If you love the idea of adding a water feature to your back yard, you may want to consider a pond that holds fish. Koi pond construction can be either simple and small or elaborate and massive. It all depends on your budget, the amount of space you have to work with, and how creative you want to be. If you are seriously thinking about adding fish to your outdoor living space, here are a few things you need to know.
If you think koi are just glorified gold fish you are wrong. While both are types of carp, they do come from different species. A goldfish lacks the characteristic barbels that a koi has. These fish tend to be brightly colored and many are specially bred for their markings. If a particular fish has some of the more desirable markings they can fetch hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
One of the biggest challenges you will face is the climate where you live. Living in a colder climate may mean that you will need a deeper pond than you would if you live in an area where the temperature does not get below freezing. If digging deeper isn't an option, two choices are to relocate your koi during the winter or add a bubbler that keeps the water moving and prevents it from freezing.
While many people choose to dig down to build their fish a home, you can also raise yours up and build it above the ground. While some materials will be the same for each type of construction you will need some different materials if you are choosing a raised version.
Making a pond that is set into the ground is fairly easy. You can find kits that offer liners in pre-formed shapes. You simply dig a hole that will accommodate the liner and set it into the hole. You do need to make sure that the liner can handle the swelling and shifting that most ground experiences during cold weather. A liner made from soft rubber is durable and can handle changing ground conditions although you can also build a pond out of concrete. You dig a hole and use forms to keep the concrete in place while it dries and cures.
Of course, it is not always possible to dig down to build ponds. In some cases, if there are buried wires or pipes or if there is not enough soil depth you may want to think about building up. You can build up the walls using bricks, cultured stone or rocks and use a flexible rubber liner in order to make it waterproof.
Filtering the water and making sure it is properly oxygenated is very important. Not only do koi need water that is full of oxygen, they also need water to contain beneficial bacteria. There are many filtration systems on the market and you should be able to find out which system will work best for you.
The final step is perhaps the most enjoyable. You can now go shopping for koi and for plants or other items to add to your yard. It is a good idea to know how large your pond is so that an expert can advise you as to how many fish you need. If you have too many you will find that they do not thrive and may even die due to stress or overcrowding.
If you think koi are just glorified gold fish you are wrong. While both are types of carp, they do come from different species. A goldfish lacks the characteristic barbels that a koi has. These fish tend to be brightly colored and many are specially bred for their markings. If a particular fish has some of the more desirable markings they can fetch hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
One of the biggest challenges you will face is the climate where you live. Living in a colder climate may mean that you will need a deeper pond than you would if you live in an area where the temperature does not get below freezing. If digging deeper isn't an option, two choices are to relocate your koi during the winter or add a bubbler that keeps the water moving and prevents it from freezing.
While many people choose to dig down to build their fish a home, you can also raise yours up and build it above the ground. While some materials will be the same for each type of construction you will need some different materials if you are choosing a raised version.
Making a pond that is set into the ground is fairly easy. You can find kits that offer liners in pre-formed shapes. You simply dig a hole that will accommodate the liner and set it into the hole. You do need to make sure that the liner can handle the swelling and shifting that most ground experiences during cold weather. A liner made from soft rubber is durable and can handle changing ground conditions although you can also build a pond out of concrete. You dig a hole and use forms to keep the concrete in place while it dries and cures.
Of course, it is not always possible to dig down to build ponds. In some cases, if there are buried wires or pipes or if there is not enough soil depth you may want to think about building up. You can build up the walls using bricks, cultured stone or rocks and use a flexible rubber liner in order to make it waterproof.
Filtering the water and making sure it is properly oxygenated is very important. Not only do koi need water that is full of oxygen, they also need water to contain beneficial bacteria. There are many filtration systems on the market and you should be able to find out which system will work best for you.
The final step is perhaps the most enjoyable. You can now go shopping for koi and for plants or other items to add to your yard. It is a good idea to know how large your pond is so that an expert can advise you as to how many fish you need. If you have too many you will find that they do not thrive and may even die due to stress or overcrowding.
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