20 questionskoipond

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4231 Pacific St.#1 0Rocklin, CA 95677(916) 652-4231


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st people would agree that few things add more to anctive land scape th an a bea utiful, well built ko i pan d.Theing popularity of koi ponds today is do to the fact thatadd not just beauty to a setti ng, but also a sense ofity. The sight of brightly colored koi, gracefully swi mminglear body of water, coupled with the soothing sound oftle waterfall is hard to forget.problem is that most people do not realize that building

cessful koi pond is much more complicated than theyMany people start out thinking that to build a koi pond

ey need to do is provide a hole in the ground that willwater for the koi to live in. The reality is that unless theond is well thought out and properly designed, the whole

rience can be a real disappointment. A successful koineeds to be designed and constructed with the followingprinciples in mind.

A successful koi pond needs to provide healthy crystalar water. So much of the enjoyment of a koi pond ising able to clearly see the beauty of the koi. A pondt ls not crystal clear will rob you of this feature.A successful koi pond needs to provide a safe environment for the kol. Poorly designed koi ponds can makeeasy for predators to injure or kill your koi. A properly designed koi pond will not require a net to protect

e koi.A successful koi pond needs to be as easy as possihle to maintain. Often times the maintenance issue is noten considered until after the pond is built ..A poorly designed koi pond can be so hard to maintain that it canin your whole koi keeping experience. On the other hand, a well designed and built koi pond, can be amazinglysy and enjoyable to mai ntain. You can build a 10,000 gallon koi pond that requires less than 5 minutes a weekmaintain and you can maintain it without getting dirty.

e following 20 questions are designed to help you in planning and designing your new koi pond so that theed pond will be exactly what you envisioned when you started.Questions to ask yourself before you build your pond.How large should I make my pond?Where should I place my pond?Can 1 grow plants in my pond?Which pond is better, a rubber liner pond or a concrete pond?How important is the shape and contour of the pond?How deep should I.make the pond?How important is the filter?How fa r away from my pond can lin sta II my fi Iter system?

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Presented by SacramentoKoi.com9) Do I.need a pre filter?10)What sizepump willi need?, 1 ) What sizepipe should I use?12) How important isit to have a bottom drain?'3) How important is it to have a skimmer?14) How important isit to have jets?15) How important isit to have an auto-fill?16) Do I need to install an ultraviolet light?17)Should I install under water li.ghtsin my pond?, 8) Should I install an automatic feeder on my koi pond?19) How many koi can I put in my pond?20) What should I look for when selecting someone to build my koi pond?

1) How large should I make my pond?One of the most common mistakes peoplemake with their first pond is that they build ittoo small.The smallest koi pond we recommend

building is 1500 gallons, which would beapproximately 7 feet wide by 8 feet long and 4feet deep.

That may sound huge to many beginners, butmost people who already have a koi pond willagree that if you build a pond much smaller thanthat,in time you will. not be happy with it. Theproblem is that koi are extremely addictive and itis hard to be content with just a few. Also, keepin mind that you may start out with several6 inchlong koi, but within 3 or 4 years they could growto 24 inches or more. Most people, after a while, wish they had made their first pond bigger. On the othehand, you can also make your pond too big. Bigger isnot always better.

The largest pond we recommend building is 15,000gallons, which would be approximate.ly17 feet wide b21 feet long and 6 feet deep. If you build a pond much larger than that you run into several prohlems.ln a velarge pond it can become almost impossible to catch the fi

if you need to. It can also be very expensive to medicate thpond if that becomes necessary.Additionally all the waterthe pond will need to be filtered at least once every threhours. Running pumps large enough to accomplish this ccost several hundreds of dollars per month.Finally, if you build the pond too large you may not enjothe koi as much, because in a very large pond the koi are nalways visible.Page 2


