For anyone contemplating keeping Koi Carp in Birmingham as a hobby or profession, there is a serious need to consider carefully the facilities required to meet the needs of the koi carp, whether it is simply a garden pool or pools for ornamental purposes to see and watch the carp swimming around, or more seriously as a commercial day ticket or tickets fishery in large fishing ponds, waters, lakes or pools, or as a koi farm company for fish breeding, spawning, rearing and selling on.

Koi carp are available for sale at the occasional specialist koi shop or centre, most garden centres & nurseries, however, koi are not cheap and without doubt the majority of garden centres are expensive when compared to dealing direct with cold water fish retailers, the breeder, breeders or importers. Koi carp originated in Japan and for those who really want to take up the hobby seriously, fish bred in Japan or bred from fish exported from Japan are the ones to purchase, the price of such fish will be very much dependant on their individual quality. There are numerous type and varieties available, even ghost and green coloured koi, all named according to their wonderful and vibrant colouring, with prices according to fish size varying from a few pounds up to a few thousand pounds. There are also koi with butterfly shaped fins and even specially bred ones with two tails.

Israeli koi, another variety readily available, are cheaper than the Japanese varieties but do tend to lose some of their base colouring as they age.

There are annual koi carp club shows in and around Birmingham City and the West Midlands for those people interested in taking up the hobby, club shows are ideal venues to visit, seek guidance from the experts and buy fish. During and at the end of the show you will find that the koi will be on sale and sold at more reasonable prices in order to avoid the packing up and returning home journey for the individual breeder, breeders, dealer and dealers. Also from September onwards you will find venues offering koi carp at more reasonable prices through their annual autumn sales programme.  

Other sound advice is to consider joining one of the local koi clubs or society, listen to the experienced koi keepers and seek advice and guidance before you jump in and find that you could have approached things more efficiently and/or effectively. There are also numerous videos, books and magazine publishing's associated with the koi world, which cover everything one needs to know even down to diseases and their treatment. It may well be worth giving consideration to regular magazine subscriptions for a few weeks/months prior to the construction of a pond/filter set up in order to gain valuable knowledge.

Let's now assume that your decision on keeping koi has been made and you now have a new pool to design and build, but what sort and of what construction standards?

You need to decide on your pond or pool size, with the experts recommending a minimum water size of 1500 gallons and depths of no less than 4 feet. Such a size which will easily house 30 fish x 6 inches in length, however, in the right conditions and correct food and feeding, koi fish will grow very quickly and within a year or so you will need to offer some of them for sale or you will lose them due to overcrowding leading to lack of oxygen, water poisoning and a slowing down of their immune system.

Also it is important to consider the various filtration systems which are available. Pond filters are vitally important as they perform two tasks of filtration, mechanically where pond rubbish and fish waste is removed and biologically by converting fish produced ammonia, which without treatment will poison the fish, into nitrites and eventually into nitrates which are generally harmless to fish.  

The design of filters has, like most other things, changed over the years, but perhaps the most simplest form of filtration is a simple holding tank made of bricks, epoxy or rubber covered concrete, or fibreglass, all containing separate chambers containing various types of filtration items like rows of brushes to remove items of pool debris, then a foam or mat chamber, followed by a chamber containing porous volcanic rock or similar types of material which allows water to pass through and once established, will contain the bacteria used for converting fish excreted ammonia to acceptable levels.  It is important to note that the filtration system will take a few weeks to become efficiently operational, so it is very important, until the filter is fully operational, to purchase a water testing kit to carry out daily checks in order to establish the need for regular water changes. Any water change, be it partial of fully, will also require the introduction of adequate water treatment to remove the cleansing chemicals contained in drinking water.

The pool itself can be constructed of ready mixed concrete, fibreglass or rubber liner; there are numerous types of pond liners, which each come in a variety of sizes. Newly constructed concrete pools, because of the exposed concrete will create far higher and dangerous levels of ph for at least three years, however, this can easily be resolved by allowing the concrete to cure and then painting it with epoxy or a rubber based paint. Whatever your choice make sure that you include bottom drainage facilities which preferably allow pool water to run straight into the foul sewerage system during water changing operations or directly through the filtration system. These two operations can be achieved via a correctly installed valve and pipe system. This will allow bottom lying debris to be removed quickly and easily, be it through the filter or during water changing activities. In making this statement it is important to design the base of the pool so that it has an adequate slope down to the centre drainage pipe or any other additional drainage pipes which have been inserted to benefit much larger pools, so that once the appropriate valve is opened the water movement caused by the filter pump is adequate to draw the bottom lying debris down from the extreme base and side areas straight into the filter system. Many pools are constructed with flat bases and no matter how good the filter system is it will not do its job properly without the use of an efficient bottom drainage system or time consuming regular bottom vacuuming. The number of bottom drains will be very much dependent on the pool size. If you are considering the installation of pond lighting, this should be taken into account at the construction stage in case cables & wiring need to be introduced into the structure of the pool.

You will also need to incorporate, although not an absolute necessity, an ultra violet light set up if you want to keep your pool totally free of algae and also an adequate aeration or jet system to increase and maintain oxygen levels especially in periods of hot weather. Skimmers to remove leaves etc. can also be incorporated in the pool design although again not essential unless your pond is directly underneath a tree or trees. Without a skimmer the pool surface will require regular netting to remove fallen leaves and other surface floating debris.

An adequately sized pump will also be needed to push the pond water through the filter and ultra violet light systems. It is essential that the pond water is moved through the filtration system at least once every 2 or three hours and it runs 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. The water movement will also prevent ice from forming on the pool surface during periods of cold weather. There are a wide range of pond pumps available which can cost upto several hundred pounds. Consideration should be given to the use of a central heating pump, as long as it can be placed away from the effects of weather.

Vegetation in koi ponds is not recommended as most water plants do not like moving water so plants and jets are not really compatible together. Also koi love to eat pond plants.

The acceptable position of a koi pool in the garden is also an essential point to consider as koi do better in shaded areas rather than full sun although full sun is acceptable you may have algae problems.

In the commercial fishing industry a number of lakes have been stocked with koi carp and provide those of us that enjoy angling with some interesting encounters with some of the larger fish.

Once you have carried out your build, fill it initially with a few cheap fish to make sure that everything is fish acceptable and that the water conditions are right before you introduce the more expensive fish, be patient as an identified problem can be expensive.

The aforementioned is of help in your first steps to being a koi carp fan, remember to ask questions, decide on your ponds construction material and design it correctly. As once it is built it will be expensive to change, especially if it has been constructed with concrete.

Koi & pond fish will live quite happily live with other species of coarse fish and dependant on pool size will require adequate aeration systems, as do most species of fish. For further information on this matter direct contact with the Environmental Agency is recommended, as they will provide you with whatever advice and information you are seeking. They will even arrange a site visit to view and discuss the facilities on offer.

For those contemplating breeding, spawning and the rearing of fry to sell, correctly laid out breeding tanks, a quarantine tank and the equipment identified previously are essential, plus adequate facilities for maintaining adequate water temperatures.