How to Make a Koi and Goldfish Pond

A sanke koi in a pond

Nothing can soothe your nerves more after work than koi and the sound of a gentle waterfall. In this article I will show you how to make a pond that not only can you put koi in, but also goldfish.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Spade
• Pond liner
• Area in your yard
• Underlayment ( can use lots of news paper)
• Rocks for edging.
• Small rocks for bottom of pond.
• Water source
• GFCI outlet
• Pump with filter
• Food
• Fish

Instructions

1. First, decide how big, what shape, and where you want your pond. Now remember, if you want koi you have to have the pond at least 3 feet deep. Also, the bigger the pond, the more power your pump will need.

2. Now you can start digging. Remember if you have koi the deeper the better. And if you have it at least 3 feet deep you can overwinter them in the pond. You can also make ledges so you can have pond plants. I'll get to that in another article.

3. After you have dug your hole, you need to add underlayment, the layer that protects the liner. Now this can be commercial grade, or it can be newspaper. If you are using commercial underlayment, just roll it out and overlap where needed. For newspaper, lay it out in several layers.

4. Now you lay out the liner. Just roll it out and overlap where needed. Where you overlap it, you need to seal it with waterfall foam. Leave at least a foot hanging out all the way around. Now you add edging. Just put big rocks all the way around.

5. Add the pump. You can make a bubbler by putting the pump on some milk crates and make it about 4 inches below the surface. Or you can make a regular fountain by placing the pump 1 inch above the surface. The pump should have a filter, or else you have to buy one. You should rinse it twice a week, depending on how dirty it gets.

6. Add the fish. To do this, float the bag you got them in on the water for 1 hour. Then net them into the pond. DO NOT POUR THE WATER FROM THE BAG INTO THE POND!

Tips & Warnings

• You can purchase a pond vacuum and keep the bottom clean.

• You should Quarantine the new fish for 2 weeks. Float a Small inflatable pool in the pond and fill it with pond water.

• You can get netting to go over the pond to protect the fish from predators.

• Check my other articles to see other ways to care for koi.

• Remember to feed koi regularly.