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2) Where should I place my pond?There are several things to consider. First, koi ponds do better in a shaded area than in full sun. Full sun wwork, but a shaded area will generally slow the algae growth down and will prevent the water from possibly gettin

too hot during the summer months.If you chose to bui Id in a sunny area, it might be practical to think of building some type of arbor, either now

in the future, to give your pond some shade ..Unlike a swimming pool, leaves from trees near the pond should ncreate a problem if th e pond is p r operly des ig ned. '*

In many areas local building codes require any pond deeper than 2 feet be within a fenced in area, which coupresent a problem if you want to build it in your front yard. Once you have chosen a general location for the ponwe recommend you use a garden hose to outline the exact location, size and shape of the pond. This canextremely helpful in giving you a better idea of exactly how the pond will look. After placing the hose where yoplan to build the pond, stand back and examine it from several locations and ask yourself.IWill it be the size ponthat I wanti? lWil1 it be as visible as I would like it to be from, say, the back deck, the kitchen window or fromwherever I would like to be able to see iti? Keep in mind, this pond will most likely be the central feature of youwhole landscaping.

Once you have the general outline shape of the pond established you can get an approximate idea of homany gallons it would be by rnultiplyinq the (average I,ength) x (average width) x (average depth) x (7.5gallons per cubic foot). Also you may use our on-line Pond Planning Calculator to help you out.

"One n ote of cau tion : P in e tree s are the o ne e xce ption. P ine n eed le s te nd to crea te a real m ess in a ko! po nd . U nlile ave s, ne ed le s c an tra ve l th ro ug h th e skimmer b aske t a n d th e le af b aske t o n th e p ump and e nd u p in yo ur p ump impe fleIf possible, do not build a koi pond near a pine tree. R edw ood trees, although m essy, are not near the problem pint rees are.

3) Can Igrow plants In my pond?

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Adding plants to your koi pond can be very beautiful but at thesame time they can realy complicate things.Here is why:

If you place shelves in the pond to support the plants andthe shelves are less than 2 feet deep, you risk the chance ofloosing your koi to predators. EVen if the shelves are deeperthan 2 feet below the water level you may still have a problem.If when you place a potted plant on the shelf and the top ofthe pot is less than 2 feet from. the pond surface a blue heronmay wait until a fish swims over the pot and then strike, pinningthe fish against the plant pot.


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Most water plants do not like water movement so you cannot use jets in the pond. Therefore, most of the leavthat fall in the pond will sink to the bottom before they reach the skimmer and may have to be netted outhand.Often times new plants will have parasites on them soyou will need to treat them with potassium permanganabefore you introduce them to the pond.If parasitesdo get into your pond you will need to treat the whole pond. Most chemicals usedto treat for parasitein koi ponds are toxic to plants. This means you will need to remove all the plants while you treat the ponAdditionally, you will need to treat the plants separately before you return them to the pond,One of the most effective ways to combat string algae in a koi pond is to increase the saltlevel in the pond.4%.Thisis not an optio n w hen you have plants in the pond because,most piantscannot tole rate saIt at t hislevand will die..Once koi get to be 12 inches or larger they begin to eat most plants.Most pond plants begin to die back in the fall and create a real messin the pond.Koi can hide under the pond plants and this can create a potential problem. If a koi gets sick and beginsisolate itself,you may not notice it until it istoo late.Plus,if you need to catch a koi for any reason it can be a rechallenge catching them among aUthe plants.Some people will argue that you must have plants in the pond because the plants are necessaryto consume thnitrates that build up in the pond, That would be true if itweren't for all the algae that naturally forms in a ponA healthy pond will normally develop a inch layer ogreen algae on all the inside walls ofthe pond.This alg

which feeds on nitrates just like pond plants do, isusuamore than sufficient to keep the nitrates at a safe leveA pond with plants in it can be very attractive, but so ca well landscaped pond which has beautiful plansurrounding it, yet with none actually in the pond.ToHolder (owner of Koi Care Kenne.l)built this pond withe Advantage System on it and with no plants in thpond. He has a healthy pond that is both beautiful anvery easyto maintain.

