Hello all this is my first post,and im so glad i have found such an exciting forum like this

Im relatively new to this hobby as its only my first year which my koi have spawned 4 times??? so i need some urgent help with regards to building a pond around 10 000l-15 000l.i originally have a 5000l pond and its far too small for my fish and it does not have a drainage system so it is stressfull at times with algae and muck taking over as everything is just horribly wrong, and i so badly want my koi to be happy koi.so with regard to the building specifications, drainage system,filter setup,piping etc what would be the best option?im going to incorporate a waterfall and make my pond 1.6 m deep as i think thats the standard depth?i will take before and after photos as this project must get underway asap like yesterday already.i know this is a long shot but anyones help would be much appreciated!

Kind Regards sean in east london

Hey, I'm also a n00bie to the scene too but a lot of the questions you're asking are readily available.
Do some google searching on pond building/plumbing/filtration.


"i need some urgent help with regards to building a pond around 10 000l-15 000l.i originally have a 5000l pond and its far too small for my fish and it does not have a drainage system so it is stressfull at times with algae and muck taking over as everything is just horribly wrong"
The first 12 months after buidling your pond will be the most difficult to control water colour, there are addatives to assist you. Also check that your UV lighting is set up correctly for the volume pond you have (you said you upgraded - I ussume the UV lighting has been too?)


"with regard to the building specifications, drainage system,filter setup,piping etc what would be the best option"
This is highly dependable on your pond design - Go to some local Koi retailers for the best advice. Usually I think the specification is: ONE bottom drain pipe per 15000 litres of water and a 75% bottom to filter and 25% top to filter. Again google is your friend.

"im going to incorporate a waterfall and make my pond 1.6 m deep as i think thats the standard depth?"
There is no standard depth per say but pond depths over 1m are less succeptable to rapid temperature fluctuations (Bad for Koi)
Be careful though because your flow/filters etc NEED to be able to cope with the volume change. Have a look at the costing of adequate equipment BEFORE you even begin.

Cheers

2fast2hot wrote:

Hello all this is my first post,and im so glad i have found such an exciting forum like this

Im relatively new to this hobby as its only my first year which my koi have spawned 4 times??? so i need some urgent help with regards to building a pond around 10 000l-15 000l.i originally have a 5000l pond and its far too small for my fish and it does not have a drainage system so it is stressfull at times with algae and muck taking over as everything is just horribly wrong, and i so badly want my koi to be happy koi.so with regard to the building specifications, drainage system,filter setup,piping etc what would be the best option?im going to incorporate a waterfall and make my pond 1.6 m deep as i think thats the standard depth?i will take before and after photos as this project must get underway asap like yesterday already.i know this is a long shot but anyones help would be much appreciated!

Kind Regards sean in east london

Hi there and welcome.

A pond of between 10 000 and 15 000 is a nice size. Remember that 80% of hobbyist will tell you after they done a pond that they wish they made it bigger. A depth of 1.6 is also good.

It all depends on your budget. How much are you prepared to spend, and are you going to do it yourself, do you like a formal pond or natural pond?

Are you planning to build above ground of below ground level? If parlty above, it makes it easier with filtration and you can incorporate a viewing window.

I believe that the best systems is those partly above and partly below. Your pond stays much cleaner if partly above ground level because it is protected from dust and leaves, it is better to view your fish from a raised level and I am personally very fond of a viewing window, as you can experience your koi far better because you can view them from a distance. I like the pond of Jan Olivier very much. Herewith a photo. Maybe you should consider something like this.

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Show us where in your garden you are planning to build the pond. Is it level? Close to your entertainment area?

Filtration systems depend on your budget. There are so many options which you can view under filtration. A 110 mm bottom drain is an absolute necessity. The latest trend is to go for gravity fed systems with low wattage pumps due to the very high electricity costs.

thank you guys for the much needed feedback.i have decided to go with these specifications for the pond.4m x 4m x 1.6m deep x 1000= 25 600 l.i am going to be doing everything myself but need to gather all the info i can, before the project starts.i would then need 2 bottom drains for the pond?and what is a skimmer?and what is it used for?and also what is the function of settlement chambers is it a must have for my pond?i would like to stay away from using salt mixed with plaster cement for the walls as i read how much trouble poor albie had with that,even though i read he apparently used too much,they say the worst things happen to good people!whats my best option with regard to the best sealant as i would never afford marbelite unfortunately .thanks all this forum is such a great help and inspiration to newbies

Sean

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the pond is going to be below ground as im going to break the exhisting pond out and i would like to keep it natural as im going to incorporate sandstone rocks with the pond.my budget is around R10 000 would that be sufficient?another thing is i do domestic and industrial paving so i have plenty 50mm bond pavers lying around would that be fine for the construction of the walls?im excited but nervous at the same time cant wait.

