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  1. #1

    New Natural look koi pond build

    Hi everyone

    I have been in and out of this site for 9-10 years and been soaking up all of the variations of pond and filtration designs and in awe of what some of you guys manage to achieve.

    We recently moved to Chester and The time has finally come where I have the space and time to start planning , digging and getting my pond underway. The Mrs has given the green light so I need to get cracking before she changes her mind!

    Little bit of background I grew up fishing for carp all across the country but mainly Surrey/London based, and have always found harmony in natural lakes and water features. I’m a big fan of natural looking settings and the Japanese garden style setup. Sourcing rocks and creating a main feature of a waterfall. Pictures below of my aim and a friends pond I grew up with that inspired me. God knows how he keeps the Heron away as I recognise fish there from when I was a child.

    I found this tutorial that Iv watched a few times over and want to follow this as a guide https://youtu.be/2JWn8NEvgrc

    The plan was to go concrete base, insulated and fibreglassed, drum, big bio, heater and bakki shower but plans have gone in for an extension so I have had to rethink financially. Iv decided to get cracking and go liner route with a bottom drain to Nexus I think and skimmer which I can revisit in 2-5 years and make bigger and throw proper money at it as the hole has been dug.

    Now financial plans have changed I’m a Little bit stuck on whether for now to go pump fed this time round to save the hassle of digging out an in ground blockwork filter house, and also stuck on how then the skimmer will run if pump fed, and also whether a bottom drain is redundant with a pump fed setup.



    Current dimensions are 10 x 15ft and aiming for 3ft to 5ft center. Roughly 2800 gallons from calculations

    Be great to get any thoughts and ideas.

    Cheers
    James


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  3. #2
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    Sounds like you’ve got a nice pond coming.

    Decent size too. Get some big ones in there

    Someone suggested an airlift to me as I'm currently doing my own small scale pond build compared to yours.

    Good luck.
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

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  5. #3
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    Hi there James, looks like a lovely build there and I also love the natural pond in ground.
    Unfortunately with g/kids I had to do a raised one and my size is similar to yours.
    Can see your point on the bottom drain maybe a retro drain would work.

    Your not far from me in Chester, I am near Queensferry.
    John

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  7. #4
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    Why does no one live near me? lol

    I've got extra digging tools but no one to share them with
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

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    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    Dont cry Frim,give the Mrs a spade.

    How you doing mate,still digging?
    John

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  11. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by john1 View Post
    Dont cry Frim,give the Mrs a spade.

    How you doing mate,still digging?
    I've tried that but she's not having it!!!!!!

    Yes still got a fair bit to dig assuming I can go deeper.
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

  12. #7
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion davethefish1's Avatar
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    nice size pond
    if i had the space you had i'd have bult mine in ground, or with a small 18" high wall as it makes netting fish ect easier...
    though the problem with gravity in ground builds, is the in ground filter house,

    my last pond was inground but i had a bottom drain feeding a brush chamber with the pump in,
    and then pumped it to the filters above pond level with a gravity return.

    it makes cleaning the pump easier and you can bung the 110mm bottom drain inlet with a piece of 110mm pipe and pump out the filter then pull the pipe to purge the bottom drain.
    keeps the pump free of debris too plus you can easily add a topup valve and over flow.







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  14. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    Sounds like you’ve got a nice pond coming.

    Decent size too. Get some big ones in there

    Someone suggested an airlift to me as I'm currently doing my own small scale pond build compared to yours.

    Good luck.
    Thanks bud, I’ll look into the airlift idea. Sounds interesting.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  16. #9

    New Natural look koi pond build

    Quote Originally Posted by john1 View Post
    Hi there James, looks like a lovely build there and I also love the natural pond in ground.
    Unfortunately with g/kids I had to do a raised one and my size is similar to yours.
    Can see your point on the bottom drain maybe a retro drain would work.

    Your not far from me in Chester, I am near Queensferry.

    Thanks John, that’s not far at all.
    RE kids I did nearly back out last week with the worry of them falling in, I’m going to fence it off and also gate between the office, so there is no access unless I unlock the gate for the next 3-4 years. I can then also net the top of the fence to keep the Heron away.

