Pond Construction

Can Anyone Out There Build a Proper Koi Pond?

a/k/a In Search of the Right Koi Pond Builder
by Tom Burton, New Jersey
Photos Courtesy of Tom Burton

n today's economic environment there is more and more

demand for elaborate big houses, gardens, pools, ponds
you name it. And we ought to have what we want,
right? So if that's a beautiful koi pond with knockout
landscaping, gorgeous waterfalls and streams and plants
and fish, all we have to do is find "Mr. Right" to build it, right?
Sounds easy but therein lies the rub. All too many of the
swimming pool and water feature/landscape guys with the
equipment and technical knowledge either dont know where to
go for information or just refuse to learn what it takes to build
a koi pond.
Too many swimming pool builders take on pond projects and
use the same techniques they'd use for pools; same bottom
drains, filters and pumps. Then they call it a fish pond when in
fact they've missed the mark by miles. The same thing happens
with some landscapers who say "Oh yeah, I can build you a koi
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pond," only to build a water

feature just like they've been
doing only now they call it a
fish pond. I've seen this sad
story repeated over and over
in the eleven years I've been at
this koi keeping hobby. I say
sad because these ponds are
just not an appropriate habitat
for koi and in short order the
fish start dying and what
should have been a delight
turns into disaster. In most
cases its not because they
intend to deceive, its just a
lack of knowledge and
sometimes, its just a water
feature is a water feature
mentality (aka no concept).
I'm hoping that this article
will convince some of the very
talented and artistic builders
out there to learn that a
proper koi pond is different
from any other water feature. And if they are willing to read
my article on pond building and adhere to and apply the tried
and true directions therein, I can pretty much guarantee long
term success. There's a tremendous demand out there and I'm
sorry to say there are all too few builders that are up to the task
which is why most people end up building their own.
After I went to the University of Georgia for their three day
crash course in fish health, I came back to New Jersey and
started what we call the Health Hotline, in our Mid-Atlantic
Koi Club (www.makc.com). We hear from and respond to
people who have problems with their pond or fish or both.
Ill never forget getting a frantic call from a lady here in
New Jersey whose fish were dying as we were talking. The 2000
gallon pond had only been in for about four months, it was late
summer, and she had been buying fish regularly from a local

Mid-Atlantic Koi January/February 2005

garden center. Since she wasnt far away (and Im retired so I

had time) I went to have a look and to see if I could help.
What I saw was a rather nice water garden, two feet deep, about
10 by 12 feet, no bottom drain, no filter system, several plants
in pots in the water and a little waterfall. There were about 40
fish anywhere from six to 15
inches long and all the survivors
were looking very stressed and
some were barely hanging on to
life. The water was green and the
pH was very high but the killer
was ammonia as determined by
testing the water. Too many fish,
no filtration, algae doing the
photosynthesis thing and creating
more stress by denying oxygen for
part of the day, all were
compounding the problem. A
50% water change and a long
conversation about koi keeping
and the differences between a
water garden and a koi pond
helped for the future but it was
too late for most of the fish. I
suggested she switch to a few
single-sex goldfish to avoid a
population explosion and enjoy
her water garden. Needless to say,
she was devastated by the loss of
her by then, treasured pets, all of
which could have been avoided
had the builder known how to build a proper koi pond and had
appropriately advised the lady on how to make things work.
Another troubling case here locally was a swimming pool
builder who entered into a contract with a homeowner to build
him a fish pond. What the owner got was a miniature shallow
concrete swimming pool painted blue (koi ponds should always
be black to enhance the viewing of the multi-colored fish) with
a two inch bottom drain feeding a typical swimming pool sand
filter with a 3/4 HP Hayward pump drawing about 12 amps
and costing four times as much to run as the typical pumps
used in koi ponds. It was about 30 inches deep and about 15
by 20 feet. The owner had called me to ask why he had to
backwash the filter so often. It turned out that the pond had
been in for over a year and contained around 50 fish anywhere
from babies of five inches to several over 20 inches. The fish
waste from that mob was just too much to make it through the
fine sand in the filter thus necessitating the backflushing
routine a few times a day just to try to keep the water flowing.
After testing, this pond too showed the presence of ammonia
but the owner had been able to keep the fish alive by doing
major and frequent water changes. To put things right, I