4) Which pond is better, a rubber liner pond or a concrete pond?They both havetheir own advantagesA concrete pond is more permanent than a liner pond.This can be a real advantage if the pond is designeand built properly but a real nightmare if it is not. The inside contour can be built so the pond has smootflowing walls leading from the top to the bottom drain. This can make the bottom easier to keep clean. Man

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pool industry to install the rebar and gunite or shotcrete. Finding qualified people with a lot of experienceinstalling liner ponds is hard. In general it is easier to installrockwork on a concrete pond compared to a liner pond ifyou want the rockwork mortared in place. Liner

ConstructionThe disadvantage of a concrete pond isthat they cost more

to build. This added expense may be off set to some extentwhen you consider the value a well built pond may add toproperty value. Most bank appraisers consider a concretepond similar to a concrete swimming pool, whereas, theyconsider a liner pond similar to a portable pool which hasless value. An additional disadvantage of a concrete pondis that for the first three to five years they tend to have ahigher than normal ph. If a high ph is of concern to you thiscan easily be overcome by letting the concrete cure and then coating the pond surface up to the water line wita rubber base paint or epoxy.

A 45 mil rubber liner pond 'isnot as permanent, which can actually be a benefit. If the pond has some desigflaws that you need to change orif you need to remove the pond, a rubber liner is much easier to work with.This is a big reason most "do it yourself" pond builders choose a liner pond over a concrete pond. A liner pondalso less expensive to build and a liner pond tends to maintain a more neutral ph. The rubber liner creates a vesoft surface for the Koi but even when a liner pond is installed properly you will have a number of minor foldsin the liner surface.

ConcreteConstruction

Once the pond is filled with water these folds becomebarely visible. Rock work around the edge of a liner poncan be a challenge if you don't want the liner to show. Threason is because the rock work will need to extend dowinto the water and the mortar for the rock work will not sticto the liner. (To solve this problem see "Advantage PonDesiqn Plans" under "Rock Work':)

The problem of cutting a hole in a liner for the bottomdrai ns, jets, etc. is easi Iy overcome with the proper draiand bulkhead fittings. When installed properly a liner poncan easily be leak free for many years.

5) How important isthe shape and bottom contour of the pond?The shape of the pond is much more important than most people realize. Many

ti mes peop Ie wi IIget very creative with the pond shape so that it rambles aIIaroundthe landscape and ends up looking like a piece of a puzzle. Only after the pond isbuilt and filled with water does the problem become apparent. You can't keep itclean. If the pond is shaped so that it has dead areas where the water is not moving,leaves and debris will collect there and eventually sink.

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Presented by SacramentoKoi.comAdditionally, the bottom contour of the pond is equally important. Flat bottom ponds require constanvacuum ing to keep them dean. If you are retired and have two hours each day to clean your pond you can buiit any shape you wish. On the other hand, if you want to build a pond that is almost "self cleaning" pay clos

attention to both the shape of the pond and the inside contour leading from the edges of the pond all the wto the bottom drains. We can't expressenough how important the contour ota koipond is. A well designed ponshape and contour can save you many hours of back breaking work and help provide a healthier environmenfor the koi, Seethe "Advantage Koi Pond Plans"for more detai Ison pond shape and bottom contour.

\ J I m ; " IT1 f 1 - ~ 1 50"60~ 60"Bottom Contour

6) How deep should I make the pond?A serious koi pond should be at least 3 feet deep and no areas

should be shallower than 2 feet. Any areasshallower than 2 feet isanopen invitation to dinner for both blue herons and raccoons.If you don't think you have predators in your neighborhood justbuild a shallow pond and watch what happens: Evena singl.esafety

step to help you get out of the pond, that is lessthan 2 feet deep,can cost you most of your fish. Also, all sides should go almoststraight down, not tapered."Aquascape"type ponds where the sidesof the pond gently taper in toward the bottom will not work for akoi pond.

