small clay ponds for koi

[saltydog]

Hello
I live in the west of Ireland and i wish to build a pond for koi,the soil is havy clay and the pond would be fed by the run off from a hill side.I have already made asmll pond and wish to build amuch larger one(not the size of pofessinal mud ponds)My ideal is that the pond be self sustaining.I would like to keep a dozen or lass Koi ,has any one any advice on surface are,depth ,planting,food requirements(i work away from home so the pond would be left to fend for its self for up to four mounths.),agood system for draining,i do not plan a dam more ahole in the ground,and also how to deter herons

[evabug1]

I hear netting over the pond surface, make sure the water is a minimum of 3 feet deep (especially around the edges so it can't walk into the water), and you could use a Scarecrow or two are all good deterrents for herons. The Scarecrow is motion activated and sprays water in an arc when it detects movement.

About the rest well if your going to be gone for long periods of time you may only want to start with a couple of small, expendable koi and see how they do. The water parameters have to remain fairly stable in order for koi to flourish. Having a larger body of water will help.