This forum deals with ponds which have been built mainly for koi similar to those featured on the KOI Cymru website. Even if you have not built your pond yet then your views are welcome. This is a chance to discuss your ideas and views with other koi-keepers. Please mention the country,and state or county,as in different parts of the World we have different methods and climate. If you are responding to a message already posted then please use the response button on the bottom of the message, and it will then appear as a subsiduary of that message and so easier for others to find.
A good site for health is KOIVET by Dr Erich L Johnson and it can be found at www.koivet.com
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FOAM INSULATION
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ANY VIEWS APPRECIATED. IN PROCESS OF BUILDING APPROX 3000 GAL POND BUT CANT DECIDE ON FINISH. WETHER TO RENDER AND F/GLASS OR FOAM AND F/GLASS. AND ANY CONTACT DETAILS OR IDEAS OF PRICES WOULD BE APPRECIATED BUT IM IN KENT. CHEERS ROB.
Posted on May 6, 2007, 2:01 AM from IP address 195.72.164.194
Maurice also has experience of the sheet foam method which he has used on his Koi UK show ponds. There are photos of this on the Koi UK fourm somewhere but I can't find them for the moment.The forum is at:
I'm trying to find out the best block to use to build my walls for my pond.
The Pond I have in mind will be 10ft x 5ft x 5ft deep, I'm using a liner so approximately the Walls will be built up 3 Feet above ground on a secure concrete base. The pond will have a 4 inch bottom drain feeding the filter.
Again a good filter suggestion would be useful, I was considering a nexus 200 unit but my budget is tight and this is currently out of my price range so any good reliable unit that anyone could recommend would be useful.
What is the best block to use for the walls, would Thermalite be the best or the grey blocks with two hollows in? I will then be covering the blocks with a course of house bricks and back filling up to the blocks.
Any information would be much appreciated.
Dave.
Posted on May 2, 2007, 11:10 AM from IP address 81.137.147.157
HI,COULD ANYBODY TELL ME WHERE TO PUT A SKIMMER IN RELATION TO THE PUMP INLET IN A 10 X 5 POND,I HAVE A BOTTOM DRAIN AND MID WATER PICK UP.IS THERE ANY MORE INLETS I NEED TO DO
Posted on May 1, 2007, 7:25 PM from IP address 172.213.240.190
It would help if you could describe the shape and position of inlet/outlets of your pond and the size of pumps you intend using and the type of skimmer.
If you get this wrong the skimmer will be both ineffective and difficult to clean if it does collect anything at all. Are you able to make a rough sketch and post it on Photobucket?
Adrian
Posted on May 1, 2007, 10:31 PM from IP address 82.32.153.114
pond is 10x5x4.rectangle.with 4 inch bottom drain.im in the process of building.i have a badu 6 top pump,filter with vortex,hidro clean filter,uv.i have got 2 purchase the skimmer as yet.i have yet to fit the inlet pipes.what is the best size to use.
many thanks
david
Posted on May 2, 2007, 4:26 PM from IP address 172.189.155.150
According to the dimensions you gave your pond will be 1,246 gallons (5,663 litres).
That Badu Top 6 pump is going to be well over spec with a flow of 2,200gph turning your pond over nearly twice an hour (as opposed to once every 2 hours). This will effect the efficiency of your filtration system.
If you intend to share the pump with the skimmer line as well the flow will be reduced but still not enough in my opinion. Also that pump is unnecessarily expensive to run at 250 watts.
The Hydroclean is useful for removing fines but will need constant cleaning. It will be handy to have a spare set of discs and a stand for power washing down the dirty ones.
I'm sure others here will be able to confirm or debate this as well?
Let's see what they say!
Adrian
Posted on May 3, 2007, 11:48 AM from IP address 82.32.153.114
Hi Guys
Today I finished my first koi pond. It has taken me exactly a year of very hard work but it looks great.
I would first like to thank you guys for your pond construction article, without which I would have struggled even more.
I would like to tell you all about my pond but I am not sure what you would like to know, so as soon as I am up to speed I will give more info and pictures.
I wonder if someone could explain to me how to backwash my filters.
Thank You Thank You Thank You
Mike from Essex
Posted on May 1, 2007, 5:18 PM from IP address 90.194.9.125
I would be grateful if anyone has experience regarding the following.
