Make Your Own Koi Pond with Koi Pond Kits
March 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
If you are looking into building a koi pond, but don’t know where to start you may think about purchasing a koi pond kit. Rather than shopping for supplies, and buying different pieces of equipment one by one, you can get everything you’re looking for in a koi pond kit. This can be a cost affective way to buy, as all necessary equipment is enclosed within the kit. The only real disadvantage is that you don’t get to pick and choose each piece of equipment. Regardless, there are large selections of koi pond kits available, so you should be able to locate one that suits your requirements.
Koi pond kits most commonly come with an in-ground pond application. These are either constructed of a flexible koi pond liner that you place inside a pre-dug hole or a firm hard liner with pre-formed shape. These koi pond kits contain all the things necessary for you to construct your pond. The only thing missing is the labor. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer this isn’t a difficult project. If digging a large hole sounds to laborious for you, you can always contract the hard work out.
The most essential koi pond kits will normally include the pump, the water filtration system, and the liner. Also, other apparatus that are commonly found in the kits are a skimmer, filter brushes, check valve assembly, and a regulator for bacteria. But it doesn’t stop there; you’ll also come across kits with more ornamental items like lights and plastic plants. When shopping for your koi pond kit, you’ll find you can buy fauna and flora to add more beauty to your pond.
Notice that there are more than a few sizes, shapes, and styles of koi pond kits. If you have a restricted space, you can choose small ponds designed for small areas. These kits only take up a little space since the waterfall just flows into the soil and there is no constructed pond to keep up. You get the tranquil benefits of a pond, but no koi.
On the other hand, if you want a bigger pond you can buy a koi pond kit with a waterfall that has the pond as well. Besides, pond kits are offered for big Koi ponds too. The addition of these Japanese fish to your pond can be a pleasing site in your backyard, which you can enjoy watching too. You’ll need to plan for the number of koi you plan on purchasing. Koi pond construction expense and work will vary accordingly. Remember, koi require a lot of space in order for them to reach their full size capacity. Common recommendations call for 500 gallons of water or more per koi fish.
After you have completely assembled your koi pond kit and begin to enjoy it, don’t forget about required maintenance. The majority of kits already include a pond skimmer. This skimmer filters the ponds water as it’s circulated throughout the pond. Skimmers are especially useful if the pond is near the trees that can drop leaves and other debris in the pond. Skimmers take out about eighty five percent of debris from the waters surface. As a result, you avoid leaves getting caught in the filter and decaying at the ponds bottom. Using a net on a weekly basis to scoop up leaves, like those used for pools is recommended.
Aside from skimming and basic maintenance, you’ll have to complete a more meticulous pond cleaning about two times a year. You can find professional pond cleaners that offer these services in your Yellow Pages or you can check them out online. These experts will also de-chlorinate the water, add new bacteria, and put in a flocculent to clear up slack debris. This something you can handle on your own, however, as building a koi pond is the hard part, where as the maintenance is a matter of convenience.
The Basics of Koi Pond Construction
March 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
If you’re interested in koi, you may be interested in learning how to build a Koi pond. Koi pond kits have made setting up a koi pond easier than ever these days. So, why not take the plunge and get your koi pond construction started today? It’s really not the most difficult project, and after it is constructed, you’ll be able to enjoy it for years to come.
The first step in your koi pond construction is to select a good spot where you’ll want the koi pond located. This step really comes down to space and ascetics. If you don’t have adequate space the ascetics won’t be there, and your pond won’t be a suitable size for even the smallest group of koi. Setting up a koi pond in backyards is a popular location, though setting up a tasteful pond in your front yard may provide for some impressive curb appeal.
When you have decided on the location of your koi pond construction, you’ll need to make sure you have the necessary supplies needed for koi pond construction. A few things that you need for koi pond construction are:
- A shovel (lots of digging)
- A sheet of polyurethane, choose black if you can
- A fine waterfall ready- made landscape with the a circulating water pump
- An exterior pump to enable water filtration
- A small but good and efficient filter system to maintain freshness of the water
- A few additional glass fish tanks
- Big rocks for support in building the waterfall
- A quantity of self-hardening mortar mix
- Some plants to add beauty to your pond
The easy alternative to the above is to just buy a koi pond kit. They are readably available in different variations, and include everything you’ll need.
Having the extra glass fish tanks is recommended as an isolation measure. So that whenever your koi fish are ill, you’ll be able to quarantine them to prevent other fish from acquiring the same disease. They also come in handy if you have to drain your pond for maintenance.
Now that you’re prepared and have all required supplies you can start your koi pond construction. Start by digging a big hole of at least five feet in diameter and no less than twelve to twenty four inches deep. Then apply the polyurethane, which extends beyond the hole, since you will have to make the remainder cover all sides of the Koi pond. At this point you’ll want your rocks so you can build a surround, as the liner should not show above the water. Cover up the ends around the walls of the pond, and now you can place sod around the new soil.
Your koi pond pump will come with connection and hookup diagrams. At this stage you should get this all set up. If you want to add a waterfall in your koi pond construction, simply put the big rocks around the pond. Designing the rock waterfall is a creative endeavor, but not too difficult. And now you can add your pond plants and rocks around to make it appear very natural, and then fill the koi pond with water, switch on the filter system and allow it to run for a minimum of one day. After everything is set, it’s now time to find some koi for sale, they can be found at your local pet shops or online.

