Koi Pond Basics

[Baby Ray]

Hello Everyone!!
A friend of my has a concrete fountain kinda thing and she wants to turn it into a Koi pond. She asked me to help her do some research because she knows I have a reef tank but I don't know the first thing about Koi ponds :p
Here is the information I know about the fountain-

• the fountain is about 10 feet by 10 feet by 4 feet (Length, width, height)
• I did the math and I got that it was around 3000 gallons (that could be wrong)
• She told me that there was wiring underground but I don't know if that is helpful
• The fountain in the middle works
• It has a rudimentary spillover drain

That is all I know about the fountain. Do you think this could be turned into a koi pond? It would be really helpful if you guys could just teach me the basics of koi ponds.
Thank you so much!!

 

[Baby Ray]

Bump!

 

[LostInTheDark]

Think of it as an outside fishtank. Regular water changes, good husbandry plus some winter protection. An appropiately sized filter is a must. You need aeration from a waterfall or airpumps, minimal circulation to keep it from going stagnant and a way to keep your pipes from freezing in the winter if that affects you. I also grow a variety of water plants to help with filtration.

 

[Elegance Coral]

I see no reason this couldn't be turned into a koi pond. They don't need to be complicated. Especially, at that size. Pic's of the pond would be helpful.
What part of the world is this pond in?

 

[Baby Ray]

This pond is in central Va and it can get pretty cold here. It can also get pretty warm
Could the fountain in the middle be running to help aerate the pond?

 

[Baby Ray]

I'll ask for pics today.

 

[LostInTheDark]

You would have to make sure you have some sort of filter box over the inlets otherwise they would clog very quickly. Fountains are made to use clean water without any detritus. I,m sure you can come up with something.
My only other concern is what is the fountain made of? Is it painted? If it is poured concrete it may raise your ph too high for Koi. They prefer a lower Ph.

 

[LostInTheDark]

I've never had an issue with my pond getting too warm but I do use aerators in the winter to keep the top from freezing over solid. They don't die from the cold but from a lack of fresh oxygen and trapped gasses from dying plants and decaying waste.

 

[Baby Ray]

You would have to make sure you have some sort of filter box over the inlets otherwise they would clog very quickly. Fountains are made to use clean water without any detritus. I,m sure you can come up with something.
My only other concern is what is the fountain made of? Is it painted? If it is poured concrete it may raise your ph too high for Koi. They prefer a lower Ph.

I think it is poured concrete :(
Is there somesort of covering they could put over top of the concrete?

 

[LostInTheDark]

Depending on the age and how long it has been filled it may not be an issue. It does leach out the contaminants eventually. Koi like a ph of 7 to 7.5. Poured cement can easily raise your ph way above that if it is newer. Is it filled now? you can test the ph and see where its at. That would answer that question quickly.

 

[klesel]

I don't worry about the ph my well water is 7.9 and had koi for many years plus if the fountain been set up for a year or so the lime will have leached out and the ph will stableize .main thing is filtration koi can get large produce a lot of waist there also bottom feeders there basically and pretty carp so they keep bottom churned up so very good filtration is a must .also good air I found if you use big air pump that you can buy the large grey airstones they not only produce o2 but also keep water moving from bottom to the top another tool to help your filters to pull out waste . don't worry about all bells n whistles good water pumps last for years and cost less to run than cheep ones u get at box stores and same goes for filters bigger is better better design means easier to clean and efficient. If you get super cold keep ice from forming solid again air pumps will help with this just needs a hole in the ice to let gasses escape . hope this helps .

 

[Baby Ray]

The fountain isn't filled right now but I think it was filled up and running at one point. Thank you everyone!!
I do have another questions though, how do you hook filtration up? Is that done underground or is it above ground. The fountain already has a spill over drain. How would I hook the filtration up to that?
Thank you!!

 

[Baby Ray]

Would it help if she filled the fountain up now just to let the water cycle through and to let the ph stabalize?

 

[JaimeAdams]

I guess the question is where the spill over goes. If it goes into a big box you could probably rig something up with filter pads. There are filter boxes that sit inside the pond, but granted those are relatively junky. You could run an external filter box using an external pump.

 

[LostInTheDark]

Would it help if she filled the fountain up now just to let the water cycle through and to let the ph stabalize?

Since your going to fill it anyway now is as good a time as any. If you have chloramines in your area make sure you use a good dechlorinator. Let it run a week and test.
As far as hooking up the filters it would depend on the type. Mine has pumps that sit in the pond and push water through pipes to a pressurized filter. All the maintenance is outside the pond.

 

[Baby Ray]

Since your going to fill it anyway now is as good a time as any. If you have chloramines in your area make sure you use a good dechlorinator. Let it run a week and test.
As far as hooking up the filters it would depend on the type. Mine has pumps that sit in the pond and push water through pipes to a pressurized filter. All the maintenance is outside the pond.

My friend uses well water and I'll tell her the sooner she fills it up, the better. Since the fountain isn't mine and she leaves kinda far away, it is making this very difficult because I don't know very much about the fountain. :(
Thank you guys so much for you help!! I can't thank you enough!!

 

[Baby Ray]

So apparently the fountain is filled up with water and I don't think her water has any chlorine or chloramines in it. She told me that the drain takes the water out into a feild so the fountain doesn't over flow. She also told my that they lined the fountain with something. I don't know exactly what that means though.

 

[Baby Ray]

I do have another question for you guys. What is the necessary equipment for a nice koi pond? Just after a couple minutes of research I have found pond skimmers, biological filters, UV lights and cartridge filters.
Also, do you need a bottom drain?
Thank you!!

 

[Baby Ray]

Here are some pictures of the fountain.

 

[LostInTheDark]

pond skimmers, biological filters, UV lights and cartridge filters.

I only use biological filters.
http://www.webbsonline.com/Item/416...C5g6afA921QuAh0f0yCuONqTxba0bp52U7RoC1uvw_wcB
You will get some green water when you first set things up but with a good plant population they will soon overpower any algae outbreaks. If you visit any pond garden center I'm sure someone there can recommend your best options in filters. I like a waterfall to keep some surface agitation and add some gentle sounds. Just keep in mind, ponds are just like reef tanks. You can throw a fortune at them or keep it simple. Often with the same results.