Before the pond construction

Building application

Clarify with your local authority whether a building permit is required for the pond or not. If so, fill in and submit. Is a short thing.

What is the purpose of the pond?

There are biotopes, plant ponds, swimming ponds, koi ponds, simple fish ponds or combinations thereof. If you want a biotope or swimming pond, design the pond accordingly, and then Koi come in, you won't have long pleasure. In a koi pond, the excretions of the koi produce a lot more dirt than in a simple fish or swimming pond. Therefore, the requirements for the filter system and piping are very different.

The plan

Yes, that is a little work. But here comes the big BUT, it's worth it. The result will be much better and you will most likely even save money in the end. You will notice this at the latest when you are working on the plan and new questions keep coming up or you change something.

Create a true-to-scale drawing in which you draw the shape of the pond, the location of the filter system and the course of the pipes.

If you know someone who has done this before, let him or her look over it. In particular with swimming, fish and koi ponds, we advise you to have your project assessed by an expert. If you don't know anyone, contact us, we will be happy to help.

The pond sealing

There are many ways to seal a pond. If you are building the pond yourself, the easiest thing to do is to choose a liner. We recommend Firestone EPDM pond liner which lasts 40 years without any problems.

The filter principle - gravity vs. pumped

There are essentially two different filter principles. Gravity systems and pumped systems. With the pumped system, the pump moves the water from the pond into the filter. The filter can be placed directly next to the pond, for example. With the gravity system, the filter is sunk into the ground and the water flows through a floor drain and skimmer, with the help of gravity, into the filter. The pump is set up here after the filter and ensures that the water comes back into the pond.

Basically, gravity systems are more energy efficient. Pumped systems, on the other hand, have the advantage that they can simply be set up next to the pond without a filter shaft.

pumped

Gravity

The filter choice

There are various filters which all promise great water and healthy fish. However, it should be noted that each filter has its advantages and disadvantages. We recommend that you consider how much time you want to invest in cleaning the filter. Depending on the system, the filter must be cleaned manually, fleece rolls changed or, for example, maintenance work on a drum filter must be carried out from time to time.

The mechanical filtration ensures that suspended particles such as excrement or plant residues and leaves are removed from the pond. However, this is only half the work that has to be done. Furthermore, pollutants such as ammonium and nitrite must be broken down or converted into non-toxic substances. A biofilter is responsible for this. This should not be forgotten along with the mechanical filter. It is also important to correctly dimension both filters so that you can enjoy your new hobby for a long time.

The pump choice

Just as there are different types of filters, there are also different types of pumps. The main thing to check here is whether the delivery rate is suitable for the corresponding delivery head. There are pumps here that were built for the principle of gravity and offer a lot of circulation at a low delivery head. Others are designed for filter systems which are operated by pumps. Here the pump still has to overcome a certain delivery head.

If you have any questions about your project, other topics, or feedback on the article, don't hesitate to contact us. We're happy about every Feedback. Do you have an idea for a blog? Then let us know as well. We look forward to your question. Here you go for the contact form.

Your koikichi.ch Team.