Category Archives: Home Improvement

Rendering the pondThe next step after you’re done building up your walls, the layout of pipings and angling and smoothing out the corners, is to render the surface of the walls, base, etc.Mix three parts sand to one part cement for the render coat.Apply first coat directly onto the block work. Complete the surface, then ...

Angling the baseOnce you’ve completed your walls, it is time to considered angling the base of the pond.The main reason for this is so that any waste from the fish, debris and such will be move towards the bottom drains, and then removed by the vortex chamber. In this manner it would not accumulate at ...

Building Walls Around the PondOnce the concrete base is completely dry it is time to start building the walls around the pond.You have the choice of using concrete blocks that are 18 x 9 x 4 inches in measurement and lay them on their side so that the wall is 9 inch wide. Or ...

Vortex ChambersWhat are vortex chambers?The figure on the left is a basic sketch that shows the basic idea for the Vortex chamber.Water passes through the inlet from the bottom drain just above the cone section of the chamber. The water will then flow around the side of the vortex, rising up and out through the ...

Pipework for bottom drainsAfter you’ve decided on the bottom drains, it is now time to consider what pipework you want to use and your layout.You should use four inch diameter uPVC pressure piping. The pipework will be buried under concrete, so it is important that you choose the right type to use. Any failure in ...

Bottom drainsYou should fit your bottom drains while the pond is under construction. This is BEFORE you pour the concrete into the base. After you’ve got your bottom drains in, get all the pipework for the bottom drains laid out in position as well, cut to shape, lay it then pour in the concrete.In the ...

Once you’ve decided on the layout of the bottom drains/piping, you can now move on to the concrete base. This has to be planned out carefully as it is the structure that supports the pond in its lifetime.Laying The Base - ReinforcementMake sure that the soil in the bottom of the pond is well compacted. ...

At this point you would be well into the process of digging out the hole. You should now start thinking about leveling the area.Setting up the levels – Determine the height you want the final water level of the pond to be then measure from that point.Get a length of 2" x 2" timber at ...

You would have now decided on the shape and general design for your pond at this point. And that you want to construct a concrete pond instead of a liner pond.First thing to do is to plan out the outline of your garden on a graph paper, then start to draw the outline of your ...

There are basically two type of pond, a liner pond or a concrete pond that you can build. This chapter is applicable if you’ve decided to build a liner pond. Dig a hole, put in a liner and fill it up with water. Sounds simple enough? Hold on…When you decide to build this type of ...

You have a choice of either using a liner or concrete blocks with your new pond and render it using fibromix, or render it and then coat with fibre glass. It is recommended that you use butyl if you choose to use a liner as it will give you durability, even though it is pricier.You ...

Position, Type and ShapeSo now that you’ve all fired up to create a koi pond sanctuary in your home, lets begin with the important step of designing and planning for your pond. Koi’s need space, and quite a bit of them. Many hobbyist would have started with a small (or not so small) shallow ornamental ...

While koi are hardy and relatively easy to raise you must ensure their health by planning their pond environment carefully. Once the right pond is constructed, or refurbished, then and only then should you start the selection and acquisition of koi.What a koi wants, what a koi needsWater, lots of itKoi can grow to quite ...

Transporting koi will definitely be something you will have to do, whether it is locating your new koi to its new home, to take a fish to a show, or to a vet or new pond. Transportation can be stressful on fish, so you will need to know how to minimise that stress as much ...

The koi has a history that dates back 2500 years. They are all derived from the common carp with colour mutations from the basic black carp (known as Magoi) developed 200 years ago, right down to the “youngest of the variety, nishikigoi, which was established at the beginning of the second millenium.Description of VarietiesBelow are ...