I have a backyard concrete pond that measures 12'W x 15'L x 4'D. Until
recently it has been FULL of lilies and a very dense root system,
anchored by substantial sediment. No fish. It has never been filtered
but never had an algae problem because of the amount of vegitation
surface coverage. This year, however we had an infestation of
caterpillar type worms that chewed all the leaves, leaving only stems
and a very ugly pond. I decided to drain and clean it and start over.
This time I'd like to have a few Koi and a more attractive pond. I am
planning on putting about four inches of gravel in the bottom and
replanting just a few of the lilies. My question is how should this
thing be filtered this time? What equipment, etc. for max clarity and
least maintenance

"robJ" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a backyard concrete pond that measures 12'W x 15'L x 4'D. Until
recently it has been FULL of lilies and a very dense root system,
anchored by substantial sediment. No fish. It has never been filtered
but never had an algae problem because of the amount of vegitation
surface coverage. This year, however we had an infestation of
caterpillar type worms that chewed all the leaves, leaving only stems
and a very ugly pond. I decided to drain and clean it and start over.
This time I'd like to have a few Koi and a more attractive pond. I am
planning on putting about four inches of gravel in the bottom and
replanting just a few of the lilies. My question is how should this
thing be filtered this time? What equipment, etc. for max clarity and
least maintenance
===================================
Most people regret adding gravel to their ponds and end up removing it in
time. I makes cleaning the pond impossible. For koi you will need good
filtration and aeration both. You may want to ask this on the moderated
pond group.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

On Oct 9, 12:47 pm, robJ wrote:
I have a backyard concrete pond that measures 12'W x 15'L x 4'D. Until
recently it has been FULL of lilies and a very dense root system,
anchored by substantial sediment. No fish. It has never been filtered
but never had an algae problem because of the amount of vegitation
surface coverage. This year, however we had an infestation of
caterpillar type worms that chewed all the leaves, leaving only stems
and a very ugly pond. I decided to drain and clean it and start over.
This time I'd like to have a few Koi and a more attractive pond. I am
planning on putting about four inches of gravel in the bottom and
replanting just a few of the lilies. My question is how should this
thing be filtered this time? What equipment, etc. for max clarity and
least maintenance

Almost all the ponders have moved to rec.ponds.moderated to avoid the
trolls
here. You might want to ask your question there.

no gravel in the bottom of a koi pond.
you need to decide if you want a pond with a few fish like white clouds or gambusa ,
that is built and works different than a koi pond, which is a home for koi which
surprisingly enough become very much pets in a short period of time.
build a veggie filter... there are different kinds, mine is OVER the pond.
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/mypond.htm
do a google for veggie filters outside the pond.

do you have shelves to hold the lilies?

you also need to consider how you will protect the koi from herons.


On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:47:44 -0700, robJ wrote:
I have a backyard concrete pond that measures 12'W x 15'L x 4'D. Until
recently it has been FULL of lilies and a very dense root system,
anchored by substantial sediment. No fish. It has never been filtered
but never had an algae problem because of the amount of vegitation
surface coverage. This year, however we had an infestation of
caterpillar type worms that chewed all the leaves, leaving only stems
and a very ugly pond. I decided to drain and clean it and start over.
This time I'd like to have a few Koi and a more attractive pond. I am
planning on putting about four inches of gravel in the bottom and
replanting just a few of the lilies. My question is how should this
thing be filtered this time? What equipment, etc. for max clarity and
least maintenance