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  1. #1
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion Ajm's Avatar
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    What would you do differently

    If you had your chance over again . Not thinking about money what would you have changed from your current ponds ??

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    Freddyboy the legend

    "we are water keepers first"

    Johnathan

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  3. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion Ajm's Avatar
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    Mine would be twice the size 3 sides and a solid roof like andikois nice window facing house glassed heated and 1 drum fed by 2 bds and skimmer 3 mid returns at different heights and shower . So basically what most of you have already and how many should have been done if I had have found this forum first

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    Freddyboy the legend

    "we are water keepers first"

    Johnathan

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  5. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Rokusai Simon Fish's Avatar
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    Everything!

    Should have done more research first.
    Now I am tweaking most things

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  7. #4
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion Ajm's Avatar
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    Yeah same here am just trying to make best of bad pond ha . Hindsight e ha

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    Freddyboy the legend

    "we are water keepers first"

    Johnathan

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  9. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Simon Fish View Post
    Everything!

    Should have done more research first.
    Now I am tweaking most things
    Know that feeling lol

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  11. #6
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    I wouldn't have started digging it in the first place lol! Its taken up my life ever since I took out that very first shovel full.

    Other than that.....with money being no object....

    Should have built it bigger, would have saved rebuilding less than a year later.
    Should have built it a foot deeper just for the extra volume and heat retention that would offer.
    If I could have afforded it I'd have insulated it with Kingspan / Celotex
    Should have built it in 3 sections instead of 2.... One for anoxic / wildlife, one for my fancy goldfish, and then the Koi section.

    The main mistake I made.....

    Should have built the filter pit bigger... You'll remember from my extension thread the amount of grief stopping leaks from the pump because I couldn't get to it.
    Should have run drainage from the filter pit to the drain instead of a sump, even though this would have been a massive job and required digging up the entire garden and 2 patios.

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  13. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    I wouldn't have started digging it in the first place lol! Its taken up my life ever since I took out that very first shovel full.

    Other than that.....with money being no object....

    Should have built it bigger, would have saved rebuilding less than a year later.
    Should have built it a foot deeper just for the extra volume and heat retention that would offer.
    If I could have afforded it I'd have insulated it with Kingspan / Celotex
    Should have built it in 3 sections instead of 2.... One for anoxic / wildlife, one for my fancy goldfish, and then the Koi section.

    The main mistake I made.....

    Should have built the filter pit bigger... You'll remember from my extension thread the amount of grief stopping leaks from the pump because I couldn't get to it.
    Should have run drainage from the filter pit to the drain instead of a sump, even though this would have been a massive job and required digging up the entire garden and 2 patios.
    What would you do differently it's funny you should say that it's taken over your life,,,,, my outher half says the same about me a simple filter clean does normal go from the planned ten mins to about a hour minimum lol but these things need doing don't they,,

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  15. #8
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Where do you stop as what starts outs as an unobtrusive nice little pond in the back garden becomes so big and so deep it takes over your entire back garden because you want to keep going bigger and deeper because you realise how big Koi can grow and you want more and more of them and grow them as big as possible and then you have to find more and more space for all your filtration and have to take out another mortgage each year to keep up with the running cost of the pond LOL

    Sorry forgot - then you realise you want a QT and have to clear all your shit out of your garage to fit it in and you get man flu and it throws all your plans out of the window for months LOL
    Last edited by Frimley Koi keeper; 26-03-2019 at 09:17 AM.

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  17. #9
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion Ajm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    Where do you stop as what starts outs as an unobtrusive nice little pond in the back garden becomes so big and so deep it takes over your entire back garden because you want to keep going bigger and deeper because you realise how big Koi can grow and you want more and more of them and grow them as big as possible and then you have to find more and more space for all your filtration and have to take out another mortgage each year to keep up with the running cost of the pond LOL

    Sorry forgot - then you realise you want a QT and have to clear all your shit out of your garage to fit it in and you get man flu and it throws all your plans out of the window for months LOL
    Haha mint

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    Freddyboy the legend

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  19. #10
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    On a serious note for once -

    Bigger, deeper, bottom drain, gravity not pump fed, drum filter? bio chamber? shower? wall mounted skimmer, rectangular not round, probably keep the pump to waste set up as it's good for watering the garden in the spring, summer and autumn going by the last few years weather we've had, covered? heated? not sure if I'd go for a window as the idea of a BD worries me and a window would scare the crap out of me as I'd be worried about both the BD and the window leaking but more so the window, part in ground part raised to maybe 3ft?

