AN ODE TO DIGGING A descision was made to leave the koi in the existing pond as long as possible and dig round the existing pond.  Can I start by saying I am not a builder or bricklayer so please do not look too closely at the blockwork etc.  The construction of the pool would be done in 8 stages. 1 digging and blockwork at rear and side of pool. 2 removal of exiting liner and removal of earth bank at rear of pool. 3 digging out existing pool to size of new pool 4 laying bottom drains 5 Blockwork at this end of pool 6 filter bay construction 7 installing filters pumps & UV's 8     installing underfelt and new liner Digging started at the rear of the pool where there was an existing concrete path (behind red bridge)and all the soil was removed from the rear of the pool to this depth being shovelled out into barrow and spread across the existing flower beds and boarders around the garden. When once the ground was all level with the path, a trench was dug for ...

 TEMPORARY ACCOMODATION Spent some time looking aroundat all manner of solutions but finally settled on a swimming pool.  Ordered a Bestway Recxtangular above ground pool measuring 4000mm x 2110mm x 610mm and holding just over 5000litres The filteration system consisted of a Oase 14000 GPH submerged pump connected to a length of flexi hose which went through a 30w cM UV steriliser then into the bottom of a green plastic barrel filled with flocor.  Near the top of the barrel I hole-drilled three holes to fit screw on 1.5" tank connectors with three lengths of pipe running water back to the pool. Hose pipe turned on and the pool and filter were filled up, after a few hours, then the pump was switched on and the pool left to run for a week to mature.  After a week, 2 goldfish were caught from the other pond in the garden and transfered to the pool , where they were left for a further week.  As there was no harm to the goldfish in the new pool, a submersible pump wa...

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS When once the decision had been mase to dig a new pool a programme of events had to be established due to the existing pool and fish.  Firstly I had to decide how to keep the existing fish safe until the new pond was completed. 1                      ERECT TEMPORARY POOL 2                      CONNECT FILTER 3                      FILL TEMPORARY POOL WITH WATER 4                      RUN FILTER ETC 5                      TRANSFERE A COUPLE OF GOLD FISH AFTER A WEE...

EARLY BEGININGS  For many years now I have kept Koi and have gone through the cycle that many Koi keepers go through in the begining keeping a small pool with thick green water and took pleasure from feeding fish heads!  Twentyfive years on and I feel I know a little more and so have decided to set up this blog as a record of my Koi Keeping. 25 years ago I built my first koi pond at my previous house, it was about 15foot long, 7foot wide and an average of about 4foot deep with a tapered bottom leading to a bottom drain which gravity fed to the sewer for water changes.  The filter was a set of 3 cascading bays about 2 foot wide, 3 foot long and 18inches deep filled with pea gravel gravity fed and returned through a Grumfos central heating pump. When I moved house the purchaser did not want the pool or fish as they had small child so fish were netted, bagged and transported to new house and set up in a 6 foot diameter 3 foot deep fiberglass tank. So to my next pool built ab...