about a pond build

[ashbuster]

hi im new to this site and have been viewing it for a few days before i registered,
it seems a lot of people here like to help others
im from the united kingdom and i am intrested in keeping koi but would like some more info on pond,
i have looked in alot of places for help and information on keeping them and would like to see if you can help with my pond,

well in the uk we have cold winters so instead of having a winter pond i was just going to build one pond but would be having it raised 3 foot from the ground but 4 foot deep
making the depth 7 foot deep

would this be best building from brick and having it linered or would it best be done by concreteing it
or
by useing railway sleepers as a side then linering that,
or breeze blocks

also whats the purpose of the drain, other than draining the water
is there any way of leaving the drain out and having some other way of pumping the water out

as im new to this i see alot of different views and would like to ask here
as i see alot of nice ponds

the raised pond im building will have like a big wooden shed over it with insulated sides and a plastic roof
so the sun can still shine through and it will keep the cold out when we have snow or other bad weather
also would stop leaves geting in the pond

is this a good idea?

please help
lol
thanks
ash

[schildkoi]

Hi Ash. First of all, building methods differ in the UK as compared to the US. Here in the US, reinforced concrete block or gunite tend to be the structural systems of choice. The Koi ponds I have visited in the UK have been built utilizing reinforced concrete flooring and block walls rendered in fiberglass but I am sure there are other methods available. Your idea of 2 ft up and 4 down is a good one but those bottom drains are MANDATORY for a koi pond with each covering about a 12 ft diameter area. This allows for the floor to be continually swept free of debrise, pulling solids to a seperation chamber and filtration.

I would suggest that you continue to do more research prior to finalizing your construction plans.

Steve

[ashbuster]

so there is no way to have the drain like from a pipe going over the top of the pond and into the bottom?
and thanks for the reply

[MCA]

Step one...join you local BKKS section. You will be able to get all sorts of local advise. British Koi Keepers Society | The BKKS | For everything Koi in the UK - since 1970

One of the best sites for pond construction info is from Wales: Koi Cymru. Follow the links on the Welsh page to the construction steps. That should answer most of your questions about a proper construction design and installation.

Our pond in Atlanta is 2 feet above ground and 6 feet below. Our koi very much like the 8' depth. While a pond can be too deep for us (too deep to easily net them), it can not be too deep for them. The greater the depth the greater the water volume and typically the more stable the water parameters...including temp.

[Tyson]

I could be wrong but I am quessing that where you want to build your pond is pretty much already done ? as putting a bottom drian in is not hard to do if it is done in advance.
yes you can install a bottom drain in the way you wish (just not as pleasing to the viewer) the biggest draw back is you won't can take advantage of gravity as you would have your pipe work above the water level. So would require a pump to push it to the sediment tank and following filter.

[ashbuster]

ok thanks for all your help
i havent started the pond yet and i wont be untill ive found the best way
i want the koi to be happy as possible so i might think about increasing depth to around 8 foot
so something like 5 foot down and 3 foot high
i will have a good look through the links to the sites you gave me
thanks for your help
planning on doing this in a few months time when ive got as much information as possible


the link for http://www.koicymru.co.uk/ dont work for me
keeps saying problem loading page

[mstrseed]

Quote: Originally Posted by ashbuster the link for Koi Cymru dont work for me keeps saying problem loading page

Must be something with your system, works fine here.

[ashbuster]

its working now lol
thanks
will check it out