I am building a large mainly circular pond (24ft diameter). I am proposing to use the large hollow concrete blocks (18"x9"x9" approx)to build the circular wall on a concrete base and then fill the hollows with concrete. The pond is below ground on a downward slope (2ft slope front to back). The ground is sand/sandstone.
I want to use rebars in the hollow blocks in order to attach the wall to the base, but see a difficulty in placing the rebars before or during pouring and at the same time getting sufficient accuracy for the rebars to pass through the centres of the hollows in the concrete blocks, which will be placed in a circle.
I have thought about pouring the concrete first and then locating the rebars later by drilling the concrete and using a resin to fix them. However, I do not know how difficult it would be to drill the concrete or how long I should wait to drill after pouring. To what depth should the concrete be drilled.
Does anyone have any views on merits or difficulties associated with either method.
Thank you
John
Posted on Apr 30, 2007, 1:56 PM from IP address 195.93.21.70
Hi folks, my pond set-up is very like yours in size and shape.I used standard 18x9x4 concrete blocks on a concrete base and am pretty happy with the result.
Posted on Apr 30, 2007, 10:29 PM from IP address 87.232.1.49
Have a look at http://www.koicymru.co.uk/const2a.htm
This is for a rectangular filter, but could be used for a circular pond.
There are only short lengths sticking up vertically, but after the concrete is poured you can attach longer verticals as they do on a building site.
Lifting the heavy blocks over these verticals is not an easy job unless you have strong arms.
Posted on May 1, 2007, 7:29 AM from IP address 81.129.88.105
I'm trying to find out the best block to use to build my walls for my pond.
The Pond I have in mind will be 10ft x 5ft x 5ft deep, I'm using a liner so approximately the Walls will be built up 3 Feet above ground on a secure concrete base. The pond will have a 4 inch bottom drain feeding the filter.
Again a good filter suggestion would be useful, I was considering a nexus 200 unit but my budget is tight and this is currently out of my price range so any good reliable unit that anyone could recommend would be useful.
What is the best block to use for the walls, would Thermalite be the best or the grey blocks with two hollows in? I will then be covering the blocks with a course of house bricks and back filling up to the blocks.
Any information would be much appreciated.
Dave.
Posted on Apr 30, 2007, 1:54 PM from IP address 81.137.147.157
hi, i have a 4000 gallon pond and so i have been told the correct filter and uv set up.1st bay a vortex,2nd k1,3rd jap mat and 4th alfrogrog. i clean the vortex out every other day and then top up with tap water....the problem i have is that my water is not clear(cant see the bottom any more)and that some of my koi have now got ulsers. can any one please tell me what i am doing wrong ie am i cleaning to much or do i need to top up pond with dechlorinated water or something else...thanks steve
Posted on Apr 28, 2007, 8:00 AM from IP address 82.32.69.200
The first thing you need to do is check you water quality. You want zero Ammonia & Nitrite and very low Nitrate (less than 50ppm idealy) If you have measurable quantities of Ammonia and Nitrite (0.25ppm or less) increase oxygoen and add some bacterial cultures such as Kusuri Filter Boost. You should turn off your UV to help speed up the bacteria reproductive process too.
If your ammonia/Nitrite levels are higher than 0.25ppm I would suggest you try and buy some Ammolock which you can add to the pond to lock up the ammonia and stop it being toxic to your fish. If you have levels of 0.5 upwards, Partial water changes using dechlorinated tap water are necessary. You can also try adding some Zeolite to your filters which will help soak up some of the excess ammonia and if Nitrite levels are high, add some salt to the pond to raise the salinity to 0.3% over a three day period (0.1% per day). This will help protect the fish from Nitrite. Use proper pond salt to do this and disolve it completely in water before adding it to the pond. Salt crystals burn if they come into contact with the Koi!
There is no easy and quick way to get your filters up to speed. If they are new or simply slow to come out of the winter slumber, all you can do is nurse the pond and fish through until the filters are working properly.
Water Changes: NEVER use tap water, dechlorinated or purified to clean filters. This kills off the bacteria you are trying to encourage. Just use pond water. You should not need to clean a well designed biological filter, just the vortex and perhaps the static K1 chamber if it is intended as a mechanical stage.
Re Ulcers: Find a local Koi keeper who can have a look at your fish. You may well need to give your Koi antibiotics and the best way is to inject for which you need expert help. I won't pretend that things are not quite bad if you have ulcers because thdey are. This is a clear sign that the fish are having a very difficult time of it and unless you take action quickly they will not survive.
