Building a Koi pond shouldn’t take an engineering degree or a fortune to build! That’s why I decided to find a way of achieving a commercial look without the hassle and huge price tag! Follow these simple steps and have a beautiful functioning Koi pond in as little as one day!
What you need:
· Shovel
· Scissors
· Heavy duty tarp (used will work as long as there are no holes or tears)
·: pond plants, plants for surrounding area
·:
Location:
Choose your location carefully. Putting your pond near trees can make for a constant cleanup chore! If you do decide to install near trees, shrubs or flower gardens you may want to invest in a leaf guard or make your own out of chicken wire. Just place it slightly below the water and secure it with the stone edging.
Digging:
Have an idea of the shape you wish to achieve. You may want to draw an outline before beginning. Digging depths is essential for your pond. Most small ponds are 3 feet by 3 feet circular shaped. My personal pond is 3 feet deep by 1 foot wide and 3 feet in length. You can dig and shape you choose as long as you can build layers into it. The center point of the pond needs to be at least 3 feet deep. Dig out the rest of your desired shape in two more layers; two foot and then one foot depths. If you plan to put in water plants, dig cliffs at each level so that there will be room to sit the plant there. Make sure the top of your hole is level all around. You don’t want your water to seep out of one side that is sloped lower than the rest. Remove all dirt from site. Follow the diagram below to layer your pond:
Ground surface- ________
One ft. depth- ________
Two ft. depth- _______
Three ft. depth & bottom-_______
Placing the tarp:
Now that the hole is dug you are almost done! Take the tarp and carefully place it in the hole. Smooth out as many wrinkles as possible. Mold to the shape of your hole. There will be several folds in the tarp. Simply fold them neatly into creases. Using several of your stones, secure the tarp and add water to your pond! Fill to one inch from top.
Time to decorate:
Place one large stone at the center bottom of the pond. Put the pond pump on top of it. Maneuver the power cord (and fountain tube) so that it will be easily accessible. Follow pump directions for exact installation. Also, place any water plants you have in the specified water depths. Place the stones around the edge of the pond on top of the tarp. Once you have placed all the stones, trim the tarp to the stones. If you are going to put down a ground covering, you may choose to leave the tarp and simply cover it up! If you are going to plant flowers around your pond, now is the time to do so, before putting ground covering down. Plug in your pump and observe your masterpiece.
Picking out your fish:
You don’t have to add fish to your pond, but most people do. I was reluctant to take the initial risk of buying Koi for my first pond because they are relatively expensive for beginners. Instead, I bought four medium sized goldfish. I chose the ones that were bright and multicolored. They are descendants of koi after all! Let your fish adjust to the new water temperature in their bag before pouring into your pond and don’t over feed your fish!
Advice:
*Having pond plants in your pond will support your fish. You will find that there is no need to feed them fish pellets after a while.
*Don’t over- do it with algae killers and pond neutralizers. Those are good for fountains and ponds that do not have fish. If you want to achieve a thriving environment for your fish to reproduce in and encourage other pond wildlife, simply let it be. Fish live off the algae. My Koi did not start to reproduce until I stopped using the chemicals!
*Change your pond pump filter regularly to help over production of excess algae.