Mid-Atlantic Koi January/February 2005

suggested adding a proper filtration system, an aftermarket

bottom drain (necessitating taking a pipe through the wall of
the pond to gravity feed the filtration system), and emptying
the pond in order to coat it with a black rubberized paint from
Hecht Rubber in Florida. I also suggested reducing the number

of fish and adding a skimmer. Today its functional but not

very esthetically pleasing. All of this could have been avoided
had the builder known how to do it right in the beginning.
You only have to do it right once.

Now let's get more specific.

The only difference between a high-end and low-end koi pond
is cost. It can be made out of pretty much anything that will
hold water, from a rubber liner to concrete. The only
difference between one pond and another is in the membrane
that contains the water. Concrete or Gunnite ponds are no
better than liner ponds as far as keeping fish is concerned but
each has characteristics that adapt better in certain
circumstances. Concrete may last longer but all the fish
friendly rubber liners these days carry a 20 year guarantee. And
since none of the liner should be exposed to the sun
(ultraviolet light) anyway, will probably last even longer.
However, for either to work as a safe and healthy environment
for those beautiful living jewels we call koi, certain tenets must
be adhered too. It must be deep enough (a minimum of three
Can Anyone Out There Build a Proper Koi Pond?, continued on page 6

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Can Anyone Out There Build a Proper Koi Pond?, continued from page 5

In addition to the filter system above, we employ skimmers to

clean the surface of the water and ultraviolet lights to help keep
the single celled algae (spelled green water) in check. We place
at least two opposing water returns in the side of the pond to
create a swirling current which not only exercises the fish but
keeps crud in suspension so that it will eventually go the way of
all of the water in the pond down the drains and into the
filter system.

feet four is better and for jumbo koi maybe even eight feet),
and big enough (about 12 feet by 25 feet is a nice size) to allow
for proper exercise for the fish. Just like people, sedentary fish
get big tummies and are less admired as a result. So lets just
say that three to four feet is quite adequate for 99% of the
hobbyists keeping koi.

Once all of the above is understood, digested and applied, the

rest of the total pond project rests with the imagination and
artistic talents of the builder/landscaper and the customer.
Factors which dictate the magnitude of the job are many, not
the least of which is cost but other things like lot size and local
zoning may come in to play as well. But whether high end
(usually spelled EXPENSIVE) or low end, knowledge and
application of the requirements of a proper koi pond should
meet with landscape architecture to create a setting that is both

Also, there must be a proper and adequate filtration system to

accommodate the resident fish load and not only keep the
water clear so we can see our treasures, but free of
contaminants that can cause them harm. Nature provides a
solution, but pond builders and koi keepers need to understand
how this works and use that knowledge.
A proper filtration system is comprised of four components:
1. Purpose built bottom drains, either four or six inch in
size, gravity feeding to 2. A settlement chamber where large particles of debris
and detritus can settle to the bottom by gravity before
flowing to3. A mechanical filter where a series of brushes or other
screening material collects (filters out) the lighter particles
of debris so that the cleanest water possible goes to 4. The biological processing station where Mother Nature
provides "good-guy bacteria" that eat the toxic chemicals
ammonia (given off by the fish and decaying waste) and
nitrite (part of the bio process).
At the end of the filter process is a pump that moves the water
back to the pond in any direction we choose. Maybe a waterfall
or a stream, through a fitting in the side of the pond, whatever.
It all sounds quite simple doesn't it?

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healthy for the fish and esthetically pleasing for the owner.
This is what I advocate and thats the purpose of this article.
It seems that the more people that see koi, the more people
there are that want to own one (or 10 or 50). But to make the
transition from dream to dream pond, there's an awful lot of
information that must be read/seen/heard and assimilated
before one has even a chance at success.
Old Japanese proverb: More to koi stuff than meet eye.

Be sure to attend the MAKC

Executive Committee Meeting
Sunday, February 13th.
More information on page 20.

Mid-Atlantic Koi January/February 2005