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  • Results 1 to 11 of 11

    Thread: Help - New 2000 gallon Koi Pond Idea

    1. #1
      newtokoimayfield is offline Junior Member
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      Help - New 2000 gallon Koi Pond Idea

      Hi all

      I live in Chicago, IL, and planning my first koi pond in the backyard. I want to run design ideas here to see if this will work with Chicago winter can sometimes go into -22 F. I tried my best to draw this using Excel. Hopefully, it makes sense, but please see below and the attached image file.

      Parts above ground with wood wall and the rest in-ground.

      1st layer (above-ground using wood) : 10 ft W x 6ft L x 2 ft deep @ around 897 gallons of water
      2nd layer (in-ground) : 9ft W x 5ft L x 2ft deep @ around 673 gallons of water
      3rd layer (in-ground) : 8ft W x 4ft L x 2ft deep @ around 478 gallons of water
      Total: 2048 gallons of water


      I currently have 8 medium-sized koi in my basement above ground pond (700 gallons) built 5 years ago. I need the space now and also the fact my koi fishes are outgrowing the tank. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Planning to start later this month and hopefully get it done before winter hit.

      Again, thanks!
      Attached Images Attached Images  

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    2. #2
      msegger is offline Senior Member
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      Welcome - any reasons for the shelves instead of vertical sides? Also for the long haul, any thought on going with masonry / cinder block wall for the 2ft above ground instead of timbers? Next is your plumbing and filtration layout.

    3. #3
      newtokoimayfield is offline Junior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by msegger View Post
      Welcome - any reasons for the shelves instead of vertical sides? Also for the long haul, any thought on going with masonry / cinder block wall for the 2ft above ground instead of timbers? Next is your plumbing and filtration layout.
      Thanks for the feedback. So I could go with vertical sides as well, I saw some blogs mentioned having layers so that the airstone would sit on the middle shelf during cold winter. My main concern is if this is deep enough and/or having a 2ft wall would be ok? I am open to the masonry/cinder block as well. I will work on the plumbing and the filtration layout next. Just curious, I can post the next steps here in this post and not have to create a new one correct? Thanks

    4. #4
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
      One Poet's Garden is offline Senior Member
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      What an ambitious project! A raised pond in Chicago. You have more courage than I do!

      Is there a way to build up the soil around the sides, as a kind of insulation? The one I'm building right now is raised two feet above ground, but only on two sides. And I'm in Maryland, where we're unlikely to see anything below 20 degrees during winter.

      Just out of curiosity, how deep is the frost line at the build site?

      Best,

      Bill

    5. #5
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by newtokoimayfield View Post
      Just curious, I can post the next steps here in this post and not have to create a new one correct? Thanks
      Folks here love build threads. Here's my current one, of a pond with two foot raised wood walls:

      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...e-and-done-it!

    6. #6
      newtokoimayfield is offline Junior Member
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      ok, this is what I am trying to confirm. Is it a correct understanding that a raised pond would be concerning (insulation)? I am trying to reuse the materials that I currently have in my basement-raised pond/tank. However, if it is easier just to leave it all in-ground, I would dig a bit deeper or wider as another option. Thanks!

      Also, found this

      Illinois Extreme Frost Line Penetration (in inches)
      State Average Frost Depth: 36″
      Last edited by newtokoimayfield; 09-16-2021 at 11:49 AM.

    7. #7
      wfhoffmaniii is offline Senior Member
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      Also in the Chicago area, NW Suburbs. My pond is about the same width and length but only 3 ft deep and all below ground (1250 gallons). Since I started covering the pond in winter with 2x4 and plastic "greenhouse" I' have only had the water freeze a couple of times. Most of the winter the water is ice free. I also stop filtering and drain the pipes/filters from about November to March depending on weather and temperatures. I have only had one problem with one valve breaking over winter and that was my fault for leaving a ball valve in the closed position trapping water/air in the middle of the valve.

      Bill

    8. #8
      newtokoimayfield is offline Junior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by wfhoffmaniii View Post
      Also in the Chicago area, NW Suburbs. My pond is about the same width and length but only 3 ft deep and all below ground (1250 gallons). Since I started covering the pond in winter with 2x4 and plastic "greenhouse" I' have only had the water freeze a couple of times. Most of the winter the water is ice free. I also stop filtering and drain the pipes/filters from about November to March depending on weather and temperatures. I have only had one problem with one valve breaking over winter and that was my fault for leaving a ball valve in the closed position trapping water/air in the middle of the valve.

      Bill
      Thanks, good to know that 3 ft deep is enough for Chicago. I will go all in-ground, working on the design now.

    9. #9
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      Congratulations on your new project. You may want to look at my pond. I live in Southern Ontario and have a 1500g pond with 6 koi. It is 13 x 6 with 2 shelves (and 4.5 foot deep). The first shelve is 18 inches from the water surface and the 2nd shelf is 12 inches from the bottom. It is all in-ground however the back side of the pond is built up as we have a bit of a sloping backyard. During my first winter I had a very hard time keeping a hole open in the ice and wondered all winter wether my koi are all right. So the following winters I started covering my pond and heating it. Luckily my pond was close to the house as I able to heat the pond by blowing warm air under the cover from the basement window through a vent. With a deep liner only pond, if that is the plan, you will have to work fast because if you get heavy rain, your work will cave in. Either that or build a roof first so you can take your time digging. Four and half foot deep is deep enough for me. This came in handy as any deeper may pose a problem reaching the bottom as I vacuum the pond. I don't put my pumps at the bottom as I use it as an settling area. This where a small foot print at the bottom comes in handy for ease of vacuuming. If you want further details of my pond you can brows through my videos on my youtube channel in the signature below (subscribe while you're at it, this will help me). I will also link another youtuber's channel down below with a similar pond size in Chicago. You can see a problem during his build where the pond cave in during a heavy rainfall. But again, it's another successful pond build in a very cold climate.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU7gXWuTIUk&t=29s
      Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. ---- Marthe Troly-Curtin

      KoiRun on YouTube, latest video:
      https://youtu.be/72iiuRXY2Wk

    10. #10
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by newtokoimayfield View Post
      Thanks, good to know that 3 ft deep is enough for Chicago. I will go all in-ground, working on the design now.
      Most experienced folks will advise you to go down at least four feet. I once made a pond in western Pennsylvania that was only three feet deep. It was not enough. Yes, most of the fish made it through winter, thanks to extreme efforts on my part, but it was not a good scene.

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    11. #11
      TimberFountain is offline Junior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by One Poet's Garden View Post
      Most experienced folks will advise you to go down at least four feet. I once made a pond in western Pennsylvania that was only three feet deep. It was not enough. Yes, most of the fish made it through winter, thanks to extreme efforts on my part, but it was not a good scene.
      So glad you've got a new project, can't wait for pictures.
      I agree, 4' is a nice depth. Last winter was a real wake up call for watergarden/koi pond folks. I use a stock tank heater in my ponds, yes electric can get expensive but it keeps ice open when temps really dip. But like last year when electric was shut off 4' would save your koi. I use a guard on it and also tie it off with masonry string so if winds get really bad, it doesnt get close to the liner.

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