a waterfall over the bog exit. You may be able to incorporate another hose to that spot that bypasses the bog and exits at the bog exit to keep a nice flow going.

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome abaord!

 

[mcmary]

Thanks to all for the welcome. Once I get going on the new pond I'll post more.