My Koi Fish Pond Ideas Include PVC
John asks…
Who can give me advice on pvc plumbing for a koi fish pond?
I have a few koi fish pond ideas that involve pvc piping. I got the idea of it as far as couplings go and the primer and cement glue. But I don’t know what check valves are or where to put them on the piping or what other fittings there are and what there function is. Also with my submersible pump, I am guessing the power cord can go directly in the water in the water or does it need like conduit piping, if you can’t tell this is my first pond.
Koi Fish answers:
A submersible pump will allow you to submerge the pump and wire. But, make sure no connections like an extension cord is submerged. You’ll also need to plug this into a GFI plug. If you don’t have one, you’ll need an electrician can do this for you. You really don’t need any other high tech fittings or check valves if you just want circulating water. Just run the pump to flex line plumbing and run it where you want it to go.
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Is Building A Koi Pond Without Filtration OK?
If you are planning on building a koi pond anytime soon, you may be wondering what happens if you don’t have any power available for filtration. Many people find the perfect location to build a koi pond, but find it much easier if they could just eliminate anything that requires power – like a filter. Is it possible to build your koi pond without some of the things that require power?
Well, it may be more convenient to install your koi pond without filtration, but you will quickly find that you’re spending more energy, money not to mention time taking care of the problems you encounter by not installing proper filtration up front. One thing that you will find is that if you take care of the water properly in your pond, the koi will be much healthier.
If your pond has a bunch of uneaten food, leaves or yard waste and fish waste, they will start to decompose and create ammonia. This ammonia is deadly to your koi fish. Mother Nature has her own way of resolving this problem. Mother Nature has certain bacteria that “eat” the ammonia and convert it to nitrITES. However, nitrites are also lethal to fish. But, there is another bacteria that “eats” the nitrites and converts them to nitrATES. Fish are able to tolerate nitrates in small amounts (generally less than 20 parts per million). What you need to do, is figure out how to get the excess nitrates out of your water, and the best way to do this is to pump the water through a filter before putting it back in your pond.
I know a lot of people building a koi pond use mechanical filters like bead or sand filters, etc., but based on my experience, I prefer a veggie filter. You end up pumping your pond water through either a separate area or a designated part of your pond, through a densely planted, heavily feeding plants (thus the “veggie” filter). The water passes through these plants, and their roots “scrub” the nitrates out of the water as the nitrates are like fertilizer to the plants. What is left is crystal clear, clean water to go back to your koi pond, and the movement of the water as it is pumped around and allowed to trickle back through the plants and reoxygenates it.
I recommend using plants like water iris, water lettuce, water lillies, and even water hyacinth (if it is legal in your area). Azolla (fairy fern) is another good one, though if it is somewhere where your koi can get to it, they may eat it faster than it can reproduce.
Here are some websites on cycling your pond and the importance of filtration to the overall health of your fish and pond:
http://www.bonniesplants.com/how_to/veggiefilter.html
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/43346868XpvJzF
http://www.koivet.com/html/articles/articles_results.php?article_id=137&category=9&search_term=filtration
It may be difficult, but take Granny’s advice (above) and spend the time and money it takes to building a koi pond correctly the first time. You won’t be sorry you did, but I can’t guarantee you’d feel the same way if you decide to neglect filtration.
Hope this helps.
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