The Koi Pond

Welcome to the pond page. This is the thing I am most proud of on my property, and I suspect it will be the thing that outlasts me. I built the pond myself over two weekends in the spring of 2001, with a great deal of help from my brother-in-law Warren, who is better with a shovel than I am.

The pond is 1,400 gallons, approximately 8 feet by 6 feet at the widest, and 3 feet deep at the deep end. This is, I now know, on the small side for koi. If I were doing it again I would build it bigger. Please learn from my mistake.

Pond Layout

A rough diagram of the pond as seen from above. Not to scale.

           [ ROCKS ]
    _______________________
   /                       \
  /     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      \
 |    ~~  DEEP END   ~~      |
 |   ~~   (3 ft)      ~~  <-- waterfall (pump return)
 |    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~         |
 |                           |
 |     ~~ SHALLOW ~~         |
 |    ~~  (18 in)  ~~        |
 |     ~~~~~~~~~~~~          |
  \                         /
   \_______________________/
         [ FLAGSTONE ]
           (patio)

         BENCH ->  [=]

(I have been meaning to draw a real version of this with colored pencils. I will add it when I do.)

Meet the Koi

Please allow me to introduce the current residents. Click on a name to read more (under construction — links coming soon).

Gerald   (Butterfly, added October 2004)

The newest member of the pond. Long fins, orange and white. Gerald is the friendliest fish I have ever owned — he comes right up to the surface when I arrive and will let me touch his nose, which none of the others will do. Kyle named him Gerald because he "looked like a Gerald." I agreed immediately.

Mabel   (Showa, added April 2001)

The boss. Mabel is approximately 22 inches long and will not tolerate any other fish eating before she does. She has survived every winter, every heron visit, and one incident in 2002 that I still do not fully understand. If the pond were a household, Mabel would pay the mortgage.

Arthur   (Kohaku, added June 2002)

Red and white. Shy. Arthur will not surface for pellets but will come out for frozen peas, which apparently is a delicacy in his mind. He hides behind the waterfall rock most of the day.

Mr. President   (Ogon, added August 2002)

Solid metallic gold. Megan named him. He is the showiest fish I own and, in my opinion, also the least intelligent — he has twice attempted to swim through the skimmer. He cannot. I have since added a screen.

Linda   (Asagi, added May 2003)

Blue-gray scales in a net pattern with red on the belly. Linda lurks near the bottom and rarely interacts with the others. I respect this.

The Duke   (Taisho Sanshoku, added April 2001)

The largest fish in the pond, and the oldest. Mabel technically outranks him but you can tell he is older and wiser. He moves slowly and deliberately, like a man who has seen things. I would like to believe he has.

In Memoriam

A quiet moment for those who are no longer with us.

On Filtration

I will say this once and then I will let it rest: you cannot have too much filtration. The manufacturer's "gallons-per-hour" rating is optimistic. Buy a pump rated for double what you think you need. Your fish will thank you, and more importantly, your water will not turn green in July.

My current setup is a Laguna PowerJet 2400 with a homemade bead filter that I will write up on a separate page when I have time. The short version: two 5-gallon buckets, 20 pounds of plastic media from an aquaculture supply catalog, and about a weekend of tinkering. Total cost was under $90.

Feeding Notes

• Spring through Fall: Hikari Staple pellets, twice a day, as much as they will eat in five minutes.
• Frozen peas once a week, shelled, as a digestive aid. They love this.
• Winter: Below 50°F I stop feeding entirely. This is counterintuitive but correct. Their metabolism slows and food sits undigested.
• Never bread. I do not care what your uncle told you.

If You Are Just Starting Out

Two pieces of advice I wish somebody had given me:

1. Build the pond bigger than you think you need. Koi grow. You will want more koi.
2. Do not name them until they have survived their first winter. I learned this the hard way.

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