Want a Koi Pond? Get a Clue
Liner ponds leak, concrete ponds leach. Fish get diseases if they are not eaten first. Algae are a constant problem. And what about mosquitoes and West or East Nile Virus?
Ponds are high maintenance, so do I get a pressurized bead bio-filter? Do I get an up-flow filter or down-flow filter? Or a side-flow? How about a waterfall? Bio-falls? Pondless falls? Liner fall? Concrete fall?
I had a pond once, and you could not see the fish for the algae. Someone said to use algaecide, and somebody else said to get a U.V. Someone said to get more plants, and someone else said I had too many fish for the size of my pond. No problem…a crane ate half of them and last month a raccoon ate the rest.
Someone said I need a scarecrow sprinkler or a pond net. I asked, What for? I don’t have any fish, only lots of mosquitoes. So someone else said, buy some mosquito fish, you can get them free from the Department of Fish and Game. I got the mosquito fish, and my sump pump that the liner guy installed in my liner pond ate all my mosquito fish.
My pump was plugged with mosquito larvae and dead mosquito fish. Someone said I could scrape them off the pump screen with a kitchen knife. That worked well, but I accidentally stabbed the liner. I Googled leaky liner and found someone who calls himself The Fall Guy. He said I should get rid of my sump pump and liner and install a concrete and rebar pond with bottom drains and a high-performance, low-energy centrifugal pump, a pressurized back-flushable filter, a U.V. light, and an electronic auto-fill system.
He said that, unlike liners that have no warranty against acts of nature, concrete and rebar ponds which are built and sealed properly will last for decades. Plus, with the proper design and equipment, they will be next to maintenance-free.
I said, okay!
It cost me 20 percent more to do all this than what the original liner pond cost me to be installed.
It’s been 5 ½ years, I have a wooden deck built around my pond 14 inches above the pond surface. The pond is 3 feet deep in the shallow end, and 5 feet in the deep end. Raccoons hang onto the deck, lean over, and swipe at the surface of the water. Cranes stand at the edge wishing the pond was shallower or that they could bend down that far so they can scarf up a scaly snack. Their eyes are pathetic. I almost find myself sprinting to the kitchen to find them a snack. NOT!
Once a week I turn the handle on my bio-filter and back-flush the brown, nitrogen-laden waste water into several 5-gallon buckets from an attached flexible pool filter hose. Then I water my trees and plants with it. Talk about miracle grow!
After 1 to 2 minutes of back flushing, I pull the wiper plunger on my U.V. a few times to clean off the internal quartz lens housing the U.V. bulb. The film (pond scum) is instantly removed from the lens, giving the U.V. bulb 6 months of extra life.
The U.V. light kills pathogens that cause illness to my fish and other bacteria that cause the pond to stink. It also kills what is known as planktonic algae that turn the pond green. Twice a year I throw in some rock salt to keep the salt level at a specific gravity of 1.0. The fish have a healthy skin coat, my plants are happy, and string algae are virtually nonexistent. My water is crystal clear, and an electronic aquafill maintains the level of the water automatically.
Look before you leap and research before you weep.
Happy koi, peace and joy.
About the Author
Douglas C. Hoover, CEO of Aquamedia Corp, master Waterfall Builder, freelance writer and author designer, architect, inventor, engineer, writer, author and builder of over 2,000 waterfall and ponds in California or the past 30 years. Watch a HowTo video at YouTube. Inventor and manufacturer of the “AquaFill” T.M., electronic float control system for ponds, pools, fountains and hot tubs. Aquamedia also manufactures the Solar Oven Dehydrator Kit.
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Sunterra 300106 Pond Bio-Filter 1000 Gallons, Black $79.75 This pond filter boasts a bio-filtration system consisting of mechanical, foam and biological filters. The foam filters trap debris and the biological filter nurtures beneficial bacteria. Keep a balanced ecosystem in your contained pond. Compatible With: Small ponds, Treatment Period: Continuous, Treatment Capacity (gal.): Up to 1,000, Includes (qty.): 1 filter… |
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Becket 7109810 750-Gallon Pressure Filter $92.99 Out of pond filter with pressure discharge. Provides biological filtration. Can be partially buried to conceal. Availability: 750 Model – For ponds up to 750 gallons, use 300 to 600 GPH pump, not included. 1″ ID tubing connections. 9 watt UV included. 3000 Model- For ponds up to 1100 gallons, use 1000 to 1200 GPH pump, not included. 1″ ID tubing connections. Includes an easy maintenance backflush … |
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Sunterra 300206 Pond Bio-Filter 2000 Gallons, Black $126.88 Sunterra Bio Filter for Koi Ponds up to 2000 Gallons… |
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Green Reset 40 Pressurized Pond Filter With 20w Uv (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Pond Liners Filters) Green Reset 40 Pressurized Pond Filter With 20w Uv. Green reset 40 pressurized pond filter with 20w uv… |
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Pressurized Uv+bio Pond Filter 9watt (ponds To 1000gal) (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Pond Liners Filters) Pressurized Uv+bio Pond Filter 9watt (ponds To 1000gal). Pressurized models offer the greatest installation versatility as they can be buried and installed above or below desired outlet level eg at the bottom of a waterfall Fish Mate pressurized models feature a unique slimline lid making the units inconspicuous when buried * Combined UV and Biological Filtration for crystal clear purified water*… |
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Compact Pressurized Pond Filter Cpf 2000 1800gph With Uv Light (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Pond Liners Filters) Compact Pressurized Pond Filter Cpf 2000 1800gph With Uv Light. DANNER MFG – CPF 2000U Compact Press Filter wUV up to 1000 gal pondPerfect for filtering systems for small ponds and water features Designed to reduce required maintenance while establishing a healthy environment for fish and aquatic plantsCan be conveniently located in or near a pond or patio container2000 gallon capacity with 11 wa… |
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Lifesaver Bottle 6000 Ultra Filtration Water Bottle $179.99 Developed in response to natural disasters such as 2004′s tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and in response to the world’s increasingly threatened supply of clean, drinkable water, the Lifesaver 6000 Ultra Filtration Water Bottle is a simple-to-use, chemical-free water purification system that removes water-borne pathogens and reduces chemical residues from the water making it safe to drink anywhere…. |