Creative Planning For A Successful Koi Fish Garden

     Most garden planners endeavour to have a focal point to any garden they plan. There can be no better focal point to a garden than a Koi Pond. If your garden is still in the planning stages the proper construction of a Koi Pond as your focal point could hardly be bettered. In addition to the introduction of perhaps the most active and attractive fish on the planet a Koi garden opens up the possibility of so many other features. Be creative, let the ideas flow. Take time to look at every angel. Make the most of your planning opportunity. Trying to make changes or fixing mistakes can be very costly and time consuming. Share your ideas with family and friends. If possible get expert help from those who have built a number of ponds. Don't ignore or be ignorant of local planning laws and restrictions. Keep the following in mind.

Koi Garden ?Needs Space
Before your dreams get the better of you do consider that a Koi garden and its pond needs a fair amount of space to be successful. If you have the space the pond allows for the addition of fountains, waterfalls, lily ponds and if you have the imagination a whole range of other creative features.

Koi Garden ?Need Aquatic Plants
Aquatic plants are natural water purifiers and a suitably planned pond of aquatic plants can do a whole lot by way of purifying the water for your Koi. Koi can be quite destructive of plant life, so if you have the room a second pond at a higher level this can separate the Koi from this very important plant life. A waterfall from the upper level plant pond to the lower Koi pond can really add a great attraction to overall design of your Koi garden. Don't overlook the need for aquatic plants. In nature they perform a vital role and they become even more essential in a closed ecosystem like a Koi pond. The choice of the most attractive and effective plant life is just as important as the choice of your Koi!

Koi Garden ?Needs to be on Show
Don't hide your Koi pond. It needs to be easily accessible. It needs to be on show. These active and attractive fish are like magnets, real show stoppers and your family and guests need easy access to the pond. Unfortunately ponds can be very dangerous places for very young children. Young children can drown in very shallow amounts of water. Local council bylaws and regulations need to be very carefully studied and applied to your designs. While fences and nets do detract from the beauty of a Koi garden nothing could be worse that a child drowning your backyard pool. Such a tragedy would quickly destroy the most attractive pond. There is much that can be done to enhance the safety of the pond like the installation of a black net just below the surface of the water that can be almost invisible and yet a vital safety barrier.

Koi Garden ?Need to Hide the Hardware
Pumps and filters should be hidden where possible. Many pumps can be submersed in the pond which also helps to reduce noise. Filters while hidden need to be accessible since they require quite regular maintenance in filter cleaning. While filters may be passive since the pump is doing the work of moving the water modern filters often have Ultra violet lights which serve to kill unwanted bacteria. Both units therefore need a power source and this should be underground, properly installed by qualified personnel, and meet all legal requirements.

Koi Garden ?Need Carefully Designed Features
A properly designed Koi garden should consider all seasons. Summer and winter can easily stress Koi and your design should take both of these seasons into consideration. Shade and water depth are very important.
A Koi fish garden can be very attractive not only to humans. Many birds, cats, dogs and local wildlife found in many parts will view your pond as an ideal fishing or hunting ground. Unfortunately making your Koi garden the centrepiece of your garden for humans does have its drawback in making the garden visible to predators and you may need to be rather imaginative and creative in your design. Think carefully what can be done to protect your Koi from all of your local predators. Shade trees, fences and nets do not add to your ponds attractiveness but half eaten Koi lying by your pond can be a very discouraging sight.

Separate your pond from the rest of the garden by providing suitable barriers. You do not want fertilizers, weed killers and other garden chemicals entering your pond. Make sure stormwater does not drain anywhere near your pond.

Planning your Koi garden should be a lot of fun. It's a challenge to get it all right but a well laid out Koi pond will bring many hours of enjoyment.

For more information visit http://www.koihowto.com for a whole lot more about Koi.