Water Garden or KOI Pond
This is a critical design issue that is often left unanswered by many pond designers. This question must be answered to help sort out advice as both kinds of ponds have their avid followers that strongly pitch their style of pond as better. Both styles can be designed correctly and there is no one right way to build either pond.
Use the video and this planner to match your interests and needs, to one of these pond types. Then, critical design questions like pond depth and contours, pond location, size, budget, filtration system options, plumbing choices and other key design issues can be answered.
Most first time pond builders will be better served with a water garden or advanced water garden design. A true “Koi pond” with steep sides, large external filters, side jets and heavy-duty bottom drains is somewhat like an exotic race car, well designed for its purposes but not recommended for beginning drivers. A water garden is also a better design to attract birds and other wildlife.
The first three pond designs we featured in the cross sections emphasize more plants than fish. A well-filtered “advanced” water garden can house a few koi for those interested in the beauty and challenges they represent. We suggest the first timer or person interested as much in the beauty of a water “garden” focus more on these designs because they are simpler to install and very easy to manage successfully.
The pond and filter configuration drawings take into account the interaction of various pond elements. It is this system concept that prompts us to recommend these typical and advanced garden pond designs. The combination of elements suggested have proven in practice to work well together and require only minimal maintenance.
Regardless of the type of pond you choose to build, you will be installing a system of pond elements that work together to keep your pond clean. The type of container your choose, it's location, the pump, filters, waterfalls, pipe size, plants, fish type and quantity all come together in your pond to form a system. Manufacturers of other pumps and filters claims must be tempered with the other elements of your design. The best pump, fitted to an undersized pipe, will not circulate water per the specification on the pump box.
Keep in mind these are self-contained bodies of water. They need a properly designed recirculating filter system including bottom drains on larger, deeper ponds to keep the water clean and healthy.
