ATTENTION! ALL THE FAQS YOU NEED ABOUT KOI FISH PONDS

How Deep Should a Koi Pond Be?

The first and most important thing to remember in your Koi pond construction is that this is a home for living fish, fish that need ample space to comfortably and freely swim. Koi typically grow up to 24 inches in length and you will usually have a number of Koi in the pond at any one time.

As a minimum, your DIY Koi pond should be able to hold AT LEAST 1200 gallons of water and the ideal measurements to achieve this would be an 8 feet x 6 feet Koi pond that is 4 feet deep. But of course, with regards to Koi fish ponds, bigger is always better.

A pond 1000 gallons will be fit for no more than four Koi at any one time, if you plan to accommodate 15 Koi, you will need somewhere around 3,300 gallons of water. With that being said, if you only have space in your garden for a small Koi pond, you will have to choose the number of Koi fish you keep very wisely.

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Koi Fish Pond?

Building a Koi pond is somewhat subjective; everybody has different ideas, different sizes, different Koi pond designs, and will buy different materials, and so it is hard to give a concrete figure as the total sum will be different for everybody.

When considering the average minimum and maximum costs of building a Koi pond, you will be looking to spend anywhere between £2000 and £9000. The price varies to such an extent due to the different levels of filtration systems that are used, the size of the Koi pond, whether the pond owner completes the Koi pond construction or brings in a contractor, the general landscaping and of course, how many Koi are purchased, plus many more variables.

How Often Should I Feed my Koi Fish?

The optimum number of feeds for your Koi fish is up to four times a day. During any one feeding session, you should only aim to feed your Koi fish as much as they can consume within a five minute window.

It is safe to say that Koi aren’t the fussiest of eaters, they will eat specially-bought Koi fish food, insects, Koi pond plants, algae and even your kitchen leftovers such as lettuce, peas, rice, shrimp – and whatever else you are offering!

Is it Difficult to Maintain a Backyard Koi Pond?

General Koi pond maintenance is no more intense or frequent than a standard backyard pond. If you have a pond in your garden with any species of fish living within the said pond, you should always keep on top of your pond maintenance to ensure the healthiest environment for your fish at ALL times.

As part of your Koi pond maintenance, you should frequently check your water levels, maintain the appropriate water temperature, ensure all your Koi pond supplies, filters, heaters and Koi pond pumps are functioning correctly and frequently monitor how your fish are accepting and reacting to their feeds.

How Many Koi Can I Keep in my Garden Pond?

Similarly to the average cost of building a Koi pond, the number of Koi that you keep in your pond is subjective and will vary from person-to-person. However, there are a few general rules of thumb that you should adhere to when purchasing carp for your Koi fish pond.

Firstly, to maintain a control over toxin levels in your Koi pond water, you should allow no more than four Koi fish per 1000 gallons of water as this still promotes a safe environment for your fish to live in. The second rule of thumb to calculate a healthy number of fish for your pond is that normal water conditions will generally allow for 1 inch of fish for every 10 gallons of water.

These are just two general guidelines, but as aforementioned, the bigger the better when it comes to keeping Koi.

Should I Put Salt in my DIY Koi Pond?

Adding salt to your backyard Koi pond is often a topic that is up for debate amongst Koi enthusiasts. If you do choose to add salt to your Koi pond, you must pay close attention to the quantities of which you are adding salt. In smaller quantities, salt can present many benefits for your fish and the pond environment, but if the quantity is too high, it can create a fatal environment for your fish.

Low salt levels can improve oxygen uptake, decrease stress, improve gill function, heal sick fish and help your fish to survive in the depths of winter, but you should only add up to a maximum of 2lbs of salt per every 100 gallons of pond water.

Another important consideration is the type of salt that you use. If you do decide that you want to add salt to your Koi fish pond, you should purchase salt of a high quality and specially produced pond salt, not just table salt that you have laying around in your kitchen. .

How Often Do I Need to Test the Water in my Koi Fish Pond?

Healthy water levels are absolutely vital for the wellbeing and ultimately, the survival of your koi carp. To ensure that drastic fluctuations in your water levels do not occur, and to prevent any spikes before they become too much of a problem, you should test your water levels frequently.

You can purchase Koi pond kits that have been designed to specifically test the water levels of your pond. Basic testing kits will monitor a number of aspects such as pH levels, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia levels, but there are more complex koi pond water testing kits on the market.

Since testing koi pond water is so quick and easy with a specialist water testing kit, you should carry out weekly tests when your pond is new, as this is when your water levels are more susceptible to spikes in ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH fluctuations, and then after your pond has begun to mature, you can reduce the testing to bi-weekly.

However, if you notice regular fluctuations in your koi fish pond readings, you should carry out more frequent testing and take appropriate action to fix any recurring issues.

What Koi Pond Supplies Do I Need to Buy?

Before you begin your DIY koi pond construction, you should research all the materials and koi pond supplies that you will need, factor them into your building costs and make sure that building a koi pond is still feasible.

Aside from the materials required for the initial construction phase, pond lining, gravel, spade etc. some of the basic koi pond supplies that you will need for your DIY project includes adequate koi pond filter systems - biological and mechanical filtration, a koi pond heater, koi pond waterfalls will help to increase aeration in your pond water, and a koi pond net is a must as Koi are susceptible to attack from predators such as birds, cats etc.   

CD Aquatics have ample experience in Koi carp and hoards of knowledge regarding the best practices when building a Koi pond and looking after the fish thereafter. If you are seeking the highest-quality Koi pond supplies at a knockout price, you can shop all of our ranges online now. Alternatively, if you have and queries regarding the keeping of Koi, please feel free to contact us on 01922 416 284 and we will be happy to assist.