Thread: What would you do differently

I was just thinking the other day about my pond and if there was any one thing I would do differently if I was to build it again.
In my case it would be to install two bottom drain’s in stead of one.
I’m sure there’s others out there that would have done things differently given the chance again. If so what would be the one thing you would do.
I think this would give a good insight for those people who are looking at building a pond and give them some things to consider before they even start the build.

2 bottom drains for me

My current pond was there when I moved in and I recommissioned it.

1) I wish that I'd used pressure pipe instead of waste pipe from the bottom drains, it is scary operating the ball valves especially when they are stiff in winter, and I've seen videos of waste pipe splitting when stiff ball valves are being operated.

2) The skimmer was in an unsuitable location that doesn't catch much debris, but I left it there and had it fibreglassed in. Wish I'd taken the time to move it to a better location and change it for a higher quality skimmer.


On the flip side, a thing I'm happy about:

1) Not going for aerated bottom drains. I often read about problems with these, and since bottom drains are installed at a prominent location to catch maximum fish waste, this also means your going to have air bubbles right in the main place you want to watch your Koi. I like the flexibility of moving the air around the pond to where I see fit, and where it does not obstruct my enjoyment of the Koi.