Barebones Requirement for Koi Pond 

Whatever your reason for wanting to start a Koi Pond; you may find the range of options to be quite overwhelming. It is feasible to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on your Koi Pond before even purchasing any fish! If you’re just starting, however, you may want to start with something a little more budget friendly to determine if Koi ponds are right for you.   

How to set up your first Koi Pond for just a few hundred dollars and some honest elbow grease? In the future, you may become a very successful Koi breeder, but for now let’s focus on setting up a functional pond that do well enough to keep your fish healthy and happy. After you get the pond in place, functioning, and stable enough to support the Koi you purchase—then, and only then, would you truly be ready to sink into the investment of purchasing the Koi fish themselves. 

To begin, you will need the following five items: 

1. A Pond Liner – Simply put, a pond liner will hold the water in your pond. If you dig a hole in the ground and put water in it, it will be absorbed into the soil (unless you’re talking about a LOT of water). Furthermore, you want to separate you Koi’s environment from outside contaminants as much as possible. Consider either uPVC or Butyl; both are readily available from your local home improvement store. If your hole has lots of sharp rocks in it, you may want to purchase some extra layers or padding to protect the liner. Since the padding will not come in contact with the Koi, anything resistant to shredding will work, even an old rug. 
2. A Filter – You cannot have a Koi Pond without a filter. Your filtration needs will depend on the volume of your pond, which means that if you want to save you should start will a smaller pond. Unless you are skilled in fabricating your own aquarium filters, you would be best served by purchasing a filter in the store. You need a filter to remove debris, bacteria, and toxins from the water. If you’re working on a budget, take a good look at the filter prices and their recommended replacement intervals making sure to factor that cost into your calculations. 
3. A Pond Pump – This will work in conjunction with the filter to clean your pond water. It is absolutely essential to your Koi’s survival to have a working pump at all times. If you can afford it, you should always keep a backup pump on hand in case of a failure. Make sure to check with your aquarium supply dealer regarding pump efficiency. A general rule of thumb is that your pump should be able to circulate the entire pond’s volume within a couple of hours. 
4. A UV Clarifier – This is a special piece of equipment that fits between the pump and the filter. It uses UV rays to help the filter remove algae from the pond water.  Algae are a special concern in Koi ponds since it is often too small to be caught by most filtration systems. The UV rays will cause algae particles to bond together so that they are large enough to be filtered out of the water. It is feasible to remove algae from the pond by chemical methods, but this is considered hazardous to the Koi. 
5. A Test Kit – Even experts need test kits. The quality of your Koi’s water must be checked frequently. One of the most dangerous chemicals to your Koi is ammonia, which can be detected by neither sight nor smell. You will need two different types of test kits, one for pH, and one for nitrate (which will indicate filter performance). Ensuring the quality of your Koi’s water is a major factor in how long they will survive.