Pond Pumps
The most essential part of any pond where there is to be any water movement is the Pond Pump.
The Pond Pump is essential for water movement (waterfalls fountains etc) and for the use of pond filters whether it be a gravity or pressure filter. In essence it can be thought of as the “heart” of the pond system, and as such is perhaps the most important piece of equipment.
There are many different types and sizes of pond pump and so it is important to carefully decide which one you need. Blagdon, Fish Mate, Laguna, Lotus, Oasis and Tetra all have ranges of pond pumps that are designed for a wide range of situations.
There are a number of basic decisions to make that will affect the size and type of pond pump you will need.
Is the pump for a Fountain?: Not only attractive to look at, but they also help to aerate the water by splashing its surface and increasing the area over which oxygen can diffuse into it. Fountain pumps come with all the necessary attachments for making an attractive fountain display. When selecting a fountain pump you must bear in mind how large a fountain you want. Ideally the maximum height of the fountain should be half the width of the pond in order to prevent water being blown out of it.
Link to - Pond Fountain Pumps
Is the pump for a Waterfall?: Particularly attractive addition to the pond as well as being extremely good at re-oxygenating the water. They do however require a reasonable amount of water to make them look effective. As a rough rule of thumb for every cm width of water you need approximately 90-180 litres per hour (50-100 Gals per hour for every inch width)depending on how bold a flow you require. For instance if you wanted to have a waterfall that was 30cm (12in) wide you would need a pump that could produce 2700 l.p.h. (600 Gals) for a gentle trickle of water or 5450 l.p.h. (1200 Gals) for a strong flow. It is always best to slightly over-size the pump in order to allow room for error remember you can always reduce the flow rate but you can’t turn it up.
Link to - Pond Waterfall Pumps
Is the pump for a Filter?: Most companies now manufacture special pumps to run filters. These pumps have no foam/sponge pre-filters and have larger openings on the pump cages to allow large waste particals to pass through the pump. The pumps also have specially designed impellers to move the waste to the filter where it can be biologically broken down. When buying one of these pumps it is essential you buy one that is rated to the flow rate of the filter you have or are going to buy. The correct flow rate will give you maximum filtration but a pump to big will over flow or pass the water through the filter to quickly and a pump to small will not turn the water over in the pond quick enough resulting in poor pond filtration. If not matching the performance of the pump to a filter then we recommended a turn over rate of once every two hours for a low stocked pond to a maximum of once every hour for a high stocked or koi pond. Some pond filter pumps have high out put for low wattage but a cost to thier maximum head they will pump to so if your filter is far from the pond then this should be taken into consideration.
Link to - Pond Filter Pumps
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