Barebones Requirement for Koi Pond

Whatever you re reason for wanting to start a Koi pond; you may find the range of
options to be quite overwhelming. It is feasible to spend thousands and thousand
s of dollars on your Koi pond before even purchasing any fish! If you re just sta
rting, however, you may want to start with something a little more budget friend
ly to determine if Koi ponds are right for you. This guide will cover the absol
ute essentials of setting up your first Koi pond for just a few hundred dollars
and some honest elbow grease. In the future, you may become a very successful K
oi breeder, but for now let s focus on setting up a functional pond that do well e
nough to keep your fish healthy and happy. After you get the pond in place, fun
ctioning, and stable enough to support the Koi you purchase then, and only then, w
ould you truly be ready to sink into the investment of purchasing the Koi fish t
hemselves.
To begin, you will need the following five items:
1.) A Pond Liner Simply put, a pond liner will hold the water in your pond. If
you dig a hole in the ground and put water in it, it will be absorbed into the s
oil (unless you re talking about a LOT of water). Furthermore, you want to separat
e you Koi s environment from outside contaminants as much as possible. Consider e
ither uPVC or Butyl; both are readily available from your local home improvement
store. If your hole has lots of sharp rocks in it, you may want to purchase so
me extra layers or padding to protect the liner. Since the padding will not com
e in contact with the Koi, anything resistant to shredding will work, even an ol
d rug.
2.) A Filter
You cannot have a Koi pond without a filter. Your filtration needs
will depend on the volume of your pond, which means that if you want to save yo
u should start will a smaller pond. Unless you are skilled in fabricating your o
wn aquarium filters, you would be best served by purchasing a filter in the stor
e. You need a filter to remove debris, bacteria, and toxins from the water. If
you re working on a budget, take a good look at the filter prices and their recom
mended replacement intervals making sure to factor that cost into your calculati
ons.
3.) A Pond Pump
This will work in conjunction with the filter to clean your pond
water. It is absolutely essential to your Koi s survival to have a working pump
at all times. If you can afford it, you should always keep a backup pump on han
d in case of a failure. Make sure to check with your aquarium supply dealer reg
arding pump efficiency. A general rule of thumb is that your pump should be abl
e to circulate the entire pond s volume within a couple of hours.
4.) A UV Clarifier This is a special piece of equipment that fits between the pu
mp and the filter. It uses UV rays to help the filter remove algae from the pon
d water. Algae are a special concern in Koi ponds since it is often too small t
o be caught by most filtration systems. The UV rays will cause algae particles
to bond together so that they are large enough to be filtered out of the water.
It is feasible to remove algae from the pond by chemical methods, but this is co
nsidered hazardous to the Koi.
5.) A Test Kit Even experts need test kits. The quality of your Koi s water must
be checked frequently. One of the most dangerous chemicals to your Koi is ammoni
a, which can be detected by neither sight nor smell. You will need two differen
t types of test kits, one for pH, and one for nitrate (which will indicate filte
r performance). Ensuring the quality of your Koi s water is a major factor in how
long they will survive.

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