Customer Story: Rob H. – “Built with Memory, Filled with Peace – Rob’s Living Tribute in Koi”

Customer Story By: Rob H.

“You spent how much on a fish… A FISH?!” To me, koi are not just fish; they are living art, a connection to family, to slowing down and finding inner peace. My koi journey began long before I put the first shovel into the ground to create a pond. It started when I was in fifth grade, my dad was working on his aquarium and I remember just staring at the tropical fish for hours. Eventually my dad got me my own aquarium in eighth grade and sure enough, my angelfish began to breed. My dad helped me prepare all the things necessary to help the fry along, and while my dad eventually got out of the aquarium hobby, I did not. It was always a passion of mine to talk to him about the fish and “when I grow up, I want to have a koi pond.”

A decade and a half later, I built my first true koi pond. In 2023, I put the shovel in the ground and built a 2,300 gallon koi pond with the red bridge and all. When I had finished the dig and build, my dad came over and was amazed. We sat by the pond watching the Ochiba, Tancho, and Benis swim below. One of my favorite days was sitting there with my grandfather and him politely listening to me as I rambled on about koi and all their different names, meanings etc. It was quite an enjoyable afternoon. I enjoyed it almost every day, but adding fish days, while stressful, were always my favorite.

Sadly tragedy struck three times last fall. Both my grandfather and dad passed away. I remember sitting by the koi pond in the evening when I got the call that my father had passed (the night before my grandpa’s funeral). Then in the winter while I was away, a mink stole 90% of my koi– in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. I was gutted and thought about quitting the koi hobby, but as I lay awake at night, I thought about the memories with my family around the pond, enjoying the koi and how they move, finding inner peace in their elegance and beauty.

It was then that I got up and sketched my new pond.

In March of this year, I moved the survivors to a stock tank and began cutting up the old liner, digging and digging, vowing to make my dad even prouder on this pond.

As of writing this, June 12, 2025, I am mostly done with the pond and quite proud of myself because I used all the building knowledge both my grandpa and dad taught me to complete this project. I dug a 14*10 hole; used cinderblock to go up 8 feet; and added a viewing window from PondPortals to complete the look. This 8,000 gallon pond is exactly what I envisioned, but my favorite part is the memorial plaque to my dad who got me into this hobby.

And while my dad is not here, I know he will be watching me by the pond as I enjoy the Goshiki, Utsuris, and “autumn leaves on running water” finding my inner peace.”

CUSTOMER’S GALLERY : ROB H.