Simplest Koi Pond

[Maridia]

Hello everyone! I have long term plans to build a Koi pond from scratch, but do not yet know if I will dig or if I will have an over the ground one... Just occurred to me, can you get a very big Rubbermaid tote and have it outside and create a simple set up? Not sure how big they make them, but I think they can be as large as 500G. Can this be a make shift Koi pond?

 

[Brookster123]

That's what my lfs has.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[emerald76]

How many koi do you want to keep?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[MICEY]

feed stores sell huge water troughs for a few hundred dollars , you can dig them in or leave of the surface
if you live where it gets cold it would be better to have it in the ground

 

[Maridia]

It can get pretty frigid where I live. I'm not sure how many Koi I would house, but I would only get as many as can fit in whatever trough I can get. I was mostly curious if it could be done at all. What would probably be the minimum for say, 3-4 Koi?

 

[emerald76]

It's 1.5 in of koi per 1 sq foot of water space so full grown at about 24 in you will need for four koi a tub with64 sq ft of surface area


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[emerald76]

And koi ponds should be at least 3 feet deep


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[jlk]

A general recommendation is 500g per koi though more serious keepers suggest 750-1000g per koi.

Weather and temperature are major considerations in any type of outdoor pond as extreme heat and cold are dangerous if you are not properly equipped and prepared to handle them. Feel free to ask any questions!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Maridia]

We do get extremes here. Thanks everyone for pitching in.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[BBradbury]

Outdoor Pond

Hello everyone! I have long term plans to build a Koi pond from scratch, but do not yet know if I will dig or if I will have an over the ground one... Just occurred to me, can you get a very big Rubbermaid tote and have it outside and create a simple set up? Not sure how big they make them, but I think they can be as large as 500G. Can this be a make shift Koi pond?

Hello Mar...

Go with a galvanized livestock trough. They'll last in all weather conditions and come in all sizes. You can use bags of play sand to level the trough and use landscaping bricks to pretty it up. I'd use some concrete blocks in the tank to hold some flower pots and emerse the root balls of Chinese evergreen for shade. Set up the tank in such a way that it will get full sun for most of the day and shade toward afternoon. A trough that's roughly four feet across and a couple of feet deep is plenty large enough.

Have fun.

B

 

[jetajockey]

Sorry but I disagree. Koi need pretty substantially sized setups to really thrive.

A stock trough or rubbermaid tote works fine for goldies, but I wouldn't put koi in one as a long term home.

And as mentioned, the weather is a huge factor. If it gets cold there, you'll want something in-ground to help insulate it. It also needs to be deep, 3-4 feet at the minimum. So in my opinion, the best route to go is to use a liner and dig an appropriate pond.

 

[BBradbury]

Outdoor Pond

Sorry but I disagree. Koi need pretty substantially sized setups to really thrive.

A stock trough or rubbermaid tote works fine for goldies, but I wouldn't put koi in one as a long term home.
And as mentioned, the weather is a huge factor. If it gets cold there, you'll want something in-ground to help insulate it. It also needs to be deep, 3-4 feet at the minimum. So in my opinion, the best route to go is to use a liner and dig an appropriate pond.

Hello jet...

Interesting. There may be advantages to a somewhat smaller pond that sits above ground. The work can be done in a weekend with no heavy lifting and you avoid the trouble of contacting the local utilities companies because there's no digging. The fish don't have to be Koi. They can be Mosquito fish, Goldfish, very similar to Koi in many respects, but 4 inches max, Bitterlings or Flagfish, just to name a few. You can heat the pond with a a couple of standard aquarium heaters up until the first frost or so and have a tank set up inside to move the fish. Again, not a lot of work. Come late spring or early summer you return the fish.

I'm excited about this project. Believe I'll give it a go next spring. I've got the back yard already. Attached is a pic of part of it this past spring. This is the next step in the water keeping hobby. I'll just need to brainstorm a spot for the pond.

As always, thanks for the input.