Evenif you build a"deep areal/with a cave in it for them to hide in,you are still not safe. Blue herons will wade out into the water,stand perfectly still for hours if neccessary,and simply wait for the koi to comeout and then strike. Do not place shelves for plants in the pond. We suggest ifyou want to put plants in your pond that you hang potted plants over the sidewith wires or stack blocks in the pond to support them. That way if you starthaving problems you can simply remove them.

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If you decide to ignore this advice you will probably (after loosing several of your favorite fish) end up coverinyour pond with a net or in one case, we saw Q inch rebar used to keep out raccoons.

Most people would agree that a beautiful pond is somewhat ruined when it has to be covered with somethingto protect the fish. A deep pond with steep sides is the best defense against predators. Also, koi get their exercisby swimming up and down in a pond rather than horizontally.The constant change in water pressure helps kdevelope a proper contour or shape. Note, if you plan on growing ljumbo koii you will need to build the pondleast 6 feet deep.

7) How lmportant is the filter?

One,it serves as a mechanical filter removing fishwaste and anything else in the pond that would cloudthe water.

Two, it serves as a biological filter by converting the ammoniaproduced by the fish into nitrites and eventually into nitrates which,in general, are harmless to the fish.

The filter is the heart of your koi pond. The filter is whatkeeps the water dear and healthy for the fish. Many pondshave failed because the owners spent all their money on abeautiful pond and tried to save money on their filter.

The filter serves two purposes.

Some filters can be very high maintenance requiring constant attention while others can be very easymaintain. The Advantage Bead Filter by Sacramento Koi is designed to serve as both a mechanical andbiological filter at the same time, plus it is extremely easy to maintain. The Advantage Filter is also the only filteon the market today that offers a factory "One Year Satisfaction Guarantee." "If, for any reason, dur.ing the firyear you are not completely satisfied with the Advantage Filter, Sacramento Koi will buy it back and even pay ashipping expenses." The Advantage filter is also a pressurized filter. That means that you can install it abovebelow the I.evel of the pond water and up to 300 feet away from the pond, This can be a real advantage whedesigning your koi pond if you wish to have the filter system out of sight.

It is well established that when it comes to selecting a filters !You can never have too big a filter.i So, whechoosing a filter, selecting a filter that is slightly oversized for your pond can be a very wise investment.

8) How far away from the pond can I install the filter system?How far from the pond can you place the filter depends to some extent on what type of filter you have.A box tyge gravity flow system wi II require the water to qently flow into and out of the filter usi ng gravity

move the water in at least one of the directions. For this to happen, the filter will need to be placed relatively nethe pond and at a specific height in relation to the pond level.

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With a pressurized filter such as the Advantage Bead Filter, you have much more versatility because itpressurized and not dependant on gravity. That means, the filter can be installed some distance from the ponmaking it easier to hide. For long runs from 50 feet to 300 feet, the diameter size of the pipe traveling to and frothe fi Iter may need to be inc reased, up to 3 inch es,depend ing 0n the size of th e pond. With th e pro per sized pipto reduce the friction loss in long runs, the filter system will operate almost as efficiently asit would if it were neto the pond.

9)00 I need a pre-filter?A pre filter is des.igned to collect solid material such as leaves, fish waste and string algae before they get t

yo ur fi Iter. In some smaI I po nds, the pu mp and skim me r baskets may be suffici ent.The Iarger the pond, th e rnodebr iswi II be prod uce, therefore, th e more importa nt th ey beco me.Pre f Iters are especia IIy impo rtant if you hava filter that is hard to clean such as a gravel type filter, because you usually are only cleaning them once or twicea year. The more waste you can keep out of them, the less often you will have to clean them. Pre filters are nonearly as important with a good bead filter because you can easily remove the waste from the filter whenevernecessary.

