My
name is Alfonso and I live in Mexico City, and after almost
18 months of planning I have just finished a huge pond in my
weekend home at the state of Morelos.
Semi tropical weather: Lowest temperature during winter is
14°C and the highest
during summer is 32°C so it wasn´t required a heating system.
It is only 3.5 feet deep and doesn´t have any bottom drains,
I prefer to use the same system as is
used to vacumm swimming pools, and it only takes 30 minutes. I
used to sweep it once a month, but now I'm doing it weekly, because
the koi are growing at a fast rate, and they are generating more
debris and also the volcanic ashes have been falling to the pond
since the Popocatepeti increased it's eruptive activity.
The filter is a gravity fed multi chamber (6 bays) made of concrete.
The water passes to the first chamber through a plastic panel (egg
crate) that is 80cm wide and 15cm tall at the surface, so it wasn´t
necessary to install a power skimmer because the flow with the
help of the wind continously remove any floating debris. In the
first three bays I have commercial floor scrubbing pads, in the
fourth and fifth I have nylon pot scourers, and the last bay was
reserved for plants to create a vegetable filter.
Pond
details
Gallonage
Dimensions
Construction
Shape
Bottom drains
Filter feed
Year completed
Time to complete
15,640. (71,100 litres).
13.5m x 5.0m x 1.10m deep.
Concrete block, rendered.
Informal.
None.
Filter grid through pond wall.
July 2000.
5 months.
Filter
details
Gallonage
Type
Media Bay 1, 2, & 3
Media Bay 4 & 5
Media Bay 6
Settlement chamber
Aeration
1080. (4,900 litres).
6 bay concrete.
Commercial floor scrubbing pads.
Nylon pot scourers.
Vegtable filter has died. To be changed to pot scourers.
None.
None.
Pump
details
Type, make, etc
Pumping capacity
Location
Water return
3/4hp swimming pool pump.
3,500gals/hr.
Chamber after filters.
3 venturi. 3 waterfall.
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.