B

 

[NatureFish]

Honestly I wouldn't do a trough. Koi are big babies and if you have fluctuations in parameters they won't do well. They need something huge as I've seen some 3' long. If you want something above ground (its cheaper) I would go with an above ground intex pool. I've never used it but its 4' deep and PLENTY of room for up to 8 koi. Just don't get pool chemicals or filters obviously. Just buy the pool itself and your good to go. They aren't very expensive if you don't buy everything it suggests. You could do a filterless koi pond with that if you wanted to, but if you did use a pool like that I would only have 3-5 koi so you reduce the amount of cleaning you'll have to do. Another plus to using a pool like that is you can swim with your wet friends!


NatureFish
????

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Nat...

I'll go with a galvanized trough. It's 6 feet long by 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep. I've got some landscaping blocks, I'll stack around it to cover it. I've got a lot of different colored iris next to it and will include some potted water plants like chinese evergreen, water lilies, dwarf cattails and some Hornwort and Pond weed. Petco has the multicolored goldfish that look a lot like Koi. I have an old 38 gallon tank I'll put together to house the fish during the winter.

This type of pond isn't as labor intensive as something deep and at ground level and low maintenance.

Easy peezee.

B

 

[jlk]

Honestly I wouldn't do a trough. Koi are big babies and if you have fluctuations in parameters they won't do well. They need something huge as I've seen some 3' long. If you want something above ground (its cheaper) I would go with an above ground intex pool. I've never used it but its 4' deep and PLENTY of room for up to 8 koi. Just don't get pool chemicals or filters obviously. Just buy the pool itself and your good to go. They aren't very expensive if you don't buy everything it suggests. You could do a filterless koi pond with that if you wanted to, but if you did use a pool like that I would only have 3-5 koi so you reduce the amount of cleaning you'll have to do. Another plus to using a pool like that is you can swim with your wet friends!


NatureFish
????

Intex pools only work seasonally. They are not designed to withstand weather fluctuations. The material becomes brittle and cracks in the cold. Even temporary setups need filtration as well- it doesn't matter if they are indoors or outdoors.




Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[jetajockey]

Hello Nat...

I'll go with a galvanized trough. It's 6 feet long by 2 feet wide and 2 feet deep. I've got some landscaping blocks, I'll stack around it to cover it. I've got a lot of different colored iris next to it and will include some potted water plants like chinese evergreen, water lilies, dwarf cattails and some Hornwort and Pond weed. Petco has the multicolored goldfish that look a lot like Koi. I have an old 38 gallon tank I'll put together to house the fish during the winter.

This type of pond isn't as labor intensive as something deep and at ground level and low maintenance.

Easy peezee.

B

The only thing is, this thread is about building a koi pond.

Those troughs are nice, though, I use 10x2ft plastic cattle bunk feeders (4 of them) as aquaponics growbeds.

 

[BBradbury]

Koi Ponds

Hello again jet...

Point taken on the subject matter. Do I get some credit for presenting a smaller alternative to the full scale koi pond?

Sorry. Just kidding.

B

 

[Brookster123]

Hello again jet...

Point taken on the subject matter. Do I get some credit for presenting a smaller alternative to the full scale koi pond?

Sorry. Just kidding.

B

There's no joking in AA! I don't know that galvanized steel would be the best choice.. those electro magnetic field out there, could zap all those guppys.. pretty sure concrete is a ph poker too.. pond liners are pretty cool, you simply dig a huge hole and make a pond!!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[jetajockey]

When cost is the big factor, another great alternative if you can find one cheaply is a 275g IBC totes. 4x4x4 square. A bit small for koi, but goldies and most other fish would love it.

 

[NatureFish]

When cost is the big factor, another great alternative if you can find one cheaply is a 275g IBC totes. 4x4x4 square. A bit small for koi, but goldies and most other fish would love it.

I've been wanting to buy one of those but I have yet to find a store in my area that sells those. I have too many projects going on though so I am definitely not going to do that right away. But thanks for suggesting that to Maridia and everyone else!


NatureFish
????