There are baskally 3 types of pre filters:A simple hold ing ta nk, made of concrete 0 r fiberg la55,with rows of brushes 0 r mat materi aIsuspend ed

init to capture debris before it gets to the pump. A typical tank may be 5 feet square and 2 to 3 feetdeep. This type of pre-filter will require you to regularly remove and clean the brushes or mat material

Vortex pre-filters are shaped like a big round tub that is tapered at the bottom. Water enters fromthe side at an angel which causes the water to rotate in the tub. This causes any debris to drift to theouter wall and then sink to the bottom of the tank where it can be drained out when needed. Cleanwater exits from a pipe in the center. Vortex filters, can consume a lot of space, may require a large holeto set in and in some situations, a sump pump to drain them.

The "Advantage Collector Box" is a fiberglass boxwith a large rigid net in it.The large model has 4openings, each with a slide valve that allow you toselect up to 4 different sources from where the wateris to be drawn from. The medium model has 3openings. With the valves, you can easily regulatethe flow from each source and on occasion, flushone line at a time to reduce the chance of debriscollecting in the pipes. It requires the least amountof space andis probably the easiest to clean. It isdesigned for ponds 6,000 gall.ons and larger where a I.argeamount ofdebris is expected to be present.

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Presented by SacramentoKoi.com10)What size pump willi need?

In selecting a pump you have one simple goal inmind, to move the proper amount of water for theleast amount of money. To select a pump you firstneed to estimate how much water you need tomove. On large ponds you need to send all yourpond water through the filter at least once every 3hours. On smaller ponds it is easy to filter all thewater in a much shorter time. Takethe total volumeof water in the pond and divide it by how often youwant all the water to go through the filter. This willgive you the minimum water flow you will need fromyour pump.

Next, you will need to consider how much head pressure your system will generate. You can do this bconsidering how much pressure at that minimum water flow will be created by your filter, the jets, the heigof the waterfall and the plumbing.

Example: If you decide you need a 60 gallon per minute flow through your filter and you system creates14feet of head pressure at 60 gpm, you will need a pump that will deliver 60gpm at 14feet of head.Whenyou look for a pump examine the performance flow chart for a pump that will give you between 60 and 70galions per minute at 14feet of head.A pump that isadverti sed to give 60 gpm at 4 feet of head mayan Iyproduce 20 gpm at 14feet of head,so get the facts befor you purchase a pum p.

Isit important that the pump be quiet? Make sure you purchase an efficient pump built for koi ponds. Yopump will be running 24 hours a day. Most pool pumps are not designed to run 24 hours a day and installinone on a koi pond will void your warrantee in some cases.An inefficient pool type pump can cost you an ext$100.00 a month in electricity.

11) What Size Pipe Should I Use?Pipe size is extremely important on koi ponds. Poolbuilders will often use smaller diameter pipe whenbuilding a swimming pool because it is cheaper and

easierto work with.Theycaneasilyovercomethe restrictioncaused by the smaller pipe by using large high pressurepool pumps.This isacceptable becausethey usually onlyrun these pumps 4 to 6 hours a day. Koi ponds, on theother hand, must move large volumes of water 24 hoursa day.The smaller you make your pipe, the more pressureit will require to move water through it.

Pipe Area Comparisono 1 Inc h Pip e "" 0.78 in2~ ]1!2lnch Pipe", 1.76 in'Q 2 . Inch Pipe", 3.14in'g 21'llnch Pipe", 4.90 in'g 3 Inch Pipe = 7.06 in'g4 lnch Pipe = 12.56 In'

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Presented by SacramentoKoi.comPumps are rated by how much water (gallons per minute) they can move at a certain amount of head

pressure. 1 foot of head pressure is the amount of pressure required to push water up vertically 1 foot. ExampleTo move 20 gallons of water per minute through SOfeet of 1 inch pipe would require 11.4 feet of head pressureIf you increased your pipe size from 1 inch to 2 inch your head pressure would drop to .4 feet of head. The loweyou keep your head pressure, the smaller, more efficient pump you can use.This can save you a lot of moneyover the years.12) How important is it to have a bottom drain?

