Well, we originally picked out a spot in the "dog yard" - the fenced in area of our 1/4 acre yard, thinking that we would put another smaller fence around the pond. Then, we had the spot checked for utilities and it had them all - gas, electric, water, telephone and some flag I don't even recognize. We picked out a second spot in the dog yard, but neither of us really cared for it and it would have really cut the size of the yard that the dogs have to roam around in. Looking out the guest bedroom window this morning, I realized that the best spot would probably be next to the house. We've been seriously considering fencing in the rest of our yard, mainly with privacy fencing, to expand our usable space, so location #3 would be the most sheltered choice so far. It would also be the most shaded. Ideally, there are two trees on my property - a locust and a silver maple - that I would like to have removed if we were going to put a pond in location #3. I think it is just too shaded (it is fairly deep shade) otherwise.
My baby koi in the 270 gallon indoor quarantine pond are currently 3-5". Would they be okay in there until possibly early summer 2010, if we go with location #3? I suppose now that I have the heater set up I'll have a better idea of how fast they will grow (I'm going to try to keep the water around 75 degrees) and can reevaluate in the spring.
Location #3 would really be the best, aesthetically speaking. It would also leave the dogs their own yard area and greatly reduce the risk of one of them falling into the pond. It would mean a lot more area prep than location #2 - I will have to move about 30 hostas, we'll have to get the fence put up and at least one of the trees will need to be removed. The sheer cost of the tree removal and getting the fence up would probably mean moving the pond construction itself into 2010.
I'm okay with delaying the project yet another year, if Location #3 really is the best (visibility from our house would be GREAT and dog safety would be maximized), just wanted opinions on whether 3-5 baby koi could live comfortably for 2 years in a 270 gallon indoor pond until then. Location #3, depending upon whether I'm willing to remove a small dogwood I planted in 2007, would also give me the most area for a larger pond - I could go as large as 6,000 gallons, versus a 3-4,000 gallon pond (possibly as small as 2,000 if we hit a lot of tree roots) in location #2.
Elizabeth
Rethinking Pond Location....again
Go for #3. The koi will probably hold in the 270 gal. I say probably because they can have uneven growth rates. One can just chug along nicely and another can get too big to turn around in the pond almost ovenight!
I relocated a well established 20X40 perennial garden to squeeze mine in. I know what you're facing but it will be worth it.
I supposed I can always set up another quarantine pond in the basement (there is room) if the koi grow fast, that would not be too expensive. More thoughts are needed...I did the math on what fencing in the rest of the yard would be, which we will have to do for location #3. The numbers are UGLY!
It's always a compromise isn't it. Mine is located in my second choice position because I wouldn't take down my hemlocks. Sometimes I regret it and sometimes not.
My septic got in my way of my first and second ideas but it all worked out in the end!