Fish Pond Pump 101
Posted on 17. Jun, 2009 by admin in Aquariums, Fishtanks
We all have different reasons for building a garden pond. You may want a water feature with or without running water effects or possible want to keep koi carp or goldfish.
Pond pumps are aptly named; the pump water. It pumps or turns the pond water. The type of pond pump you need depends on the purpose, effects and size of your pond. Of course a pond pump is not always necessary for example if you are building a wildlife pond then pond plants help to keep the water clear. However a Koi pond requries that the water is turned every 1-2 hours and other ponds should be turned every 3-4 hours
When looking for a suitable pond pump keep in mind it must be able to pump the amount of water you have in your pond. Here is a rough guide:
Work out how much water you have in your pond:Width (m) x Depth (m) x Length (m) = x Litres. E.g:
- 2m wide x 1m deep x 1m long = 2000 litres
- 3m wide x 1m deep x 2m long = 6000 litres
When you know the water volume estimate the required pond pump output litres per hour) considering the purpose of the pond (fish or no fish) as mentioned earlier
- A 2000 litre pond requires a pump with at least 1000 LPH output to circulate the water every 2 hours
- A normal 6000 litre pond (no fish) will require a pump with 1500 LPH output to circulate the water every 3-4 hours
Got it?
Pond pumps get more expensive the bigger the pond and you don’t want to make a costly mistake by choosing the wrong one! So you can always ask at the pond pumps store for help just to be sure.
It is a good idea to get a pump that has a more powerful potential output than what you have calculated. This is simply because you can turn a larger pump down but you cannot make a pump operating at its maximum capacity work harder without doing some damage. If you have a pond holding 2000 litres of water, opt for a pump that can operate at a higher output than 1000 LPH.
You might want a lovely fountain or waterfall effect or need a filter to keep the pond clear of blanket weed or small debris such as leaves. Both of these will require a bigger pump because you are asking them to work harder. However there are many fountain and filter pump combination pumps on the market today.
Finally, Most pumps tend to have the output in the name such as the Oase Promax Filter Pond Pumps or Blagdon Mini Fountain Pond Pump. You don’t require two sets of calculations for combination pumps such as these. If you bought them separately you would first need to calculate the output required based on the volume PLUS the output required to also power the fountain, waterfall or filter.
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