4 InchAnother common mistake that is almostimpossible to correct after the pond is built isfailure to install a bottom drain. Bottom drains are amust for a successful koi pond.To maintain properwater quality you need to get the fish waste into thefilter so it can be removed from the system ..Withouta bottom drain, the best filter in the world cannot doit's job properly. Some ponds may require severalbottom drains.That shows how important they areto a successful pond. Some manufacturers would have you believethat a bottom drain is not required. By simply placing rocks on thebottom of the pond and allow beneficial bacteria to grow in therocks you will duplicate what you find in nature and everythingwill be just fine. The problem with that reasoning is that in nature 3 Inchyou often have a constant supply of fresh water entering theriver or lake and the fish population is usually about one fish per 30,000 gallons. Whereas, in a koi pond you aconstantly recycling the same water over and over again and the fish population averages about one fish per' 5gallons. Unless you only put one koi in your pond and change the water constantly you can't duplicate naturWhat works in nature will not work in a koi pond.

Another potential problem is when leaves collect and begin to decay amongst the rocks, they produce tanniacid which, though it doesn't bother the fish, will turn the water a brown dirty looking root beer color. The onway to get clear water again is to drain the pond and power wash the rotting leaves from between the rocks.This a major job which, at best, provides only a temporary fix until the leaves again collect in the rocks. Additionallythis whole cleaning process is extremely stressful to any koi in the pond, because they will need to be netted up anstored while the pond is cleaned. Then placed back into a pond that has experienced a1 00% water change anthe whole ecological balance of the pond has been changed. This whole experience can be avoided by simpleaving out the rocks, installing a bottom drain and contouring the bottom. That way, any fish waste or leaves thend up on the bottom of the pond, will work their way to the d rain and be removed.13) How important is it to have a skimmer?How important is it to have a skimmer? A skimmer can make the difference between enjoy.ing a pond an

beginning to resent it. A properly functi.oning skimmer will collect the leaves and anything else that lands on thsurface of your pond into a net 0r basket, wh ere it can be easiIy dispo sed of. Witho ut a skim mer, yo u are sentenceto a life of constantly cleaning leaves and debris from your pond.

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They are a real bargain when you consider the minimal expensethey add to your pond. Note: Even if you plan to build your pondinside your house, where there would be no leaves,you should stillinstall a skimmer because in addition to leaves, they skim off the"dissolved organic compounds" (DOC).Dissolved organic compoundswill form in any pond and if not removed will causesan unsightly filmand bubbles on the surface of the pond. A skimmer removes this filmby constantly skimming off the top surface ofthe pond.

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Floating WierSkimmerMade by Sacramento Koi

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14) How important is it to have jets?Jetsare very often overlooked by beginners when buildi ng a pond. Anyone who hasever had properly installejets in their pond would never consider building a pond without them. Jets have several wonderful benefit

They provide exercisefor the fish because they love tswim in the current. By installing the proper type ojets, in the right location and depth in a pond, they cabe used to direct leaves toward the skimmer makingthe skimmer much more effective. In addition, as thewater from the jets breaks the surface of the pondpicks up considerable amounts of oxygen thusincreasi.ngthe overall oxygen level of the pond.

