I always wanted a Koi pond so when I decided to build one, I first needed to figure out was were? I though that the perfect location would be off the deck and screened in porch as I could sit above it and watch the fish. It was also close enough to the house that the flowing water from the falls could easily be heard. Since the yard sloped where I visioned the pond to be, I decided to actually make two ponds, connected by a small stream. The pump, which sits in the bottom pond, pumps water through a buried hose to the waterfall/filter in the top pond.
The hardest part was both the digging of the holes and then the carrying of all the rocks. My daughter helped setting in the rocks and my wife helped with the multch. She also selected and planted all the plants. My problem is, how am I going to take it with me when we move. :)
A few things I have learned since I built it. First, Blue Herrings started visiting it. I found out that Koi is one of their favorite meals. This was solved by placing a bobble head owl next to it. Haven't lost a fish in 3 years.
Next was leaves. We have plenty of tall oaks not far from the ponds and in the fall, guess where they land. After having to drain the pond after the first seasons because of all the leaves on the bottom, I installed a mesh net over the ponds each fall. That solved this problem for sure.
Last but not least was the "green" water. I found out that this is called green algae that naturally forms in ponds. After a year of adding chemicals, I found a simpler cure. I installed a UV Clarifier. It sits out of the pond and hidden by plants. The water flows out of the main pump and through the clarifier before being pumped up to the waterfall/filter. As it passes through the clarifier, the bacteria is killed by the UV bulb in it. It took about a week to clear the water but it worked fantastically.

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I apologise for not taking photos when I installed the pump, hose and waterfall/filter. The hose runs from the pump in the bottom pond up to the waterfall/filter in the top pond. I buried it in the lower ledge on the right side of the ponds before laying down the liner.

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Rocks, Mulch, Plants and Water Plants - Fall of 2007 and Summer of 2008

Noticed that debris started adding up on the lower pond surface. To correct this, I installed a skimmer connected to a small pump. Worked like a champ!

Click On A Photo To Enlarge It....

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Spring of Year 2009, Year 3,

Click On A Photo To Enlarge It....

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