Best of luck.
Alan F.
Posted on Apr 29, 2007, 1:20 PM from IP address 213.120.101.21
thanks for the advise alan. i have had a local aquatic person round mine to check the water quality and all is well. the ulcer he has treated with witch hazel and calamine, then he dressed it with orabase. he has sorted out the problem with the clarity of the water and that was down to a blocked pipe..iv had the builders round and they must of dropped some stone into the pond whilst facing the concrete blocks and putting coping stones on. thanks again steve
Posted on Apr 29, 2007, 2:04 PM from IP address 82.32.69.200
I recently install a DIY TT, with water freefall back into the pond. I notice that there is a lot of water bubble on the surface of the pond (before the TT, there isn't any). Do anyone know why? and is there a DIY option to remove them?
Thanks in advance.
Posted on Apr 23, 2007, 10:25 AM from IP address 89.240.203.28
This sounds like Docs (dissolved organic compounds) in the water coming to the surface which is quite normal in any well oxygoenated pond with an organic content in the water column.
You probably had docs before you fitted your TT and they are showing up as the filters begin to kick in. You can get rid of them by either installing a protein skimmer, by skimming off surface water to waste (docs reside in the uppper water surface) or wait a while and see if your filters get rid of them. Nexus filters are very good at getting rid of docs so a moving kaldness bed may help.
If the bubbles pop after a few seconds I wouldn't worry.
Alan F.
Posted on Apr 24, 2007, 1:31 AM from IP address 213.120.101.21
Alan, thank You for you info.
I have a spare pump, and thinking of install a floating skimmer, to be switch on/off via a timer. What is the best possible way to remove DOC, via the water out of the pump from the skimmer, using a venturi? Would you have some DIY info, or photo of how it may work? Is this a workable solution?
Using a skimmer, how long should it be on to remove the surface debris. If say 2 hrs, would there be enough time for the DOC section to work?
Thanks.
Posted on Apr 24, 2007, 11:20 AM from IP address 89.240.203.28
To be honest I think you could just skim off surface water when you do your regular 10 percent (or whatever you normaly drain off) water change. I don't have any DIY pics or info on a suitable skimming device but would suggest either draining off water via your normal skimmer or if you don't have one use a bucket by simply lowering it into the water bottom first, until the top edge is just below the surface and pulls the surface water in. This works well and has a good suction action. Its also very inexpensive!
Alan.
Posted on Apr 25, 2007, 8:38 PM from IP address 213.120.101.21
How often do you do water change?
I never did one since the pond started 2 years ago. Just clean the multi chamber with pond water & top up to the correct level afterwards. May be I am missing something important!
Posted on Apr 26, 2007, 12:01 PM from IP address 89.240.203.28
You certainly are, most people do a water change of 10% minimum per week, mainly over winter, and then in summer anything up to 20% over the week, mine is done when i clean the filters twice a week. By only topping up and not removing pond water you are constantly increasing the solution of DOCs in the water, whereas removing water to waste, then adding fresh water on a regular basis you are diluting the solution. Id try starting regular water changes and see if this cracks the problem, if not im sure the fish will appreciate it at least. Hopes this helps.
Posted on Apr 27, 2007, 4:23 PM from IP address 82.38.193.20
Personally I think they are very over rated, much hyped and have their pitfalls. The bottom of the outer chamber soon fills up with muck and as the drain outlet is slightly higher than this and has a "step" just before it it makes cleaning hard, unless you use a hose, and then of course you are killing the beneficial bacteria living on the K1.After cleaning its nigh on impossible not to end up with quite a lot of cloudy debris finding its way back into the pond as when you open the bottom drain again there is still a lot of trapped muck that finds its way out of the KI no matter how clean it looks. I was very disappointed with mine and to be honest I wish Id waited and saved for a Nexus 200 as these undoubtedly do a better job and have the benefit of better biological filtration by virtue of the fluidised K1. I think the pod would be good on a skimmer line and thats really its main selling point as far as Im concerned.
