How to Make a Water Fountain in a Pond

A basic bubbler fountain just disturbs the water's surface in constant ripples.

Add a fountain to your small backyard pond to keep the water aerated, provide a pleasing musical accompaniment to the sounds of the birds and wildlife, and make the whole pond area more energetic, interesting and mosquito-free. A fountain doesn't have to be elaborate, calibrated to a computerized pattern or provide multiple streams from the mouths of a dozen sculpted stone fish. You can use something as simple as a surface bubbler, as inexpensive as a solar fountain or as unexpected as a stack of drilled stones rising out of the pond's depths and spouting water through a hole in the top.

Things You'll Need

• Concrete block or brick
• Pond basket or plastic milk crate
• Submersible pump
• Water delivery pipe
• Yardstick
• Marker
• Hack saw
• Bubbler fountainhead
• Silicone sealer (optional)

Instructions

1. Buy a separate pump for the fountain to keep maintenance simple and to let you turn the fountain off. The regular pond pump will stay on to aerate fish or plants and reduce algae blooms. Purchase the pump in a kit that includes the water delivery pipe and fountainhead, if possible.

2. Determine where the fountain will emerge from the pond. Lower the water level, if the pond is already filled, or just wade in and get wet. Set a concrete block or a brick on the floor of the pond where the pump will rest. Place the pump on the block. Run the power cord over the side of the pond.

3. Cut a hole in the bottom of a large pond basket or a plastic milk crate for the water pipe to poke through. Attach the water pipe to the pump. Place the crate or basket upside down over the pipe and pump. The cover allows water to flow around the pump but keeps leaves and other large debris from clogging it.

4. Measure the normal height of the pond level, and trim the pipe about two inches above the waterline. Attach a bubbler fountainhead to the pipe for a simple, burbling fountain. Run a line of silicone sealer around the joint of pipe and fountainhead to secure it, if necessary. Let the silicone dry completely. This can take up to 24 hours, depending on manufacturer's instructions.

5. Refill the pond level to its normal height. Attach the power cord to an outdoor outlet, and then camouflage the cord with rocks, plants and ground cover. Turn on the pump, and enjoy your low-maintenance fountain.

Tips & Warnings

• Water lilies look wonderful around a bubbler fountain, but be sure they don't grow over it and interfere with water delivery.

• If the pump cover tends to move or float, just put a heavy rock on it to hold it in place.

• If you get a lot of silt or seasonal leaf drop in your fountain, clean around the pump regularly to keep it functioning.

References

• Pond.com: Pond Fountain
• National Wildlife Federation: Build a Backyard Pond
• Johnson County K-State Research and Extension: Simple and Low Cost Water Features