15) How important isit to have an auto-flll?An auto-fill is one of those features that if you install one you will love it. It makes maintaining a pond muceasier.An auto-fill does just what the name implies. It will automatically keep the pond water at the same levall the time. As water evaporates, it will automatically replace it. They are especially useful if you have a bea

filter, becauseeach ti.me you backwash th e filter, t he auto f II wiIIrep Iace any water used duri ng the pracess.Toften you hear of someone turning on the hose to add water and then forgetting to turn it off only to later finall their ko t dead.ThISisbecause whenever you replace more than 10% of your pond water at any one time, wicity water, you need to add a dechlorinater to neutralize the chlorine in the water which istoxic to fish. Withauto-fill you don't run the risk of forgetting to turn off the water. Under normal use it is generally not necessato add dechlorinator to the pond each time the auto-fill comes on because it 'isonly rep.lacing such a smpercentage of water ..Again,the exception would be if you were replaci ng more than 10% of the pond wateranyone time.

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16)00 I need to install an ultraviolet light?New ponds are especially prone to algae bloomsuntil the whole ecological system of the pondmatures, which may take several years..Ultraviolet

lights are designed to kill any algae floating in thewater. Algae blooms in ponds can turn a perfectlydear pond into a thick pea soup looking pond in ashort period of time.Theway ultraviolet lights workiswhen the algae,in the water, passesthrough theunit it is exposed to a very bright ultravlolet light.This energy from the light destroys the DNAin thealgae which in turn causes it to eventually die. Asthe algae cells die they will begin to stick togethersothat they can be filtered out of the water.

Selecting the proper size light isvery important.If the light is not big enough for the pond you will notice almost no effect. Additionally, if the water flow througthe light is too fast, it will also reduce the efficiency of the light to where it has little effect. Ultraviolet Ii.ghtsanot effective against string type algae because it attaches to the pond and does not flow through the light.

17) Should I install under water lights in my pond?Under water lights installed in a pond extends the enjoyment of the pond beyond the daylight hours. Th

pond takes on a completely different look at night with lights in it. At night, because there is no glare fromsunlight on the pond surface,the koi become movisible than ever. The only complaints we evhear about pond lights is that "I wish we hainstalled more lights when we built the pond':Wusually recommend installing several or molights in a pond, depending on the size of thpond. Generally,the purpose of adding lights tokoi pond is to light up the koi not just the ponWhen you only add one light to a pond you oftetimes end up with one stream of light shininacrossthe pond, while much of the pond is stillthe shadows. With several lights coming frodifferent anglesthe whole pond lights up and thuthe koi become very visible.

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18) Should I install an automatic feeder on my koi pond?Automatic feeders have their place.If you have a large pond and you want your koi to grow asfast aspossiblthen install an automatic feeder and feed them a high protein food 5 times a day during the whole summer. Othe other hand, if you just want something to relieve you of the responsibi lity of feeding you r koi daily, I woul

encourage you to saveyour money and find the time to do it yourself even if it is only once a day. By feedinyour koi on a daily basis you will become familiar with how they respond to the food. This is invaluable! The firtime you feed them and you notice one or more of them responding differently, you know something is wronIt could be something as simple as your water chemistry is off or something more serious such as parasiteWhatever it is,you will be able to get a jump onit before it becomes a real problem. When you go on vacatiojust ask your neighbor if he or she would mind coming over once a day and throwing some food in the ponMost neighbors would j ump at the chance.The reaIadvantage of your neigh bar feeding you koi wh fie you aon vacation rather than some machine, isthat if there isa problem they can call someone.

19) How many koi can I put in my pond?This isa good question and a hard one to answer.There is an optimum number of koi for each pond.

The problem is,that number keeps changing. A wellbuilt 1500 gallon pond will easily sustain 30 koi 6inches long. Two years later when those same 30 koiare now all.18 inches long you have a real problem,because your pond is now over stocked. Becausepeople tend to overstock their ponds, an theAdvantage Kol Pond System Kits,were designed tohave an oversized filter on them. This means thatthe limiting factor for how many koi you can keep inyour pond will not be limited by the filtering system.Rather,the limiting factor will be how crowded thekoi look in the pond. Evenwith perfect water qualitywhen the koi become too crowded their immunesystem begins to slow down and they begin to have problems.The best way to judge how many koi to keep inpond with the Advantage System is simply to examine how crowded they look. If they can't swim in a relaxefashion itis time to remove some,even though the water quality tests fine.