    I also have 2 cats, trying to figure out the best way to have areas they can climb out of if they fell in.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  18. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by james9489 View Post
    Thanks bud, I’ll look into the airlift idea. Sounds interesting.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Worth considering. If I could install one, I would. Just not sure if I'm going pump or gravity fed yet until I know how deep I can dig down.
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

  19. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by davethefish1 View Post
    nice size pond
    if i had the space you had i'd have bult mine in ground, or with a small 18" high wall as it makes netting fish ect easier...
    though the problem with gravity in ground builds, is the in ground filter house,

    my last pond was inground but i had a bottom drain feeding a brush chamber with the pump in,
    and then pumped it to the filters above pond level with a gravity return.

    it makes cleaning the pump easier and you can bung the 110mm bottom drain inlet with a piece of 110mm pipe and pump out the filter then pull the pipe to purge the bottom drain.
    keeps the pump free of debris too plus you can easily add a topup valve and over flow.






    Thanks Dave, that’s a great idea. I did own a small pond years back and the cleaning of the pump was horrendous, really want to avoid it. This is a great way to avoid the mess I’ll do some research, sort of like a settlement chamber? Is there any worry of the pump running dry or will the bottom drain always feed enough water?. I’m slowing thinking I just need to get digging and get the nexus in ground with a shed build overhead. Mrs had a brainwave yesterday and we are going to keep all the soil and relocate where the stones are with retaining wall etc. save me the mammoth task of wheelbarrow and grab lorry


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  21. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by james9489 View Post
    Thanks John, that’s a great idea. I did own a small pond years back and the cleaning of the pump was horrendous. This is a great way to avoid the mess I’ll do some research, sort of like a settlement chamber?. I’m slowing thinking I just need to get digging and get the nexus in ground with a shed build overhead. Mrs had a brainwave yesterday and we are going to keep all the soil and relocate where the stones are with retaining wall etc. save me the mammoth task of wheelbarrow and grab lorry

    RE kids I did nearly back out last week with the worry of them falling in, I’m going to fence it off and also gate between the office, so there is no access unless I unlock the gate for the next 3-4 years. I can then also net the top of the fence to keep the Heron away.

    I also have 2 cats, trying to figure out the best way to have areas they can climb out of if they fell in.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    We have 2 cats and I had a net over my last pond. They would wait for feeding time and try to tap the fish through the net. The youngest one would walk across the PVC pipework frame I had the net attached to. Mine was round same as my new one is so just used some heavy duty 25mm black electrical pipe. Put a 4 way (cross box) in the middle with pipes running out to T's on the side of the pond. Then had pipe between the T's sitting on the lip of the pond. The pipes going to the cross box were all made slightly too long to lift the cross box up which meant it could take a lot more weight and not drop on to the surface of the water if too many leaves or snow got on the net. May be able to do something similar with your pond but with extra straight sections to make it oval? Use a black net not a green one like I did as the black will disappear against the back ground of the water better than green does. Just thought with algae turning the water green the net would disappear against that! Well it didn't!!
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

  22. #13
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    My last pond was pump fed with an in pond pump which worked really well I thought and only had to clean the blanket weed off the pump and cage a couple of times a year but then went with a retro BD and to be quite honest wished I'd stuck with the pump on it's own as the blanket weed just kept blocking the dome where as the cage allowed the blanket weed to reach the impeller of the pump which then chopped it up and pushed it into the filter where as the retro BD just allowed the blanket weed to build up, block the dome and some would get pulled through the pipework into the pump and then get chopped up. If you can keep on top of the blanket weed then maybe the retro BD is the way to go. Either way I still had a pump in the pond that had to be removed to clean. With the retro BD it was a big issue as the pipework, BD and pump all had to be pulled out together but with the pump in a cage, it was easy to pull the pump out to clean that. Not sure which way I'll be going regarding the retro BD this time if I do go pump fed again.
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

  23. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    We have 2 cats and I had a net over my last pond. They would wait for feeding time and try to tap the fish through the net. The youngest one would walk across the PVC pipework frame I had the net attached to. Mine was round same as my new one is so just used some heavy duty 25mm black electrical pipe. Put a 4 way (cross box) in the middle with pipes running out to T's on the side of the pond. Then had pipe between the T's sitting on the lip of the pond. The pipes going to the cross box were all made slightly too long to lift the cross box up which meant it could take a lot more weight and not drop on to the surface of the water if too many leaves or snow got on the net. May be able to do something similar with your pond but with extra straight sections to make it oval? Use a black net not a green one like I did as the black will disappear against the back ground of the water better than green does. Just thought with algae turning the water green the net would disappear against that! Well it didn't!!
    Love this idea, I really want to have something I can remove easily when in the garden this sounds lightweight but strong. Problem is my male cat is giant, size of a small dog. I’ll have to do some tests to make sure it can handle his weight New Natural look koi pond build


