Koi pond without filtration

B

BlueJax

AC Members
Nov 16, 2006
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Cambridge, UK
I'm hoping to build a koi pond in my garden.

I have in place a concrete foundation (currently under a plastic shed), so I'm planning to build a 3' - 4' brick wall around the edges of this rectangle (approx 6' by 10') and use a butyl liner so it holds water.

I have read that the main reason koi ponds have filtration is that koi ponds are usually not planted, so there is nothing to remove the waste products produced by the koi.

My question is whether or not I can keep koi in a pond like this without a filter if I plant the pond with plants, but make sure that the koi can't get to the plants to eat them (maybe plant the plants on a shelf and have a plastic mesh screen to protect them from the koi).

I don't want tons of koi, maybe three in a pond this size (?). The idea being to understock and let the plants do their thing.

Anyone got any expert advice here?
 
I moved this to the Indoor/Outdoor Ponds Forum for you. Good luck on your project!
 
Thanks - I must've missed the pond forum when I was scanning where to put this post! :)
 
Knowing koi, i dont think this could be done, since the waste will gather near the bottom and cause your ammonia levels to quickly rise.

Pond filters arent that expensive - especially if you build one your self.
 
My problem is that I'm already paying for the electricity running three fish tanks inside my house and because England isn't the warmest place on earth, the heaters come on more than I would like and hike my bills up. The last thing I want to do is pay for a pond pump to run 24 hours a day all year long!

It's an economy thing. I think I'll give it a go and see what happens. If it works, I'll be posting here again! :)
 
Use water lettuce or water hyathinth. They multiply rapidly enough to stay ahead of the koi, shade the water to reduce algea, and are the most efficient at removing nutrinents....some water departments use them for this reason.
 
you know, there are a few pumps that would be perfect for your pond and use less than a hundred watts. A mag-drive 7 pump uses 70 watts, so over a year, (assuming that electricity is 25 cents per kilowatt) , will cost you about 100 dollars and keep your fish much healthier.
 
you might want to consider just stocking with a low density of goldfish, as many varieties are just as attactive as kio, and the can get to be ~1ft long. They generally produce less waste than kio, and are less destructive to your plants.
Also if you are not going to use any kind of filtration you want to make sure there aree no dead spots in your pond (areas where water just sits, and cannot be turned by wind action). The corners in rectangles are generally dead spots.
 
This might sound silly, but wouldn't the movement of the fish help relieve dead spots?

I think you're probably right, I will most likely have to choose a fish other than koi for my pond to be on the safe side.

I'm really keen on Wakins, but pretty hard to get hold of in the UK.
 
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