A
view of the pond and waterfall before the shade net roof was
fitted.
The pond takes 15 000 litres, and is 9m long including the small grow-out pond.
It is 3m wide at its widest and is approx 1m deep.
Well
here we have the finished product. Its amazing how many things
you need to do after you think you're finished. I had to erect
a shade net roof over the pond to keep the leaves and twigs
out of the water. I used treated poles and normal shade netting
for this purpose and I think that without it the Pond would
have turned into a maintenance nightmare.
Click on
this photo or the one below to see a larger image. (about
100kb)
I
also had to enclose the whole thing with bird netting.
A task I had to perform after losing a few fish to a bird called a Hadeda in
local terms. Its a kind of Ibis and wreaks havoc amongst Koi keepers in towns
and cities. Now they can't get in and the fish are safe.
One disadvantage of having to enclose the pond with shadenetting is that you
can't really keep waterplants like lilies and such which need a large amount
of direct sunlight regularly for them to flourish.
However algae won't be a big problem so you must decide which you prefer.
Epilogue: After
the building and everything is done I am sure that many a Pond
Keeper has had the benfit of 20/20 hindsight on the whole process.
Now you can come to understand the amount of work that went into it and the changes
you should have made etc. I think no-one could say that he or she has built the
perfect pond and that they'd do nothing differently if they had to do it again.
However, stand aside and looking at what you'd accomplished brings a large amount
of pride at your handiwork and thankfulness that its now finished!
A warning here however, I think should be added: Be careful of what other people
tell you, many pond-equipment retailers and shopkeepers will try and sell you
something you don't need because "It the only thing that really works". Many
of them are only interested in making money from you. Not all are like that,
I must add, but do some research before deciding on something.
The filtration system
is one example. Me and a friend of mine went around to many koi places and we
heard many different conflicting stories. But when you got down to it basic was
better. Thats why I decided on doing the filter the way I did.
It was inexpensive compared to the so-called high-tech systems we saw and it
does the job just as well - if not better.
So what I am basically trying to tell you is that don't buy at the first place
that looks good. Shop around and do your homework and you'll end up with something
spectacular and a pleasure to maintain. Happy Ponding.
This website started with a
booklet which I made up originally for the help of those members of the BKKS
- South Wales Section who were intending to start building a koi pond, and as the website has expanded more information and articles from other people have been included. This
is for general guidance only, and we do not take any responsibility for problems
that might occur by following these ideas. It is important
that you check out everything in your area, and check on local laws and rules
that may apply.