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  25. #15
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    Lol well mine being round would naturally be stronger than yours being oval. Mine was smaller which helped too. I tested mine when I first built it and I could just about reach the cross box from the side of the pond to lean on it. It must have taken about 30 to 40 kg pushing down on it without even bowing. If you wanted to go stronger you could use 1" or 1.5" pressure pipe? I've seen cross boxes for that and I know they do T's for it too. Not sure how well the pressure pipe would bend as tight as you'd need but you could always use 45's on the curve sections instead. Might even be worth using 45's between the T's and the cross boxes to raise the frame up enough? If you only want it there when the kids are near it and you're not too worried about what could be a bulky frame depending on what size pipe you go for then it's worth looking into.
    Last edited by Frimley Koi keeper; 18-05-2023 at 11:04 AM.
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

  26. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    My last pond was pump fed with an in pond pump which worked really well I thought and only had to clean the blanket weed off the pump and cage a couple of times a year but then went with a retro BD and to be quite honest wished I'd stuck with the pump on it's own as the blanket weed just kept blocking the dome where as the cage allowed the blanket weed to reach the impeller of the pump which then chopped it up and pushed it into the filter where as the retro BD just allowed the blanket weed to build up, block the dome and some would get pulled through the pipework into the pump and then get chopped up. If you can keep on top of the blanket weed then maybe the retro BD is the way to go. Either way I still had a pump in the pond that had to be removed to clean. With the retro BD it was a big issue as the pipework, BD and pump all had to be pulled out together but with the pump in a cage, it was easy to pull the pump out to clean that. Not sure which way I'll be going regarding the retro BD this time if I do go pump fed again.
    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    My last pond was pump fed with an in pond pump which worked really well I thought and only had to clean the blanket weed off the pump and cage a couple of times a year but then went with a retro BD and to be quite honest wished I'd stuck with the pump on it's own as the blanket weed just kept blocking the dome where as the cage allowed the blanket weed to reach the impeller of the pump which then chopped it up and pushed it into the filter where as the retro BD just allowed the blanket weed to build up, block the dome and some would get pulled through the pipework into the pump and then get chopped up. If you can keep on top of the blanket weed then maybe the retro BD is the way to go. Either way I still had a pump in the pond that had to be removed to clean. With the retro BD it was a big issue as the pipework, BD and pump all had to be pulled out together but with the pump in a cage, it was easy to pull the pump out to clean that. Not sure which way I'll be going regarding the retro BD this time if I do go pump fed again.
    That’s interesting, I think the thought of any chopping up gives me anxiety. Was there any times the pump came to a standstill. What happens when your away, can you relax knowing all will be ok? Iv made sure the pond is in a more shaded area and thinking of putting a sail up to keep it fully out of the sun when needed. I’m liking the idea of the settlement tank at water level then pumping above ground to nexus in a shed. Here is the back of the garden I have to play with for all the gubbins.. i think apple tree roots could cause a problem



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  27. #17
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    It used to just slow the flow right down when the retro BD blocked but as everything gravity fed back through the system the pond would never get emptied unless something started to leak
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

  28. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Frimley Koi keeper View Post
    It used to just slow the flow right down when the retro BD blocked but as everything gravity fed back through the system the pond would never get emptied unless something started to leak
    Got it, thanks. Lots to consider. One thing I haven’t considered is an overflow incase of heavy rain. Did you have one installed?


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  30. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by james9489 View Post
    Got it, thanks. Lots to consider. One thing I haven’t considered is an overflow incase of heavy rain. Did you have one installed?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Yes I did put an overflow in mine but it was through the side of the pond. Couldn't go too big with the pipe as I didn't want fish getting effected by it. I also put a float switch in there to cut the pump if the water level dropped too far so it didn't drain the pond.
    ________________________________________________
    All we ever wanted was everything,
    All we ever got was cold,
    Get up, eat jelly, sandwich bars and barbed wire,
    Squash every week into a day.

  31. #20
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
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    One thing I have noticed James,are you not a bit close to the hedge I think leylandii as they will need clipping at some stage and could be very awkward.
    John

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