Koi Pond Construction
It’s no secret that having a koi pond requires a higher level of care and attention than regular pond fish.
With these specialised needs in mind, we have the expertise to create a perfect habitat – whether you’re a novice or seasoned koi keeper – in line with the animals’ needs, our koi pond construction is geared towards installing things such as bottom drains and surface skimmers, with a focus on all round better filtration at the helm, to encourage fish to thrive.
It is very important to get details correct at the planning and construction phase to avoid problems further down the line.
This is why using a pond specialist company is so important for a koi pond as often these things will unfortunately be missed by a general builder or landscaper. Likewise a koi pond kit often wont include the best equipment for you personal pond.
What do koi need in a pond?
Koi carp are messy fish. They can grow to a large size therefore they eat a fair amount of food. Due to this some hefty filtration is recommended else you could end up with quite a dirty pond with poor water quality.
For a good koi filter to be effective it should be installed correctly. We would always recommend bottom drains and surface skimmers be used which require plumbing in during the build phase, it is also important to have to correct size pump to ensure the turnover is best match to the pond and chosen filter.
A small koi pond often isn’t a good idea due to the size koi carp can grow to. They will be happiest with a good amount of swimming space and the larger the volume of water you have the easier it is to have stable water chemistry.
Plants For Koi Pond
Keeping pond plants in a with koi can be a bit tricky. Small potted plants are easily knocked over, spilling soil and gravel falling into the deepest part of the pond never to be seen again until the next drain down!
Anything they can get their greedy mouth around is also at risk of being eaten!
If you would like pond plants it is possible though. We often build a plant bed into ponds with natural rock such as granite of slate.
As well as looking great this allows us to protect plants from being eaten and allows the plants a permeant bed to root in that can often result in healthier growth and more flowers.
koi pond plants are also a good way of exporting waste nutrients that build up. This can help reduce water changes and help keep the water cleaner and algae at bay. It is important to thin growth out to promote growth a make life easier long term as you would an other garden plant.
Fibreglass v Pond liner
Fibreglass installation is usually the chosen option. It is stronger and can look better than liner. It is the more expensive option due to the material cost and time taken for preparation and the fibre glassing itself.
Liners are still strong as long as a good quality liner is used. We use EPDM when installing a liner. Box welded liners are available for formal designed pond which mean no creases are visible which are other wise unavoidable. A good installer can dramatically reduce creases though and isolate them to corners.
How deep should a koi pond be?
There is a misconception that a koi pond should be 1 meter or deeper. Depth is a positive design feature as it adds volume and can insulate the pond to a certain degree. You can add insulation and heaters though, you may also have a naturally warmer, protected area so it is possible to keep koi in a pond of a shallower depth.
How much is a Koi Pond?
Prices vary as there are so many designs and filtration options available. A good price guide for a relatively simple koi pond is from £15,000.00 though you can easily spend much more on more intricate designs, higher end equipment and extras.
Please contact us to discuss you’re requirements further and we can create a tailor made proposal for you.
If you are set on a diy koi pond we can always assist in a consultancy roll that would be billed hourly as needed.
