Basic Tips on Building Koi Ponds

Basic Tips on Building Koi Ponds

Koi ponds are more than just a hole with water. Koi breeders should bear in mind that Koi, like any other pets need to have an environment that is safe and healthy for them to live. Breeders should learn the basic essential tools they need for making the koi pond conducive for living. The secrets to a successful way of keeping koi fish are proper ventilation, water ponds and the fish itself.

Primarily you need to determine the requirements for building the koi pond. Each pond needs planning for the specification of its features. How big should it be? The pond where koi will live must be big because Koi gets large.

A standard pond for this kind of fish should hold not less than 1000 gallons of water and must be at least 3-5 feet deep. Your decision on the shape and the size of ponds for the koi will basically depend on your preference.

The pond should be built in an ideal location. You may want to have a pond in an area where you could see the fish as often as you want. You should also consider the accessibility of the pond as you will be spending frequent visits on the area to feed the fish. You can also consider building a small pond indoor or outdoor whatever gives you the convenience.

You should however consider that Koi need to be exposed to sunlight for few hours everyday. The best times will be in the morning and in the afternoon. Koi skin can be burnt by direct sunlight at noon so they must be provided with safety abode.

Your outdoor pond should be away from trees to prevent the pond from being damaged by the growing roots as the trees grow. Placing a net above the pond can also provide protection against the falling debris from the trees.

You may find delight of giving your koi both an indoor and outdoor pond but creating one should be properly conceptualized in terms of safety, accessibility and ideal environment.

When building the pond you will be needing pond liners. You can use PVC but a butyl rubber liner is recommended because of its strength. Concrete has the lowest or the cheapest building cost while fiberglass is recommended when you want to have a pond for an indistinct lifetime.

You have to make sure that it would be better to construct a pond with vertical walls for smaller ponds to boost balanced arrangement of water temperature. You should also consider providing protection of your koi from outside predators by creating a higher wall on the pond.

In addition to the mentioned requisites other koi pond equipment that you will need include biological filters, aeration, circulation pump and space wide enough to keep koi from being crowded. These are the things that you have to consider when preparing and designing a pond for koi.

The filter will be the one to purify the water. It will be responsible for cleaning the water from waste products, microorganisms and other poisonous substance that can produce water contamination.

The aerator will supply air to the water and will keep the stagnant water continuously moving. The aerator will be providing the fish with oxygen. The pump on the other hand moves the water through the filter and the aerator. These are basic preparation when conceptualizing the ideal koi pond for your favorite fish.

Randy Tan is a koi breeding expert. For more great information on basic tips on building koi ponds and general koi care, visit http://www.koibreedingtips.com.