    That'll do for now until the next upgrade LOL

    I don't want much as at 5ft 4" thinking big to me is 6ft
    Last edited by Frimley Koi keeper; 26-03-2019 at 09:48 AM.

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  21. #11
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    I would nt alter anything on the pond build. Its self. Only the depth.
    6 feet is to deep. Murder trying to catch the fish. Four and a half feet
    I would go. I have to drop water down to catch them.

    On the filters and drainage i am verry happy. But where talking unlimited money here. So filter house extended. And the biggest drum i can get my hands on. And 2x massive bio chambers. Plus heating added. Also a shower added inside filter house.

    On my qt a drum and shower and bio tank.
    So the shed would have to be upgraded. And made larger.
    Dreams


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  23. #12
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by freddyboy View Post
    I would nt alter anything on the pond build. Its self. Only the depth.
    6 feet is to deep. Murder trying to catch the fish. Four and a half feet
    I would go. I have to drop water down to catch them.

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    Why don't you get a longer handle for your net or some scuba diving gear and go for a swim and try to sneak up on them?

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  25. #13
    I would have made mine twice the size too, I also would have built it with blocks instead of sleepers. And most of all I would have made a much bigger filter house.

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  27. #14
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    Why don't you get a longer handle for your net or some scuba diving gear and go for a swim and try to sneak up on them?
    My net reaches from one end of the pond to the other side. And its bloody heavy which slows it down lol.
    When i want to do my yearly scrapes or if lots of flashing. I drop pond to 2 feet and get the fish i want to scrape. And then top pond back up. With ST.
    And believe it or not. My parameters don t alter.
    Another thing i would change.
    If money no object. I would take the 1 meter window out and put a 3 meter window in.
    Just thought of that while having a coffee. Looking out at this great exspensive hobby haha

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  29. #15
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by -Craig- View Post
    I would have made mine twice the size too, I also would have built it with blocks instead of sleepers. And most of all I would have made a much bigger filter house.
    Got to have a great man cave lol

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  31. #16
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by freddyboy View Post
    My net reaches from one end of the pond to the other side. And its bloody heavy which slows it down lol.

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    I know what you mean as when Lee Burrows came round last year to do a pond health check he used his own net as he said my 40" landing net although big enough would be so hard to pull through the water he'd never catch anything other than a back ache lol

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  33. #17
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    I know what you mean as when Lee Burrows came round last year to do a pond health check he used his own net as he said my 40" landing net although big enough would be so hard to pull through the water he'd never catch anything other than a back ache lol
    He aint wrong there lol

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  35. #18
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by freddyboy View Post
    He aint wrong there lol

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    No I know.

    Landing nets are good for landing a fish when fishing but not much good for catching fish specially when they are that size. From what I saw the nets Lee uses are mostly round pan style nets with a more open mesh - made for the purpose of catching fish

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  37. #19
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion Ajm's Avatar
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    Just smashed my net bowling my fish up the other day so new one needed and thinking of those pan nets like just in 2 minds with being so shallow

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    Freddyboy the legend

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  39. #20
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion Frimley Koi keeper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ajm View Post
    Just smashed my net bowling my fish up the other day so new one needed and thinking of those pan nets like just in 2 minds with being so shallow

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    I'm sure you can find some that are deeper than others but then again how deep do you need it? The diameter is the most important so your biggest fish fits in it with room for it to grow over time.

    One of my nets is a big landing net and the other is a smaller trout or salmon fishing style landing net that folds up and I think the first year Lee came round he used that net. Still got a reasonable diameter frame plus it's quite deep and I would think you could get bigger versions of it too and the netting is nice and wide so it goes through the water easily.

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