Sometimes even the most beautiful garden needs one final touch to elevate it from “ordinary” beauty to a level that is something else entirely. In many cases, a fish pond can be that extra crowning detail.

Koi, with their beautiful jewel colors and unique patterns, are an ornamental Japanese species of carp that many designers of special garden ponds favor, for both public and private spaces.

Instead of the expected pond fountain, koi can add distinction to these spaces in a different way.

Several factors need to be kept in mind as one creates a koi fish pond. The first, of course, is size. Koi may start small, but they can become rather large, so you have to plan based on their future size.

The general recommendation is to have no more than one fish for every 100 gallons of water in the pond. Your pond fountain should include considerable depth as well, to guard against potential predators. In this regard, experts suggest between five and eight feet in your pond management.

These ponds need protection in several ways, in fact. The depth will help reduce danger from many sorts of predators, from raccoons, to cats, to kingfishers. Great Blue Herons can do a lot of damage as well, so some builders even recommend placing a bird net over the pond.

The fish also need protection from direct sunlight, so a koi pond should have some shade, yet without being directly under trees and getting clogged with falling leaves. Water lilies can help provide some of this needed shading effect.

A good filter and pump are essential for keeping the pond clean, and another very important piece of equipment in a koi pond will be a heater, particularly in a cooler climate.

The pond cannot be allowed to freeze over in the winter, so this may be a final limitation on who can create one, and where these fish ponds can be located. The severity of the winter climate might even be a factor in whether you should have this type of pond at all.

But for someone in a climate that can accommodate stocking a pond, creating this type of feature has the potential to turn their garden into a beautiful jewel.