Regards sean

Sean, to do the pond only, filtration, pump/s, digging, labour excluded, it might be possible to spend only R 10 000, but it is going to be difficult.

Lets see, very roughly: (minimum)

Building blocks 190 (4m x 4m) if you go that route: 330 x R 7 = R 2300
Sand: R 1000.00
Stone: R 1000.00
Iron reinforcing: R 1500.00
Sealer: R 2000.00
Bottom drains x 2: R 800.00
Piping & fittings: R 800.00
Skimmer: R 600.00

Total R 10 000.00

Why don't you go a bit smaller and use your current pond as veggie filter? Water flowing from your new pond into old pond via a waterfall and you pump from your old pond back to new pond?

thank you for the reply.the thing is im limited with space.and what is the idea behind a veggie filter?sorry for all the questions but the more info i can get the better.i could push for 12k but i think that would be the maximum.

Regards

2fast2hot wrote:

thank you guys for the much needed feedback.i have decided to go with these specifications for the pond.4m x 4m x 1.6m deep x 1000= 25 600 l.i am going to be doing everything myself but need to gather all the info i can, before the project starts.i would then need 2 bottom drains for the pond?and what is a skimmer?and what is it used for?and also what is the function of settlement chambers is it a must have for my pond?i would like to stay away from using salt mixed with plaster cement for the walls as i read how much trouble poor albie had with that,even though i read he apparently used too much,they say the worst things happen to good people!whats my best option with regard to the best sealant as i would never afford marbelite unfortunately .thanks all this forum is such a great help and inspiration to newbies

Sean

Hi Sean,

I think your calculations are slightly off

Take a piece of string and lay it round the perimeter of your pond .. then measure that piece of string to see how long it is .. in this example we shall say we end up with our string having a length of 52.49328 ft ...

Yours is
52.49328ft or 16 meters

So lets take that 52.49328 ft and divide that by 4 = 13.12332

Yours is
52.49328 ft/4=13.12332 ft

multiply that by itself, i.e. 13.12332 ft x 13.12332 ft and this will give you 172.2215278224 and that is your surface area ...

Your pond surface area is
172.2215278224 ft surface area or 52.49312 meters


next we multiply that by your depth - lets say 5.249328 ft again and we then have a figure of 904.0472882009033472

172.2215278224x=904.0472882009033472

which we then multiply by that magic formula 6.23 to end up with 21320.25 gallons or 21320.25 liters

add a 25% factor if your pond is in the sun (or a 17.5% if it's shady) and your desired turnover rate (rate at which your pump should take to circulate your water fully) is 26650.3125 liters (wanted scenario) or about 17766.875 liters every 1.5 hours (Acceptable) or a minimum of 13325.15625 liters every two hours (not desirable)

Shop around for a pump that can handle this and then base your filtration system on liters per minute or per hours capacity that will handle this volume water flow.

I was initially going to put liner in my pond but I hear it does age in the sun after a while so I'm cementing with reinforcing and doing sealant.
What sealant is still undecided mostly because I want to speak to people and get their opinion on quality of products and toxins that will not affect the koi in any way. Speak to your koi supplier.

A settlement chamber is a crucial part of your filtration system allowing all solids in the water to settle at the bottom where they will not clog up your bio media, and other filtration devices allowing your bio filter to work correctly by neutralizing the ammonia that fish produce.

I found these two article on the net released compliments of South African Koi Keeping Society and Happy Koi. Perhaps it can assist. (Refer to the below links)


Practical guide to koi
Pond filtration basics

thank you so much for taking your time on providing me with this usefull and important information.its people like yourself who go the extra mile to help people out and thats what makes this forum so much more better.

Best regards sean

Hi Solbane

I believe your calculation method with a string is a good method for calculating irregular shape ponds. This will only give you a volume more or less.

However, with rectangular or square ponds, you purely multiply width by lenght by depth to get the exact volume.

I agree with Sean's calculation of 25600 liters, provided that he fill the pond right to the top, filtration excluded.

Anybody know whats the cost of the glass for viewing pond and where one can purchase it in Cape Town? Probably about 2m X 0.5m.