Posted on Apr 25, 2007, 10:57 AM from IP address 86.1.124.246
Could anyone please tell me where i could purchase 4 inch solvent weld bends etc, been to a few builders merchants and had no luck, looked at a few websites but without sucess. thanks. mark
Posted on Apr 16, 2007, 9:22 PM from IP address 86.14.198.117
Thanks Andy, henderson seem to have what i wanted. Is waste pipe good enough for a bottom drain to filter conection or should I be using pressure pipe which I assume is higher rated. thanks again.
Posted on Apr 17, 2007, 7:39 PM from IP address 86.14.198.117
You can now get good quality pressure pipe and valves from Evolution Aqua dealers for not much more than the waste and soil pipe prices.
Personally, I would spend a little more for the peace of mind of using best quality materials (especially when they are underground/concrete).
There are plenty of EA dealers but prices can vary so check several first. Some have 'member's discount schemes' which are free to join but offer 5% or more discount on dry goods.
It's worth shopping around!
Adrian
Posted on Apr 25, 2007, 8:38 AM from IP address 82.32.153.114
Can anybody tell me the best way to keep herons from my fish? I have lost one and dont want to loose anymore. I have scared the said bird away a couple of times but am constantly worried I'm going to come home and find more fish gone!
Does a plastic replica heron work?
Posted on Apr 16, 2007, 8:32 PM from IP address 86.143.240.215
There are many ways to scare herons but as with all animals, including koi, some herons are braver than others.
The only sure thing is that once a heron has flown over and seen your pond it will be back for a free meal.
Plastic herons can work, as can stringing some fishing wire about 2 feet from the pond six inches off the ground the idea is the heron likes to land away from the pond and walk up to it, the trip wire then scares the bird as he can't see it.
Automatic water sprayers can also work.
Not knowing your garden layout and whether you have children or pets, raised or in ground pond and other details may help to come up with a solution.
You want to make your pond as appealing as it possibly can be without making it look like a fortress but all this will be no good if all your looking at is an empty pool of water.
When all is said and done the only sure fire way of keeping your fish IN is keeping the herons OUT.
Posted on Apr 18, 2007, 9:26 AM from IP address 213.120.71.165
Sounds like netting your pond (at least for a while) may be your best bet. If it is the same heron visiting it will learn that it is wasting its time, especially if you combine the physical barrier with chasing it off with some gusto when spotted.
Beautiful birds but it would be nice if they could stick to eating wild fish!
Adrian
Posted on Apr 25, 2007, 8:25 AM from IP address 82.32.153.114
i have a sand filter that I'm using for my pond and i'm using sand for a pool filter I'm having to back wash everyday is there something else i can do to or use to keep from backwashing so much my water is very clear
Posted on Apr 23, 2007, 2:11 AM from IP address 172.165.81.93
Does anyone have any idea if Copper sheet is okay to use for a waterfall feature? I am interested in the main as I can fabricate with the material and also the patina after a while will be pretty and gentle on the eye.
Posted on Apr 21, 2007, 6:09 PM from IP address 81.107.6.155
Coppers not suitable for use in ponds, as you say it corrodes in water which then becomes harmful for fish. The only metal that should be used in ponds is Stainless Steel, either 304 which will still corrode in salt water, or 316 which wont corrode at all. Hope this helps.
Posted on Apr 21, 2007, 7:43 PM from IP address 82.38.192.72
Slight problem..the basket inside my skimmer,which is fitted outside the pond wall.then the skimmed water returns via my main pump outlet line.back to pond.via the filters/ but all worked well.but recently the surface water is looking very foamy..all readings are ok.but when i looked at the skimmer filter.that was empty.but the inner basket was on its side.i corrected that.but the basket keeps tipping over.the skimmer is less than a year old.any ideas please thanks
Posted on Apr 20, 2007, 7:57 AM from IP address 90.192.10.24
Must be my lucky day, me stumbling across your web page in my search for what seems to be the impossible.
If I can be so bold and ask a question.
We have just moved to a new house, leaving our 12' x 6' x 4' Koi pond after some 20 years and as you guessed we're looking to build another.
The design I have in mind, whilst keeping all happy !! is to raise the pond a least 3' above ground, to fit in with the rset of the garden. The pond will then be some 5' deep x 14' x 7'. The issue I have is how to build a structure to support that pressure/weight of water.
My initial intention was to create the basic structure out of timber, using 3 x 3 or 4 x 4's for supports sunk into the base by some 3'.
I would appreciate any help you could afford me with my dilemma, or point me in the direction of someone who has a similar design. Just to complicate matters I'm not in a position to spent thousands !
