This article covers the basics on making a Koi pond. You will be able to plan and build a Koi pond with a circulating pump. You will also learn about the kind of bacteria Koi need to survive and how to make a bacteria containment system. You will learn how to line the bottom of the pond with plastic to keep the water from seeping.
We'll just start out by digging out the Koi pond. Most people like to have small waterfalls to keep the water circulating for the fish.

We may need to make a dirt hill with a slope for the waterfall.

Once we have the hole dug out, we will need to put in a pond liner which is a plastic membrane made for this purpose.

Part of the pond construction will include a bacteria tank used to keep koi alive. Koi create a certain type of necessary bacteria and tanks like the one pictured above help that bacteria thrive.

Many landscapers will use the bacteria tank as a waterfall to run over rocks and down into the Koi pond. The pump will need to be placed in the pond, but it needs to be off the bottom of the pond floor by an inch or two. This keeps the pump from sucking up sediment.

Rocks can be a beautiful part of any landscape pond. If you need to make a waterfall from rocks, you can use a rock adhesive/sealant to hold the rocks together. This also fills in holes really well.

Next, we can fill the pond to test it out for leaks.

Once we know the pond holds water we can put all the extras in place to make it look nice. Plants and lilies are a great addition.

Plants can take awhile before they start to take hold and look healthy.

We will need to wait for a few weeks before we put the Koi in. It's important to let the water circulate and build up some sediment.

Koi are such a tranquil feature to a landscaping project.