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  1. #1

    Post Advice i must know before building my first pond

    Hello , i am looking at building my own pond in my back garden. I have a rough idea of what size, depth and shape i want but i would muchly appreciate if anyone can give me any guiding advice to help me on my way with building my pond and what sort of maintenance schedule i need. i have kept tropical fish for years. But what i have researched on the koi hobby sound a lot different to that

    Pond Size 8ft x 8ft and 4ft deep
    I was thinking on using Sleepers to structure my pond.


    Many Thanks



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  3. #2
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Rokusai AlanF's Avatar
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    My first advice would be to read through some of the build threads on here, picking out those that are similar to your plans.
    My second advice would be to visit a pond locally for a first hand look see.
    Lastly, be prepared to spend much more than you first thought.

    Good luck with your project, it will be rewarding but go into it with your eyes open and well prepared

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  5. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Adult Champion Gazkoi's Avatar
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    Where are you based?

    cheers

    Gaz

    Quote Originally Posted by Ryandavo99 View Post
    Hello , i am looking at building my own pond in my back garden. I have a rough idea of what size, depth and shape i want but i would muchly appreciate if anyone can give me any guiding advice to help me on my way with building my pond and what sort of maintenance schedule i need. i have kept tropical fish for years. But what i have researched on the koi hobby sound a lot different to that

    Pond Size 8ft x 8ft and 4ft deep
    I was thinking on using Sleepers to structure my pond.


    Many Thanks
    Hobby and business gone but when you’re hooked you’re hooked.

    Always happy to help!!

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  7. #4
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai hippo's Avatar
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    Hi and welcome to the forum .

    Good advice from Alan . There`s a lot to think about so do as much research as you can before you start , to give you an idea of the options .

    One `mistake` most people make on their first build is not going big enough for the fish you end up with . I worked out your volume at around 1500 gallons - which is a bit on the small side . So I`d say try and go bigger if you can .

    Also , work out your budget , you can keep maintainance lower , if your filter system is good - but of course , you`ll pay more for this .

    Good luck and keep us informed with your progress
    Colin

    2500 Gallon Fibreglass Pond
    Draco Solum 16 , 400l Bio Chamber

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  9. #5
    Build it as big as you can because in a few years you'll want bigger!!
    Then you'll need to rebuild the pond, buy bigger/better filters, need a bigger shed to put the filters, have *discussions* with the other half on how youre then going to find the £8000 to do it, not want to spend money on anything else..........You see where im at?!!

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  11. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Gazkoi View Post
    Where are you based?

    cheers

    Gaz
    Liverpool

    Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

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  13. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by hippo View Post
    Hi and welcome to the forum .

    Good advice from Alan . There`s a lot to think about so do as much research as you can before you start , to give you an idea of the options .

    One `mistake` most people make on their first build is not going big enough for the fish you end up with . I worked out your volume at around 1500 gallons - which is a bit on the small side . So I`d say try and go bigger if you can .

    Also , work out your budget , you can keep maintainance lower , if your filter system is good - but of course , you`ll pay more for this .

    Good luck and keep us informed with your progress
    I only wanted to start off small so I didnt overwhelm myself with how much work and maintenance has to go into it.

    But I could always tell the over half to move out to make more room Advice i must know before building my first pond


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  15. #8
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Yonsai fishysteve's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=Ryandavo99;333703]I only wanted to start off small so I didnt overwhelm myself with how much work and maintenance has to go into it.

    But I could always tell the over half to move out to make more room Advice i must know before building my first pond

    She may move out anyway , when she finds out how much its costing.

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  17. #9
    [QUOTE=fishysteve;333796]
    Quote Originally Posted by Ryandavo99 View Post
    I only wanted to start off small so I didnt overwhelm myself with how much work and maintenance has to go into it.

    But I could always tell the over half to move out to make more room Advice i must know before building my first pond

    She may move out anyway , when she finds out how much its costing.
    Hopefully Advice i must know before building my first pondAdvice i must know before building my first pond

    Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

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  19. #10
    Senior Member Rank = Nanasai algarth's Avatar
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    my advice is to seriously consider why you want a koi pond!
    Maintainance is the biggest part of koi keeping if your on a budget

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  21. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by algarth View Post
    my advice is to seriously consider why you want a koi pond!
    Maintainance is the biggest part of koi keeping if your on a budget
    I'm on about maintaining it when I finished the pond , not about having a minimum maintenance for the start

    Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

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  23. #12
    Senior Member Rank = Nanasai algarth's Avatar
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    So am i They can be a lot of work after you have built it

