Building backyard koi ponds is a rewarding project for any do-it-yourself enthusiast. Koi are peaceful fish that enjoy living in pairs. They will often cohabit together with other aquatic fishes as long as both their nutritional and environmental requirements are similar. Koi, too, need a large pond to survive the cold and for convenience of movement. A successful backyard pond project, therefore, relies on good design and implementation of a landscaping plan that emphasizes a seamless relationship among the fish and their habitat.
A well-designed backyard koi pond offers the ideal place for relaxing in the evening, where you can watch the beautiful garden pond and garden lighting illuminate the night sky. You and your family will enjoy snorkeling and swimming in the evening as the gentle movements of the koi fish in the water to keep you company. Installing a beautiful garden pond in your garden provides you with an ideal place for entertaining on occasion, especially during gatherings with family and friends. Your guests will enjoy sitting around your garden pond, watching the beautiful colorful koi fishes move in and out of the water.
The first step to building backyard koi ponds is choosing the proper location. It is better to place your garden pond away from trees and other potential threats to the life span of the fish. If possible, dig a hole in the location where you want to build the pond, and scoop out a circular, shallow depth of about one meter. This will be the foundation of your pond. You can choose to use concrete or layer stones in the bottom of the hole.
The second step in building your backyard koi pond is laying the concrete or layer stones. Make sure that the gravel used is loose and permeable. It is important that this material drains properly into the hole in your ground. After putting in the concrete, smooth it out using large stones or chunks of stone. Sticking strips of metal, PVC pipes and wires are then laid across the gravel to create the stepping stones. These steps should be two feet wide and about three feet apart.
The third step in building a backyard koi pond is putting the gravel on top of the steps and pouring the concrete. Make sure that you smooth out the surface to remove all of the excess gravel. Putting the steps and wiring together is the fourth step in this backyard pond idea.
Building a backyard koi pond with a waterfall is also a great idea. You can make a waterfall by pouring two layers of gravel into a shallow stream or a pond. You do not have to stop with just a plain waterfall as you can add other features like a fountain or fountains. If you would like a waterfall with depth, you can use concrete and place it in the bottom of the pond.
Next, you will need to add a liner to the pond and then place rocks inside the liner. When it comes to putting in the liner, you will want to make sure that you choose a liner that is flexible and waterproof. You will not want to get a liner that is too rigid because it will cause problems later on. After putting in the liner, make sure that you add some rocks to the pond to give it some depth.
Backyard koi ponds can be built with many different types of aquatic plants. Koi fish love water plants and the more plants you have, the more fish you will have swimming around. To build the best koi ponds, you will want to use lots of water lilies, cichlids and some fish plants such as periwinkle, goldfish and dace. Other plants can help add an aesthetic element to your pond and you should place them where the sunlight can reach them. Make sure that you also take the time to clean your pond regularly to keep the plants healthy and allow oxygen to get to them.