May I make a suggestion for the fish? Instead of buying koi, which are quite expensive, go to any pet store and select fish from the "feeder" tank. Yes, the tank with hundreds of little fish a cramped together and not getting enough air. Those fish.
After losing many expensive koi, this is what I did for my rather large pond when I lived in Virginia. Those little feeder fish grew into very beautiful red and white and black fish with pretty markings. They were quite smart and tame and would eat from my hand. However, when we moved I had to give my fishy pets away. They lived in my pond for 16 years, and had babies that had grown to adulthood.
You can find feeder fish with beautiful long flowing tails and beautiful markings. I would recommend NOT buying fish with black markings as those tend to "disappear" in the dark pond water.
One more recommendation -- be sure to get enough floating foliage to provide shade for the fish and protection from predators. Shallow pond water can become too hot for fish in summer unless it is in the shade. Even in the shade, I had to float frozen containers to cool the water and that was in Virginia! (old soft drink bottles filled with water and frozen solid).
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 K9-Lovers
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