Welcome to Keith's Pond Building 101 Page

Welcome Visitor to....

POND Building 101

So, I see you are thinking of building a Pond or maybe a Water Garden around your
home....Well, let me tell you first hand, its a wonderful feeling to have designed,
constructed and even accomplished this task! You too can enjoy hours of relaxing and
tranquil moments around your masterpiece. Easy? Well, lets not say easy but it is
obtainable if you follow a few simple steps.

JOIN your local KOI Club and/or Water Garden Society.
VISIT as many club members Ponds.
TALK to several club members.
ASK as many questions as possible (Dumb ones are the best sometimes)
REMEMBER -Never assume you know all there is about building your Pond.

If you follow these 5 helpful steps, your Pond building experience will be a memorable
one. Take it from someone who has been there and done that. Actually, if it could have
been done the wrong way, I DID IT FIRST !!

In the comming days, I will be adding photos of my Pond Building experience and

pointing out along the way why we did things and if we should have taken a different
approach. I will cover :

Design - How to lay out your design before you dig.
Location -Picking a site for your pond and what to think about ahead of time.
Materials - What you need to have and locate before you start.
Filtration - The one most important detail we all overlook.
Aquatic Plants - Different types.
Anything else I happen to think of along the way....

I hope these little tips will make your pond building experience a memorable one !

Design

The first thing we need to do is to come up with how we want to layout our ideas
for our new addition. Once you have come out with a rough sketch, show the design
to other club members. What are there feeling? Ideas? Don't let negative comments
get you down. Its better to find out at this stage in the game then after all you time,
hard work and $$$ has been completed. Also, don't try to build too big of a pond for
the area you want to allocate for your dream.

The reason we chose this Design was to allow some shallow areas for aquatic plants
and some deep areas for the Koi to escape the hot sun (More on this mistake later)
I also wanted to make the ponds water areation part of the design so we added a
3 tier waterfall (6 feet about water level) as part of the design.

Location

The next thing we did was to scout out a location for the Pond. Where will we get
the most enjoyment out of it. Where will the best spot be to view or finished product.
I chose a location near our screened-in patio. The patio was on a raised platform about
3 feet about ground level. Also, due to the Pond being constructed in Central
Florida, the enclosed patio keep us free from those pesky flying bugs. The reason
you need to Design your Pond and/or Water Garden first is that you can't build a
10,000 Gallon pond in a 10 foot by 6 foot area. (Although I am sure some have tried).
If you are still unsure of the location or you happen to be like me and just have to
see a "Visual Aid", you garden hose will serve a dual purpose. Lay out the hose
on the area you have selected. Now you can design, change and view just the shape
you will most enjoy. This also helps in that you will find less digging with a pre design.

Materials

Ok, Now that we have come to the part where we have decided on the Design
and the Location of our new pond, we can start to organize exactly what we will
need to get the project off the drawing board and into the ground. The first thing we
need to decide on is if we want to build our Pond with use Concrete or with a Liner.
Depending on where you live in the US (Or the world for that matter), its best to consult
with your local KOI members and/or Clubs for your region. For my pond, I chose Concrete. Concrete is a little bit harder to work with and reshape once it has been poured then a liner. I called a local concrete mixing company and ordered the truck with a special mix designed for a inground type pool. (More on the mix type later....)
I used 8 X 8 X 16 cinder blocks as a support wall and to give the pond its shape
and stability. The cinder blocks were also used to give a foundation and a means to apply the large rock formations around the waterfall.

Next, you need to properly layout what type of Pump you are going to use. When it comes to above ground type pumps or submersible types, always go the additional cost of an above ground. The above ground types may cost a little more but will save you BIG $$$ on your electric bills. Most pumps have a 1 1/2 inch inlet and Outlet for a PVC type fitting. Always go larger on PVC.
Remember, its easier to pump more water thru a larger pipe then more thru a smaller one. You need to think about bottom drains, Fountains, Waterfalls etc..and what size connections they may require. Always plan ahead. If you think you may add a water attachment in the future, install the PVC now, cap it off, and mark where you terminated it. Always try and make as few bends in the PVC as possible. You want the water to flow as smooth as possible and not turn into a maze!

Ok, now you need to think about the final result. What type of Stones, Rocks or Bricks might you want to finish off your work of art! This would be a good time to go to your local masonary and/or stone supplier and pick up a few samples. lay them around the area and see if they fit with the surrounding area. Sometimes this may take a little imagination. You can lay out the garden hose again in your pond design and see if this sparks the old noodle.

Now for the one item we sometimes always forget just how big it might have to be....
the FILTER
No matter what you may think, I don't know of any KOI Keeper who has Too Much Filtration.

Continued on is: Filtration, Aquatic Plants and Selecting KOI

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