Creating a haven for koi can be a great hobby. However, you need to consider a few tips before going all in with this backyard water feature.

Assess the Situation

Make sure the soil in the area you chose is stable enough support a pond. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds, and a decent sized backyard pond can hold around 200 gallons, so you can see why ground stability is important. It’s also essential to select a site with a good amount of sunlight. The best way for beginners to install a pond is to buy a kit, which includes all the components needed to start the pond (tub, liner, pump, and often a fountain and plants).

Determine Depth

Your koi will grow only in relation to the size of the space they’re in. In shallow water, a koi fish, which can reach 3 feet in length, won’t reach its full potential as much as it would in a 5-foot-deep pond.

Fish also tend to get sicker in small ponds because they’re swimming around in water with higher concentrations of their own waste. Deeper ponds equal higher water volume and, thus, cleaner water. The fish are healthier, which also makes it much easier to maintain the right chemical balance. Ensure there’s enough depth to allow the fish to hibernate during winter.

Additionally, deeper ponds make it more difficult for predators like birds, raccoons and cats, to target your fish. 

Keep the Water Oxygenated

Adding a waterfall or fountain will circulate the water and keep it oxygenated. By circulating the water, you can keep algae at bay and prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs. The water has to be oxygenated if fish are to live in the pond.

Learn about Koi Pond Maintenance

You'll find exactly zero maintenance-free ponds. Surprisingly, a small pond is actually more difficult to take care of than a larger one. The more water you have in your ecosystem, the easier it is for nature to take over and regulate the environment. Fish need to be fed the best koi food daily, and pump filters need to be changed or cleaned. too many algae are unwanted, it is still very important to have algae in your pond. It’s beneficial as a nutritious food source for fish, especially baby fish, and algae also oxygenate the water. 

Add Plants

The plant life in a garden pond not only provides shade to control algae growth but also keeps a cooler water temperature that won’t lower the immune systems of aquatic life in the pond. Many different types of plants can be used in a koi pond: completely submerged plants, floating plants (not rooted in the soil), and marginal plants (rooted in the soil but grow above the water’s surface) tend to thrive very well in the water these ponds provide.

Know What (and When) to Feed Your Koi

In the summer, when temperatures climb above 72 degrees, we recommend feeding your koi 3-4 times a day every day for approximately 10 minutes or 5-6 times a day every day for approximately 5 minutes. When the spring temperatures hover between 60 and 72 degrees, feeding once or twice a day every day for approximately 5 minutes is sufficient. Between 50 and 59 degrees, you can feed 4-5 times a week for approximately 4 minutes. When temps dip to 50 to 54 degrees, feed your fish 2-3 times a week for approximately 2 minutes. And, if the water temperature hovers at 50 degrees, offer food for approximately 2 minutes once or twice a week. When drops below 50 degrees, we recommend not feeding your fish, but it’s important to let them be your guide. If they appear to be hungry, feed them.