KOI PONDS
 A pond designed to display and keep large Koi carp successfully will differ radically from all other types of fish pond. Most experts will agree that the best way to keep Koi is in well filtered crystal clear water.
Design and Construction: The basic requirements are a capacity of at least 1000 gallons, a depth of three to five feet and a sophisticated 'complete' filtration system. Your choice of construction material will influence the shape of the pond. If you decide to build the pond using blockwork or concrete it is likely to have straight vertical sides whereas a pond built with a flexible liner can be any shape you desire. If you are going to use a gravity feed filtration system, the base of the pond should be constructed with a gentle slope towards a bottom drain to direct solid waste from the bottom of the pond into the filter.
Equipment: The filtration system is the key to successful Koi keeping. You can buy a purpose built filter or build your own
multi-bay filter and fit it with a range of different filter mediums to optimise efficiency. The filter can either be pump fed, in which case it will be raised, or gravity fed where it will be set at the same level as the pond. Ultra violet units are essential for koi ponds, we recommend the TMC ProClear Advantage UV's for Koi.
 Plants: Large koi will destroy plants and turn the water murky by foraging in the soil. This is unfortunate because plants play an important part in improving the water quality. If possible it would be a good idea to create a separate planting area to act as what is described as a 'vegetable filter'. This could take the form of a raised pond that is fed by the filter system from where water flows down into the main Koi pond. Without plants in the system it will be necessary to monitor the nitrate level in the water and to change some of the water on a regular basis.
Fish: If you have built your Koi pond as described above, you can have confidence that even the best quality Japanese Koi will feel at home! Choose your fish carefully and only add them one or two at a time. Monitor the water quality by testing for ammonia, nitrite and pH whilst building up the stock. You can buy small fish to grow on, or larger mature fish. You can mix any combination of sizes as long as you do not overstock the pond. The number of fish your pond can support is dependent on the design of the pond, the efficiency of the filter and the size of the fish.
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