ACK!!!!! Koi pond/no stuff on the bottom! Rocks and plant stands etc. are
for water gardens, not "serious" koi ponds (as I duck to avoid getting
clobbered from other folks on this NG!). Converting your pool will give you
the depth that koi crave/need to get proper muscle development, which they
get from going top/bottom, not end to end. It's deep enough that even the
most determined predator can't get to them. You've got the depth to keep
them cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. You've already got a
bottom drain (Yeh!). Now all you need is an anti-vortex cover, and jerry-rig
an air diffuser to it to draw the botttom "stuff" to the drain. You've got a
skimmer (of sorts!), probably underwater lighting, and with any luck at all,
you've got water return jets to tickle the fancy of even the most finicky
koi! A plumber should be able to by-pass the existing filter (which will now
be useless) and hook-up the proper filtration. At one end, you probably have
steps to enter the pond, and it's big enough to give a whole new meaning to
"swimmin' wit' da fishes" G.

I'm jealous!!!!!

Lee

snip
"Chris Herring" wrote in message
...

I thought I read somewhere that it was a good idea to have a layer of
rocks
or gravel in the bottom of the pond, for beneficial algae to live on? Are
you saying that in a koi pond I should leave the pond "clean"?

Chris