Inherited my mother's Koi fish (20-30 years old). I need to build a pond soon to transfer them. Help! I want to avoid longterm mistakes during install.
Hello, r/Koi,
My mother passed away suddenly and I want to keep her Koi pond in my family. She has raised them for 30 years. We currently have about 10 fish that are 2.5 ft long. Plus a lot of smaller fish. Above is an AI mockup (not to scale) of the space I want to transform and a super rough of the idea. We are in Southern Indiana.
I was going to buy a 12x20 gazebo and then find a local company that can dig it out quickly.
I helped her dig her previous four ponds, but she didn't optimize any of them for the fish or maintenance. They were piece-milled as needed. "Pump too small? Buy another." type of thing.
I would love to build a permanent installation that requires as little maintenance as possible. I'm willing to put in all the research and work, but I wanted to start with a trusted community first.
Here are the questions I think are currently relevant:
What filtration systems should I consider?
Do I need any UV sterilization to help with algae?
Is there another algae control method that is safe for fish?
What type of pumps should I install?
How deep should I dig it? (3ft has been our standard so far but we get winters that freeze our lake top.
The gazebo provides shade, bug netting, curtains, and protection from herons... are there other pests (raccoons?) that I need to protect against?
What do I not know that I don't know? Suggestions?
Thank you in advance.