20)What should I look for when selecting someone to build my koi pond?Do not make the costly mistake of assuming that your landscaper or contractor knows how to build a koi pon

correctly. You need to do your homework and give some serious thought as to how you want your koi pondturn out. Review the previous questions and make notes asto what is important to you and what is not. How bdo you want the pond to be? How important is it to you that the pond be easyto maintain? How much do yowant to spend on the pond? Youneed to haveclear in your mind what kind of pond you want.Then,when selectisomeone to build your pond, interview them concerning their workmanship and experience. If you can fin

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Presented by SacramentoKoLcom

someone who specializes in building koi ponds,that might be helpful.The reason I sayit might behelpful is because sometimes people who onlybuild koi ponds have one set way of buildi.ngthem and are not open to changes. With today'snew technology you can create a pond that willnot only give you better water quality, but onethat will be so much easierto maintain than whatwas offered just 8 years ago. Unlessyou and yourbuilder can agree, beforehand, on exactly howyou want your pond to be built, the wholeexperience could be a disaster. For example: Onecustomer contracted to have a formal shaped3,000 gallon pond bui It"exactly" according to the"Advantage Koi Pond Design Plans"for a 3,000gallon pond. He was a very busy doctor whoneeded a pond that was as easy to maintain as possible. The contractor continued to assure him, as he wbuilding the pond, that he wasfollowing the plans exactly,When the pond was finally completed it was beautifuto look at with it's slate waterfall and edges. At night, the lights he installed help create a wonderful sight. Thproblem was that there was no gradual contour leading from the sides of the pond to the bottom drain. Thcontractor had complete.ly ignored the recommended bottom contour, so the waste would be removeautomatically and Instead made the whole bottom flat. The result is that, now the owner has to, on a weekbasis,vacuum the bottom of his pond to keep it free of debris ..Needless to say,the owner is furious with thcontractor. The lesson from this example is that you really need to get involved in the design of your pond. Donleave it all up to your contractor. Listen to his advice butit is up to you to make sure it is being built correctly.you need a second opinion, feel free to give us a call at Sacramento Koi.New! We now offer an intense one daclasson how to build the perfect kol pond.

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k) Pond skimmersI) Bulkhead fittingsm)Auto-fiU0) The "Collector Box" pre-filter I Gravity flow syste0) Water fallsp) Streamsq) Lightsr) Electricals) Concrete ponds verses Liner ponds

- building a liner pond- building a concrete pond

t) Question and answer2) Koi Fish

a) Briefhistoryb) How to select "Quality Koi"c) Koi health

Sacramento Koi Presents"Building The Perfect K oi Pond"

This is an intense one day course that will introduce you to the "Advantage Koi Pond System" andshow you how to build a quality koi pond. It will cover both design and basic construction. It will alsoinclude information on koi fish and what makes them unique, so that you can better understand why it isnecessary to build a koi pond this way.

Course OutI inetroduction - Wby people build koi ponds.- Why most koi ponds don't work

- What is required for a "Successful Koi Pond"

1) How to build a "Successful Koi Pond."a) Where to startb) Proper shapec) Proper contourd) Jetse) Filter- Different types of filtration

Advantage filters IWhy they work so wellf) Plumbingg) Ultraviolet lightsh) Pumpsi) Digital flow metersj) Bottom drains

Course will begin promptly at 8:30 am and end at 5:00 pm. Itwill include a catered Junch ( Japanese food) served pond sideat Sacramento Koi's facility where you will get to see first handfive working ponds ranging in size from 1,500 gallons to 9,000gallons full of high quality koi. Contact Sacramento Koi for the

SacramentoKOJl< 42 31 P acific S t. #1R o ck lin , C A 95677

20 questionskoipond

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