Proper Koi Ponds Compared to Normal Backyard Ponds

Koi ponds - what do I mean by this. The name koi ponds is reserved for those extra special, highly engineered concrete ponds. Koi ponds tend to be complex in design and devoted to keeping and growing large koi for showing or just pure expensive enjoyment. If only all koi ponds looked like this! If you want to grow large koi then small to medium koi ponds are not going to get you there. Despite this typical backyard ponds of a few hundred gallons will also give you great pleasure and enjoyment. Such backyard ponds might just be the stepping stone you need to invest in "proper" koi ponds.

backyard pond In this web site any reference to backyard ponds, garden ponds, liner ponds or preformed ponds is in the context that we are talking about smaller (say 100 gallons up to 2,000 gallons ponds) coveted by most gardeners. Such backyard ponds are quite capable of holding and growing koi and other pond fish but to a limited extent. To repeat myself. I am not talking about building koi ponds for the real koi enthusiast.

Backyard ponds would generally hold fish, and plants. The serious koi pond does not have any plants in it - they spoil the view of the fish and are not helpful in the quest for absolutely clean and clear water. Building true koi ponds is for the specialist. Building koi ponds in the garden for casual enjoyment by the family is not.

This picture shown here is one of my favorites. It shows a beautiful garden or backyard pond that anybody can have for a relatively small investment in a pond plants pump and associated equipment.

Look at the clear water, observe those beautiful healthy goldfish swimming happily in the pond

large koi ponds would have all this equipment ... most backyard ponds Not

To be successful in the growing of "jumbo" koi the building of koi ponds must take into account:

  • Bottom drains
  • Correct shape
  • Pond skimmer systems
  • Good depth (6ft and more)
  • High flow rates
  • Winter heating
  • Very high-end and specialised biofiltration capacity
  • Spare pumps
  • Highly regular and thorough cleaning regimes
  • Large air pumps
  • Highly specialised feeding regimes

There are a few facts of life however no matter what kind of pond you have ... any fish pond must have a pump, bio filter and ultra violet light installed. The biofilter must run 24/7. If you're not prepared to heed this basic advice my serious suggetsion is DO NOT BUILD A FISH POND becasue almost certainly you will be disappointed and you will spend a great deal of your fre time cleaning the mess you'll end up with and you'll become very frustrated.

Your investment in a pond and beautiful garden will become a liability.

Learn all you need to know to ensure crystal clear clean and healthy pond water by reading my book

I wish I'd read the book before building my pond ...
I have read your book with interest and have found it most interesting. I wish I had read it before constructing my pond Gordon Powell, seaview(at)scottburgh.co.za
I read your book cover to cover last night ., Excellent, this is just what I was looking for. It is hard to find such a comprehensive collection of information in one place. I have been searching the web for about 4 months. Brett Salavoy, Brett.Salovy(at)za.didata.com