Styles & Sizes of Koi Ponds

The aesthetics of the overall pool design, coupled with your available budget and the husbandry requirements of your koi all need to be taken into consideration when contemplating what size and style your pond should be. The available time that a koi pond owner has for koi pond maintenance will also be a deciding factor when deciding on size. Koi are beautifully colored and graceful outdoor fish, and the pond should ideally mirror their aesthetics through its design.

  1. General Considerations

    • The number of koi that you plant to keep will influence the size and, to a lesser degree, the style of the pond. Koi ponds should ideally have a least one deep section; the more fish the pond contains, the more extensive this should be. Other considerations have to do with the location of the pond within the garden. Ponds that stand in direct sunlight will require a different maintenance regime to those that are in the shade or under trees that lose their leaves. The decision regarding whether the pond will be sunk into the ground or be built above ground could very well affect its size and shape.

    Size

    • Koi require clean, cool and pollution-free water in order to grow and thrive. As these social fish can attain an adult size of 24 inches, koi ponds need to be fairly large. A pond 20 feet long by 12 feet wide by 6 feet deep can be considered to be an acceptable size. If you are unable to dig down to 6 feet, do not build a pond less than 3 feet deep, as shallow water experiences greater temperature fluctuations than deeper water. Deeper water also better protects your koi from bird predators, particularly from wading species such as cranes. It's important to remember that the filters you will use in the pond are equally important, in that koi will be healthier in a smaller pond that has outstanding filtration. Ideally, there should between 150 and 250 gallons of water available per koi.

    Style

    • Ponds can effectively be created in any style, although you should avoid sharp corners, which may trap the fish during a spawning run and which do not allow for optimal water circulation. Any waterfalls or similar features should be scaled to the size of the koi pond, and any vegetation around the pond should be planted in such a manner as to enhance the overall effect of symmetry. The original koi pond style incorporated many marginal plants within the water. Koi ponds can be formal and minimalist, with clean lines, or more natural, by taking on the form of a river flowing through the garden. In all cases, style and design must take the correct husbandry of the koi into consideration.

    Existing Architecture

    • Koi ponds are invariably built in existing gardens. As your pond should not be considered an isolated entity, but should ideally be in harmony with not only your home, but also your garden, existing architecture styles will strongly influence the koi pond's design. Such factors as special pond features, surrounding vegetation and shape should therefore mirror the existing styles on your property. Although there could theoretically be as many pond styles as there as owners with their own personal taste, koi pond styles are typically considered to be either formal or informal.