Are you wanting to set up a Koi pond, are you suffering from information overload?.....Don't be confused by everything you have read online, setting up a Koi pond is easy. We have been helping customers successfully install low maintenance Koi ponds for years, some of our advice runs contrary to what you may read online but it works. Here are a few tips for growing beautiful Koi in your garden.
A Koi pond does not have to be deep, 30-40cm is sufficient, shallow ponds are safer for children and animals and easier to maintain, at some point you will need to hop in!
Our Koi ponds at the Lily Farm are between 30-40cm deep
A Koi pond does not have to be massive, ponds with a capacity of 1000 litres and up can be used to successfully keep Koi, however, the larger the pond the more Koi you can keep.
An appropriately sized off the shelf pressure filter will do a fantastic job of keeping your Koi pond clean, most have backwash functions for easy maintenance allowing you to spend your time sitting by your pond enjoying your Koi rather than spending your weekends cleaning your filter. Pressure filters are low cost unlike many of the systems recommended online that are also overly complicated and high maintenance, if you have to pull a filter apart to clean it, then it is too much work.
Plant filtration is a fantastic addition to any Koi pond. Koi like to eat plants, however, plants are essential for nitrate removal from the system. By installing a plant filter in addition to a biological filter you remove the need for constant water changes, important given most areas of Australia experience drought. See our fact sheet how to choose a pond filtration system for further information: https://fishandlily.com.au/blogs/fact-sheets/choosing-a-filtration-system
One square metre of plant filter will effectively filter a pond of 2000 litres, our plant filtration system is filtering 250,000 litres
If you are unable to install a plant filter then we recommend reserving some areas in your pond for firm plants such as reeds. These plants are difficult for Koi to eat and will effectively remove nitrate from your system.
Your stocking rate is mostly dependent on the size of your filtration system so seek our advice before you buy
Come and see us with your plans/photos of your garden and we can discuss the most suitable equipment for success.
