Who is the resident koi/garden pond expert?? Complete novice here!!

[lftd&pwrstrok'n]

I have the majority of the supplies to start a garden pond/koi pond. But, being a complete rookie, have many questions. First off, I have a homemade filter system in which the water enters the bottom, rises and then overflows back into the pond. Would it be possible to make a sand/charcoal filter out of this? Primarily the pond will be used for ducks, but I would also like to have koi (and yes, I will section the pond(s) off so that koi and ducks are separate. Depending on the probability of this type of filter cleaning the water good enough for koi from the nasty ass ducks (girlfriends, not mine), does anyone have any experience setting up something like this? This filter will be at the head of the pond/streams and I will be placing another filter at the end to catch debris and house the pump. At this time, I have 3 flexible liners and 2 hard plastic liners that I plan on making 3 "ponds" and a stream, all connected together. Any help/ideas/suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

 

[guard66s]

What I would do if I were you would be to make one section (the duck section) a natural filtration system, by that I mean use plants to filter your water. Ducks and their waste will raise the nitrate and then ammonia and then CO2 levels.... use aquatic plats to balance that out. They will oxygenate the water and consume the waste. Second, for your filter intakes you can device a basket system that will fit over them, you can then fill said baskets with some sort of filtration (I'd recommend lava rock) that can act as a pre-filter to the main filter. Lava rock makes a great filtration system, and it's easy to clean. Can you devise some sort of sump/biological filtration system? Bio-filters are also great for keeping your ammonia and nitrate levels down. Are you going to use concrete? When my Dad used to build ponds and I assisted we would do concrete, then liner then concrete again. Not only is it more durable and cheaper in the long run, but it looks WAY better. Also, finally, I would look into some sort of UV sterilization system to kill any bad bugs. You can do it post sump/main filtration system before the water is sent back into the pond. I used to take care of my G-pas 6,000 gallon pond and the UV sterilizers were essential to the long term health of our koi.

 

[guard66s]

I have my favorite koi from that pond tattooed on my back!

 

[Grdbreaker]

I maintain a large koi pond for my parents.The pump moves 5k gallons per hr n a 4k gallon pond.We use a main supply 100 gallon drum with a filter bag and 2 filter elements with a skimmer pick up with another 2 filter elements and a catch basket.The layout is pond liner covered with rock/pebbles,They have 25 or so koi in different sizes the largest being 24".They have a few plants but the strong flow of water gives it plenty of oxygen.The set up is source of flow with a 1/6 size of living pond upper pond (sediment trap) with a small stream that flows into living area pond.This allows for the upper pond to be cleaned seperately from the lower and is very easy to maintain. I would dig out whatever size/shape you desire,layer entire pond with liner and rock/landscape as you wish.My experience with several small liners combined together is a leaking nightmare! Stone Forest in Kennesaw has everything you will need.770 590 1700

 

[lftd&pwrstrok'n]

The problem w/ using plants as natural filters, ducks eat everything. So, I would have to keep majority of plants outside of the duck area, which is possible. I think I am just going to forget about the idea of having koi in the same system as the ducks. I can use one of the ponds for plants, use mechanical filters and then have the ducks a swimming area separated from everything else...

 

[lftd&pwrstrok'n]

My experience with several small liners combined together is a leaking nightmare!

I take it that the adhesives to bond pond liners together are no good?

 

[rugerceltics13]

i'm gonna rehome 2 of my pond fish. i got them from a friend when he shut down his pond and they've been in my tank for a few months. now my oscar has gotten too big and i'm afraid he might eat them. let me know if u want them

 

[Grdbreaker]

I take it that the adhesives to bond pond liners together are no good?

make sure everthing is overlapped with the grade,just like shingles on a roof,no adhesives would be needed.One large piece is best .pm me and we can talk via phone /txt, shawn

 

[GAGunguy]

I have a similiar set up at grdbreaker.

Upper pond, stream to lower pond, waterfall at upper pond. Rubber liner covered in cobblestones and flat stones. The upper filter is a Rubbermaid 100 gallon container, filled with milk crates of lava rock, and wrapped in filter material. Lower pond has a pump in a milk crate, lava rock and covered with a mesh filter. Once a season clean out of the upper filter usually is about a 5 gal worth of black sludge. Pond water stays nice and clear with various lily's, lily pads, frogs, koi and regular orange goldfish. If the lower pond level drops we check for leaks in the stream.

Its critical to have enough de-clorinator on hand if you need to refill, chlorine will kill koi and goldfish. Also they make a pellet that gets rid of sludge in the water, add as needed. And finally, salt to keep the ph right, once a year or so about a lb in the stream, it keeps the ph right and promotes good scale development.

Other than that, keep a statue of a crane nearby, or you'll likely lose your fish once the cranes find your pond. They will clean it out if they can. A statue keeps them away.

 

[Grdbreaker]

I have a similiar set up at grdbreaker.

Upper pond, stream to lower pond, waterfall at upper pond. View attachment 194576View attachment 194577View attachment 194578 Rubber liner covered in cobblestones and flat stones. The upper filter is a Rubbermaid 100 gallon container, filled with milk crates of lava rock, and wrapped in filter material. Lower pond has a pump in a milk crate, lava rock and covered with a mesh filter. Once a season clean out of the upper filter usually is about a 5 gal worth of black sludge. Pond water stays nice and clear with various lily's, lily pads, frogs, koi and regular orange goldfish. If the lower pond level drops we check for leaks in the stream.

Its critical to have enough de-clorinator on hand if you need to refill, chlorine will kill koi and goldfish. Also they make a pellet that gets rid of sludge in the water, add as needed. And finally, salt to keep the ph right, once a year or so about a lb in the stream, it keeps the ph right and promotes good scale development.

Other than that, keep a statue of a crane nearby, or you'll likely lose your fish once the cranes find your pond. They will clean it out if they can. A statue keeps them away.

my statue didnt work and i had to resort to a black net,it does help keep leaves and such out of system as well.