Owning a pond can be a rewarding experience and a well-designed pond can be a wonderful addition to any landscape. They should be carefully planned to ensure that your objectives are met. Planning requires careful assessment of your goals for your pond, how much time you have for maintenance, and answering many other questions. Do you want a water garden or a koi pond? This is a critical design issue that needs to be decided and is sometimes overlooked by the hobbyist. However this decision must be made before the design of your pond can begin.

Water gardens are typically around 18" to 24" deep with gravel or stone bottoms and the main focal points are your plants. True koi ponds typically have steep edges and average depths of around 4 feet. Water quality is of primary concern to maintaining healthy koi. Therefore, designing a appropriate filtration system is one of the main keys to a successful koi pond. Regardless of the type of pond you choose all elements must work together to ensure a cohesive system.

In our business, we have seen many ponds. Some are exciting while others are disappointing. Some however are exceptional. These exceptional ponds stand out because they were built with both engineering and aesthetic considerations.

Engineering and design aspects include:

Container - EDPD rubber liner, Permalon polyethylene Liner, Concrete

Filtration - Mechanical, Biological, Bottom Drains, Skimmers, Waterfalls, Filtration Media

Water Quality- Plants, Air Pumps and UV Clarifiers

Pumps- external or submersible, max flow gph, head, discharge, amps

Plumbing- PVC, Flex Hosing, Vinyl Tubing, Bulkheads, Ball Valves, Backflow Prevents, Fittings, and Couplers

Lighting- Landscape, Floating, Underwater, Low voltage and High voltage

Topography- Water level and elevation changes

Landscaping- Rocks, Boulders, Gravel, and Plants

Accessories- Nets, De-icer, Heaters, Underwater Cameras, Auto fill, Float Switch

Aesthetics (the visual aspects) include:

How does your pond look to others? Even though you may have mastered the engineering and design aspects of your pond, it is the aesthetic arrangement of the artistic elements that will make or break your creation. Your visitors will not care about the filtration, pumps, and other engineering aspects of your pond. They will evaluate it on how it looks.

Are the filters and pumps in plain view? Can you hear the pumps? Can the see the liner? How is the visual transition between the land and the water? Do the rocks, waterfall, plants, and water topography work together to make the pond interesting or is it boring? Does the landscaping interact with the pond ? Do the waterfall and streams flow naturally and and create the correct sound effects? Is the rock and stone selection the correct size, shape and texture?

Are there areas to interact with the fish? How are the views from different areas around the pond? Are there interesting walkways, bridges, and seating areas to relax and enjoy the water garden? Are the plants placed in natural settings?

All these factors have to be considered and are crucial to the success of your project.







Splendor Koi and Pond can work with
you throughout the design process to
create a beautiful, relaxing retreat
whether we build it or you choose to
do it yourself.

POND BUILDING 101: Can I build it myself, or should I have it built?