How to Set Up a Koi Pond on Your TV

By WebLight.

A koi pond can give an idle TV something quiet to display, but settings that look good on a laptop may look busy or indistinct across a room. Start by getting the browser onto the TV, then judge the fish from the seat where you will actually watch them. WebLight's Koi Pond has separate controls for fish size, swimming speed, and the water above them, so you can adjust one without speeding up everything else.

The view is directly overhead. It is an animated scene with fish swimming automatically, rather than a film of a real pond or a game that responds to touch. It is silent unless you turn on its optional calm music.

1. Get the browser onto the TV first

Use your TV as a display for a computer with a working browser and WebGL graphics support. If you already have a compatible display connection, use that existing setup. Select the connected input on the TV and confirm that you can see the computer's desktop before opening the pond. This separates a display-connection problem from an effect problem.

In an extended-desktop setup, move the browser window onto the TV. In a mirrored setup, the TV should show the same browser as the computer. Open Koi Pond, wait until fish appear in the preview, and select Play Fullscreen. You should see the pond fill the display without the article and page navigation around it.

This guide does not assume the TV's own browser supports the effect. A TV showing the output of a computer is a different setup from a TV running the page itself. If the pond works on your computer but not in the TV browser, use the working computer to render it.

2. Size the fish from your viewing position

Begin with Fish count at 6 and Fish size at 120. These are suggested starting values, not a built-in preset. Sit back and look at the red-and-white markings and the distinction between neighboring fish. If they are hard to read, increase Fish size before adding more fish.

The count slider changes how many koi are present; it does not enlarge them. Twenty-four tiny fish can look less clear across a room than six larger ones. Conversely, very large fish can dominate a small display. Compare a few values while keeping the count fixed so you can tell which change helped.

Fish vary in their individual proportions even when Fish size stays at one value. The slider scales that collection together. It does not make every fish identical.

3. Set the pace and water independently

Try these values for a first evening setup:

Lower Swimming speed if the fish keep drawing your attention. Lower Water movement if the whole surface feels active even with slow fish. At 0, each control stops its own part of the scene; stopping the fish alone does not freeze the water.

4. Choose a collection before adjusting brightness

Mixed combines color families. Red & white, Gold, and Tricolor keep the collection within the selected family, while individuals still have different markings or proportions. Change Pattern seed to generate another collection. Once you like the fish, leave the seed alone while tuning their size and movement.

Then adjust Brightness for the room. It dims the entire pond, including fish, water, and leaves. If the water is difficult to distinguish, compare Water clarity as well: higher clarity reveals more bed detail and reduces the colored surface overlay. Raising clarity is not the same as brightening the whole image.

Avoid judging the scene only with the controls open. Close the panel and watch it from your usual seat. A composition can look balanced close up and feel too busy when it occupies a large area in the room.

Before leaving it on display

Note the values you want to keep, including Koi mix and Pattern seed. The effect does not have a save-preset button. Keep the browser page open if you want to continue the current session, and check your computer's usual sleep settings if the entire display turns off. The pond does not provide its own keep-awake control.

You will know the setup is working when the TV shows the same pond as the browser, fish are easy to distinguish from your seat, and fullscreen controls can be opened and closed. For an exact control reference, use the Koi Pond help guide.

Questions about a koi pond TV display

Does this include water sounds?

There are no water sound effects, but you can turn on Music in the Sound group for calm, drum-free music matched to the scene, with its own Volume. It is off by default. On a TV connected by HDMI, the music plays through whichever speaker your computer's sound output is set to, so choose the TV there if you want it to come from the TV. Changing the water sliders changes the picture only.

Can I switch to a side-on aquarium view?

Koi Pond currently has a fixed top-down camera. Virtual Aquarium is a separate effect to explore if you want a different fish display.

Can I pause it without making the screen black?

Yes. Set both Swimming speed and Water movement to 0. Keep Brightness above 0; brightness controls visibility, not motion.

What if I want water without fish?

Koi Pond has a minimum of one fish. Try the Virtual Aquarium for a separate water scene, or browse the Ambient & Atmospheric effects for another background.