A Guide to Modern Koi Pond Construction
Pumps
The pump can be said to be the heart of the system so it is very important that you consider which one you are going to purchase. It is not only necessary to consider the cost and the pumping capacity, but also a very important consideration is the running costs.
There is now a very large number of good pumps on the market now, and you can compare them by looking through dealer's descriptiond on the Internet.
The Oase Aquamax is very popular with many koi keepers,
and there are several types of this type of pump available. It issupplied
in various sizes and is available at 795 gals/hr for the 3500 model
to 3300 gals/hr for the 15000model.
They are circulating pumps and economical to run.
They can be used as a submersible as shown, or with the cover removed
they can be used as an external pump which is the most common way to
use them. They then have 1.5 inch pipe connections.
The Sequence is very good when you want to pump a large amount of water with low electric consumption. They are expensive to buy, but very reasonable to run.
These pumps are often used on big systems, and it is important to use 2" diameter pipe and to have the minimum of bends and anything that can cause friction in the pipe run.
Swimming pool pumps are pressure pumps
with a good output even against high friction, but are fairly expensive
to run.These should be used when you are using a sand filter as you need
the higher pressure when back flushing.
The pump shown here is the Badu 8, but there are several type available
and some people favour the ITT pumps.
Tip. When you wish to replace or renew the pump an identical one may not be available so then the pipework has to be altered. For this reason, and it applies to all pumps and auxiliaries, leave plenty of space to change the pipework.
NOTE. Many of the ponds shown in the Pond Description section were using Central Heating Pumps, but now there is concern that this could lead to contamination of the water, and there are better alternatives on the market. Most of these pumps have now been replaced.
This page updated January 2004
This website started with a booklet which I made up originally for the help of those members of the BKKS - South Wales Section who were intending to start building a koi pond, and as the website has expanded more information and articles from other people have been included. This is for general guidance only, and we do not take any responsibility for problems that might occur by following these ideas. It is important that you check out everything in your area, and check on local laws and rules that may apply.