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  25. #13
    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion RoyLittle0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by algarth View Post
    my advice is to seriously consider why you want a koi pond!
    Maintainance is the biggest part of koi keeping if your on a budget
    I thought the biggest part of keeping koi was being a microbiologist and water quality scientist
    4600 Gallon Concrete Block and Fiberglass
    2100 mm x 710 mm Infinity Window 32mm thick glass
    2 x Aerated Bottom Drains and Skimmer
    Filtreau HiFlow 30 Drum Filter
    Bio Chamber - 140 litres K1
    Bakki Shower - 30 KG Sakura Far Infrared Media
    2 x 18,000 lh pumps
    Heated from house boiler through a heat exchanger
    Idealseal MS290

    My Pond Build

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  27. #14
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by algarth View Post
    my advice is to seriously consider why you want a koi pond!
    Maintainance is the biggest part of koi keeping if your on a budget
    I think if you go down the anoxic route then water bills are less. You could use an airlift to move water - this can mean you can switch off the pump and let the air pump do the work. This can be as good as 39W for 15,000lph compared to a pump being at least twice that. Depends heavily on the design of filter. A 280W solar panel plus inverter could help reduce the power needed further - cost second hand can be worth it.

    If you're using a sponge filter - I would 1/4 the filtration rating that manufacturers give. I eventually gave up on a 9000l rated pressure filter on a 1700l pond. The issue being the pond being in full sun derates the filter even further due to the suspended algae.

    You can DIY yourself to good filtration. Have a look at "Wrighty"'s YouTube channel.

    Oh and as RoyLittle has said - you'll find yourself considering a microscope (£120-140) a good buy.. Brunel SP22 or Apex Practitioner.

  28. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by NickK-UK View Post
    I think if you go down the anoxic route then water bills are less. You could use an airlift to move water - this can mean you can switch off the pump and let the air pump do the work. This can be as good as 39W for 15,000lph compared to a pump being at least twice that. Depends heavily on the design of filter. A 280W solar panel plus inverter could help reduce the power needed further - cost second hand can be worth it.

    If you're using a sponge filter - I would 1/4 the filtration rating that manufacturers give. I eventually gave up on a 9000l rated pressure filter on a 1700l pond. The issue being the pond being in full sun derates the filter even further due to the suspended algae.

    You can DIY yourself to good filtration. Have a look at "Wrighty"'s YouTube channel.

    Oh and as RoyLittle has said - you'll find yourself considering a microscope (£120-140) a good buy.. Brunel SP22 or Apex Practitioner.
    I have seen lots of good reviews about the evolution aqua filters? Are they any good.

    And the water or electricity Bill's ain't an issue if it means my koi are getting good care

    Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

  29. #16
    Senior Member Rank = Yonsai bicolormoth's Avatar
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    Hi, welcome to the forum and the hobby. advice?, well, it has been said: go as big as you can. this also means down. depth is important to koi., also it help keep a more stable temp. in winter., so go 6ft if you can. ( 3ft down/3ft up, or siilar). and that is depth of water , not depth of pond.
    i would say 4,ooo gallons is a minimum. koi need lots of space, and a large volume of water is easier to 'control' with regards to filtration/medication/temperature etc.
    a bottom drain/gravity fed system is parampount. fibreglass (insulated concrete & block) is the best liner option, 2nd would be a fitted box liner., i wouldn't even go near a normal pond liner.
    filtration could be anything from Nexus/bead/shower etc, maybe avoid any type of pressure system.
    look at as many plans and options as you can, and speak to as many pond owners as you can, go see lots of ponds.
    so as a starting point i would look at laying as big a concrete base down as you can, as deep as you can/need, and work from there.

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  31. #17
    I’d agree with other comments regards plenty of research,there are a lot of tried and tested methods which are well documented and easily accessible,At the same time there’s no need to over complicate things or do everything on an elaborate scale,there are some who would have you believe it’s all rocket science and to succeed you’ll need the biggest pond with the most eye watering expensive equipment but it’s not the case at all,there’s no reason why you can’t build and maintain a healthy pond quite easily and on a modest budget especially as you’ve got experience of fish/water keeping already

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  33. #18
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ryandavo99 View Post
    I have seen lots of good reviews about the evolution aqua filters? Are they any good.

    And the water or electricity Bill's ain't an issue if it means my koi are getting good care

    Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
    EA? That depends. You'll hear lots of dealers talk about them. However their ratings (things like easy pods) are well over inflated. Cheaper base price with no moving parts I suppose but most people fit a drum in the things anyway!

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