Kindest regards.
Jim Windass
East Yorkshire.
Posted on Apr 16, 2007, 9:46 PM from IP address 83.100.133.46
What is to go in the void below the finished pond?
Couldn't you just make it that much deeper, the fish should love it.
The size you have is (i think) about 13 tonnes of water. My concern would not be the actual 'upright' strength, but how the pond would then stay together.
I recall that a conventional scaffolding pole in good condition will support 2 tonnes on its end, so the number of legs required isn't huge.
Sounds interesting - I hope there are lots more suggestions!
Jim
Posted on Apr 18, 2007, 11:30 AM from IP address 86.154.104.170
Just had the pond rendered ready for fibreglassing, got slight water ingress coming in where the base of the pond meets the side walls. Any advice on how to seal this so the inside is nice and dry..
I have already dug a sump hole lower than the pond base and put in submersible water pump..
Many thanks
Darin..
Posted on Apr 4, 2007, 1:19 PM from IP address 80.41.248.116
As the weather warms up and the algae starts to bloom in the pond I decided it was time to replace my UV lamp for the new season.
This was quite a simple job that I had carried out a number of times before.
The only difference was that this time after I had removed, cleaned and replaced the quartz tube and inserted the new UV lamp it kept flickering and going off. After a number of attempts I decided to take the lamp out of the quartz tube and reattach on the outside of the unit so I could see what was going on.
I found it to be intermittent fault with the connection at one of the end caps so I got the soldering iron out and made my simple repair.
Again I tried this and found it to be satisfactory so I then replaced it back in the quartz tube and turned it back on again, all was now fine.
The lamp was only on for 5-10 seconds at a time.
This was Sunday afternoon.
At about 2 o’clock Monday morning I awoke with a terrible pain in each eye that I can only describe as having lots of dust particles in both eyes so much so that my eyes were watering and I could not open them. The wife led me to the bathroom where we did as best we could to bathe with saline solution. This helped and I managed to get back to sleep until 5.30 when the alarm clock went off. As I have to drive 2 hours to work every day I decided that although they were feeling better than they were I should not risk mine and other people’s safety by getting behind the wheel.
I have worked with reptiles before and many of these require a "Blacklight" that emits UVA and UVB but not the UVC that I beleive caused me the problems.
Today my eyes are a lot better and with no vision problems but just goes to show the damage that the UVC radiation within the lamps can do to the eyes.
I consider myself very lucky that it is no worse that I have explained.
Looking back it does say on the tube packaging that the lamp can cause damage to eyes and skin but who reads the packaging of something we take for granted with our ponds? I'm just glad I still can!
Posted on Apr 17, 2007, 1:42 PM from IP address 213.120.71.165
I have a raised pond with a couple of koi in, it's not huge (approx 1100 litres) so about 7ft by 5ft in length and width. At the moment i have a normal soft net over the top of it, however as I have two young children i would like to cover it with some form of metal grid so it's a bit safer. Does anyone know of something I could buy and where I might get it. I dont want anything too heavy duty, just something to act as a more sturdy barrier between the kids and the water - any suggestions? Thanks.
Posted on Apr 16, 2007, 8:14 PM from IP address 195.92.67.65
I have inherited a koi pond when I moved into my house in Derby about 3 years ago. It is aonly around 3.5 foot deep, 6 foot wide and 15 foot long. It is sunk into the ground, and constructed of wood at present with a rubber liner. It has a fence around it which is great at the moment as I have young children. I would like to rebuild it though, so that the water level is higher so that the children can hand feed the fish and it is better to look at the fish. In order to do this the sides would have to be built up, but I would not dig any deeper, just build the sides up by 3 or three foot. What is the best way to do this, keeping the cost down?? How much would this cost for someone to do it for me/do it myself. I am in the forces at present, so do not have a great deal of time to build it myself, but dont want to break the bank or re-mortgage the house!!! But would like to improve my pond.
Posted on Apr 16, 2007, 2:09 PM from IP address 82.109.66.148
Thanks for your help with my other questions and i have one more. I have covered the tops of my filters with perspex to stop any seaping from the decking and just to stop stuff getting in them will this be ok or do they need to be open to let air in? The filter has four large round bays.
Posted on Apr 15, 2007, 5:59 PM from IP address 82.45.72.80
