We all have different reasons for building a garden pond. Some simply want a garden water feature with or without a fountain effect, others want to keep fish from simple goldfish to beautiful koi carp.

Pond pumps are aptly named; the pump water. It pumps water which means it turns the water in your pond. The pump you choose will depend on the pond effects you want, the purpose of the pond and its size. A pond pump may not be necessary for example if you are creating a wildlife pond you can use specific plants to help keep the water clear. Koi carp ponds require the water to be circulated at least every 1-2 hours and the average pond (with no fish) every 3-4

One thing to consider when choosing a pond pump is that it must be capable of pumping the volume of water in the pond. Here is an approximate guide:

Work out how many litres of 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 work out the pond pump output required (in LPH) litres per hour considering the purpose of the pond (fish or no fish) as mentioned earlier

• A normal 2000 litre pond (no fish) will require a pump with  250 LPH output to circulate the water every 3-4 hours
• A normal 6000 litre pond (no fish) will require a pump with 1500 LPH output to circulate the water every 3-4 hours

With me so far?

Pond pumps aren't cheap and you don't want to make a costly mistake as the bigger the pond the more expensive the pump will be! So you can always ask at the pond pumps store for help just to be sure.

It is always better to get a larger pump than you need, this is simply because once you have reached the limit of a smaller pump it can't be turned up, but larger pumps can be turned down. So if you have a 2000 litre pond, don't get a pump with a 1000LPH max output, opt for one a bit bigger.

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. Because you will be asking the pump to work harder, having either of these will mean you need a bigger pump. However there are a great many combination pumps on the market that act as both pump and filter.

Finally, Pond pump models tend to have the output in the name such as the Oase Aquamax Eco Filter Pond Pumps or Fishmate Fountain Pond Pumps. These are combination pumps so you don't need to do two separate sets of calulations for your pump and filter or pump and fountain.