Garden Pond Pumps & Filters

Use the right pumps and filters in your garden pond.

Water features are a great way to set your backyard's landscape apart from your neighbor's yard. You can add ponds and waterfalls to display your design creativity. The key to getting any water feature to operate properly is to install the right garden pond pumps and filters. With the growing number of garden pond pumps on the market today, you can be sure to find just the right equipment for your waterscape.

Warning

While you can set up the pond as a do-it-yourself project, you should always have a qualified electrician do the wiring of both the garden pond pumps as well as the garden pond filter. Garden pond pumps typically operate on high-voltage current and you need to be sure that whoever does the electrical for your pond knows how to safely install electricity around water features.

Function

Garden pond pumps circulate the water in the water feature. Some pond pumps also filter the water, but for best filtration, you should consider a separate garden pond filter. The separate filter can more than make up for the extra cost by keeping the garden pond free of unnecessary debris. It also helps make the water a safer environment for koi or other fish you have in your pond.

Types

The four most common types of garden pond pumps are submersible, external, magnetic drive and direct drive. Submersible pumps are the easiest to install and operate and can drain the pond for you if needed. External pumps take more to install but operate more efficiently than other types. Magnetic drive pumps contain no oil so they can't harm fish. Direct drive pumps move the pond water efficiently to provide water to waterfalls and fountains.

Size

It's important that your garden pond pump be able to handle enough water to provide sufficient filtration and water movement. Plan your pond before you buy your pump. A pump needs to move at least half of the volume of the water every hour. Therefore, a 1,000-gallon pond needs a pump that can move 500 gallons per hour.

Filter Considerations

In addition to buying filters large enough to filter debris from your garden pond, you can choose from a variety of types. A mechanical filter works well to take care of debris if you don't have fish or other aquatic animals in your pond. If you have fish, you need to add a biological filter as well. You don't need a filter if you don't have fish or plants in your pond. Instead, you can skim debris from it with a net and remove algae with an algaecide.

References

• Fish Pond Pumps
• Garden Pond Supplies: Getting To Know the Basic Garden Pond Supplies
• Home Depot: Water Garden Pumps
• ABC Ponds: Pond Filter Buying Guide