Pond Guide

What Is A Pond?

A pond can be naturally occurring, or man-made. A pond is essentially a body of water that is trapped and has no movement. The issue with the lack of movement in the water, is the water becomes stagnant. A pond pump keeps the water active, and moving, which is better for the pond life. Fish and plants in your pond will need a circulation of water, if the water stagnates then it could harm or even kill the life in the pond. There are various types of ponds like a wildlife pond which can be part of a bog garden.

Why Do People Need To Use Pond Pumps?

Oxygenation The oxygen levels of your pond should remain as high as possible. The fish and other pond life require oxygen to survive. If the water becomes stagnant then the oxygen levels will drop, which will eventually lead to your fish dying. Without oxygenation the pond may stagnate. These can be either be powered by traditional pond pump or a solar pond pump.

How Are Ponds Made?

First of all, you need to decide why you want the pond. Building a pond is more like building an eco-system for life to live in. The ground also needs to be suitable and able to have a pond build into it. The initial shapes and designs are measured out and then ‘drawn’ onto the ground with spray painter or a hose pipe laid out.

Measuring out the size will also allow for accurate material measurements. Before you start digging you will also want to look at what materials you are going to use. Next you will want to layout where the filters are going to go, ideally you want them at the opposite end to the pump so you can have better water circulation.

On larger ponds one filter is a surface skimmer and helps with cleaning and aeration. The second filter can be used as a pond waterfall pump that can create a beautiful feature for the pond.

In smaller ponds you can also use a Hozelock Easyclear pond uv and filter pump that shoots water upward from the pond.

Depending on the pond liner being used, the hole will need to be big enough that the rim of the pond is flush with the ground. They are usually stepped in size so they may require digging different depths. The water level should be a couple of inches below the lip of the pond perimeter.

The hole will need to be cleared of rocks and debris so it doesn’t snag and tear the underlay material. The underlay is to protect the pond liner from sharp objects in the ground. Once this is in place, rocks are used to keep it all in place. The stones need to be firmly in place. By using a group of rocks and a pond waterfall pump you can create a waterfall over the rocks.

Finally rinse down the stones and use the pumps to remove the dirty water. This may need to be done several times to make sure the water is clear and clean. Once this is done, it can now be filled with clean water and the pond is complete.

What Materials Are Ponds Made From?

There are four main materials:

Preformed polyethylene

The easier approach to building a pond, preformed polyethylene pond liners are pre-made shapes for ponds. They are strong and durable, and can be a cost-effective option. Due to being preformed, they won’t have any creases in the liner. The downside to a preformed polyethylene pond liner is that they will come in certain shapes and sizes, so there is less customisation on the shape of the pond.

Flexible PVC Also known as Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

flexible PVC pond liners offer more design choices than preformed pond liners. You need to make sure that the sheet is correctly installed and has next to no creases in the lining. The cheaper offerings can be harder to lay properly.

Butyl Liner and Firestone liner

These are the most popular two rubber liners having a 25 year guarantee Pond Filter Depending on the pond filter, the internal and external materials can differ slightly.

What Are Pond Filters Made From?

Some pond filters are made from plastic, while others can be made from fibreglass. The internals can use multiple materials such as filter foam, filter wool, brushes and filter material. In a multi-chamber filtration system, the water will pass through the filter and the coarse nylon foam or cotton will gather the large sized waste before it enters the second chamber and uses a biological filtration medium.

Biological Filtration

If you have fish in your pond, then you will need a way to remove ammonia from the water. Ammonia is a natural waste product from fish, but it is also toxic to them. Friendly, good bacteria turn the ammonia into nitrite and eventually nitrate which is essential for healthy plants. Most of these biological filters use gravity to reintroduce the water, such as a pond waterfall pump.

Sand

Sand is used in all manner of filtration systems. Sand’s coarse texture captures solid waste, algae, bacteria and other microorganisms. It is usually used for swimming pools but can be used for pond filtration.

How Do You Choose The Best Pond Pump For You?

Size

The size of your pond, or more importantly, the distance the water needs to be pumped, can determine which one is best for you. If the water needs to be pumped further then you will need a pump capable of applying more than the power you require. For instance, if you need the water to travel around 30 inches, then you need to cater for a pump that can meet 42 inches, or 1 foot over what you need.

Power

How is the pond pump going to be powered? Usually, it will require some form of outdoor power outlet. Some pumps will have a shorter power cord than others and you can’t use an everyday indoor extension cable. Make sure you can plug your pond pump in safely, and have enough sockets for the UV pond lights etc if in doubt consult a qualified electrician or use a switch box.

Tubing

The size of the tubes used for water pump filtration can drastically affect how effective the filters are. If the tubing is too small then it will less efficiently move water around. If it is too large then it could harm the ecosystem of the pond.

What different types of pond pumps are there?

Laguna PowerJet High Performance Fountain/Waterfall Pump Kit

Laguna are one of the top manufacturers of pond waterfall pumps, and the PowerJet High Performance Fountain Pump Kit comes with everything you need to create a powerful and consistent water circulation. Allowing for the water movement to be more than just practical, but nice to look at. Laguna pond pump spares are also easy to replace and stocked by Midland Waterlife.

Hozelock Aquaforce Pump

For the ultimate in peak performance, the Hozelock Aquaforce range are almost without comparison The conical impeller delivers maximum performance and the self-cooling system allows for perfect temperate conditions.

Hozelock Cascade 1500/3500

The Hozelock 3500 pond pump is one of the most popular models and you can effortlessly replace parts like the impeller.

Why should you purchase your pond pumps from Midland Waterlife?

As a local business, based in Bromsgrove, we supply some of the best aquarium and pond accessories to the North Worcestershire area. We pride ourselves on keeping our prices competitive, but more so on our human approach. Each and every team member loves aquatic life, and they can answer any questions you have. Don’t hesitate, contact us or come in store to take your first steps into having your very own pond! Have an urgent question? Call us on 01527 879207.