Koi pond: Trending landscape concept, how to create one for your dream home

Most modern abodes are designed as full-fledged ecosystems encompassing a beautiful landscape, verdant gardens, fruit-bearing trees, birds and water bodies. Koi ponds are small fish ponds created to enhance the beauty of the landscape around a house. A part of the Japanese garden, such ponds are created to raise koi fish.

Koi ponds have become an inevitable part of contemporary homes and buildings as it add a sense of movement to the atmosphere. Koi carp are the most preferred decorative fishes due to their vibrant colours and interactive nature. Moreover, koi ponds are extremely relaxing and play a pivotal role in maintaining our mental health. A koi pond could be efficiently maintained in the house even if there is only one person who is interested in taking care of the fish.

Designing koi pond
You should inform the engineer or the architect in advance if you want a koi pond in the house. In case you plan to have a pond on the terrace, then the structure should be built sturdy to hold the weight of the water too. Meanwhile, the koi pond in the landscape or the courtyard could be built when the wall is plastered. A water inlet and an electric point should be added close to the pond.

Size of the tank
Koi ponds could be built either inside or outside the house. However, the pond should at least be 5' X 3' in size for the koi fishes to swim around. A depth of more than two and a half feet could be dangerous, especially in homes with little kids. Even if there aren’t any kids in the house, children may visit the house as guests. Walkways could be built around bigger koi ponds. However, do not forget to fix hand railings here to ensure safety.

Koi pond looks beautiful when too many fish swim around in perfect rhythm. Koi wouldn’t grow in size if the tank is small. It is better to build a bigger pond so that the fishes would thrive and grow in size. Although concrete tanks are suitable for homes, it is difficult to break them apart if the tanks become redundant later. In some homes, pond liners or polythene sheets are used to make koi ponds, but cracks may appear on them due to the pressure of the water. Besides, these pond liners do not look so appealing either. Meanwhile, aquarium-like ponds made using tempered glass would look perfect in the interiors. Concrete tanks could be used as koi ponds in the inner courtyards too.

Clean filters
Proper filtering is essential to keep the water clean by eliminating the leftover feed and waste. Readymade filters that are fitted with UV filtration mechanism are easily available in the market. Besides, natural filters like charcoal, ceramic rings, bio balls, sponge and cotton could also be used. Filters should never be switched off to ensure the quality of the water.

There should be a single inlet to let in the water and two outlets to let the water out. Meanwhile, there is no need to change the water as the same water is rotated after filtration. Lava rocks too could be used as a natural filter. Although UV filters aren’t needed in koi ponds, it is better to fix these filters in outdoor ponds as sunlight hits directly in the water. Meanwhile, the depth of the pond could be increased or decreased by adding layers of mettle. Tarpaulin sheet could be paved above a bed of metal stones and filled with water to make a koi pond.

Natural charm
Designing the koi pond as naturally as possible has become the latest trend. Trees, shrubs, rocks and miniature waterfalls make a koi pond charm and serene. Besides using real rocks, textured and painted cement blocks too are used near the pond. Talented artists even turn weightless thermocol into fabulous pieces of rocks. However, the pond should be bigger and spacious if you plan to add landscape and waterfall around it. You could also use shiny round pebbles and plants in smaller ponds.

Decorative plants like ferns look incredible in the koi ponds. Japonica, water lilies, water lettuce, water moss, fox tail plant, water mosaic and duck-weed are some of the decorative plants that are used in ponds. The oxygen released by these plants is used by the fish while the fish waste becomes natural manure for the plants. Beautiful statues could be placed in the ponds to add a touch of artistic elegance. Due to continuous filtering, weeds aren’t likely to grow in these ponds.

Colourful koi carp
Koi carp are ornamental fishes known for their bright colours and graceful movement. Besides the popular Indian and Japanese varieties, more than 15 varieties of koi carp are available in the market. Although the foreign varieties are brighter and prettier, they are pricier too. Meanwhile, the price of the fish is determined by the size of it. The fish remains cheerful and healthy depending upon the movement of the water. So, there should be a mechanism to move the water at intervals.

The quantity of the feed is one of the most important factors that determine the well-being of the koi fish. So, it is better if one member of the family takes up the responsibility of feeding the fish.
(Information courtesy: R Kishore)