A Koi pond can be a magical addition to any garden and backyard landscape. They compliment brightly colored flowers, and are a conduit for relieving stress. The offer aesthetic appeal that is hard to rival, and it certainly leaves you standing out from your neighbors. Without careful planning however, beautiful Koi ponds can quickly turn into a sore spot for you and your pocket book. Do your homework before you start building your Koi pond and follow these guidelines to avoid common mistakes.

• First and foremost, Koi ponds are a time-intensive project. You should be willing to invest time in it, and your fish, daily. The installation and build of the garden pond alone requires a large amount of time if you're performing a self-install. You can always look toward hiring a contractor if you're not sure about the costs.

• Ensure that you have an environment conducive to maintaining healthy fish. If you live in an area where your water could quickly become polluted by runoff, acid-rain, or other factors that might alter the pH of your water quickly (a lot of organic waste from plants) then you should reconsider installing a Koi pond. You may do better with a simple garden pond that doesn't need to sustain aquatic life.

• Unhealthy, or poorly bred Koi, discolor fairly quickly creating problems in ponds. You'll need to invest in a more quality breed of Koi if you intend on displaying the fish or breeding them yourself. Replacing Koi frequently because of color and pattern fading is more expensive than purchasing a good, stout breed that holds its color.

• Expect to keep your Koi pond water clean, and free of debris. Don't overstock the water with aquatic plants. What's the point of having Koi fish if you can’t see them? As plants in ponds increase, you'll want to be sure to divide some of them to maintain viewing spots for your lovely Koi.

• Install your pond with size in mind, especially if you intend on stocking your garden pond with Koi fish. Koi need a lot of room to swim, and require a healthy supply of oxygen in the water. Shoot for no less than 500 gallons. Having somewhere between 500 and 2,000 gallons of water is the perfect starting point for a Koi pond.

• Make it deep! Koi like to have that room to swim, and deep water means they can get down into the shadows to avoid any predators that make their way into your pond. Aim for 6' deep, but deeper won't hurt. Besides, a 6' deep pond takes up the same space as a 13' deep pond.

• Install a quality aeration system to maintain the oxygen level in the water, and keep the current flowing to avoid stagnation. This is a big part of water quality in ponds.

• Balance the plant life around your Koi pond, and be sure to give ample "breathing room". When plants die, especially on the edge of water, you end up with organic waste that can poison your water and kill off your Koi. Creating a nice balance that is elegant and pleasing without choking off your access to the pond.

Lastly, pull up a chair, stick a straw in your lemonade, and put your feet up. Feel the satisfaction. Let the pride of accomplishment set in.

You just set yourself up to make the best looking garden pond on the block.