Help with a pump for a Newbie! :-)

[Terri D.]

Hi, Group!

I just put in a very tiny, compact pond - about 50 gallons or so. Could be more but since I did it by myself without a kit, I have no idea about the size. Northern Tool had a small pond kit with a watercourse but I thought it was ugly so I made my pond with a liner, added rocks, 3 small goldfish (4-5") and a bullfrog tadpole. The NT kit had a 170 GPH pump with it. I'm currently using my little solar powered Sunnydaze Sunjet 40 gal. fountain pump to aerate when I can, but there are also three different oxygenating plant types in the water - water lettuce, iris and a floating seaweed thing that the pond lady said would help. However, I want to add a small waterfall b/c it is attractive, it helps aerate and the sound of water is musical, so I got the Beckett 18" watercourse. NOW, I need to find the right pump! Since it's a small pond, I don't want all the water splashing out of it or making it a terrible place for fish and plant life. Unfortunately, the NT kit doesn't show which pump they have, so finding/deciding on one has been a nightmare! I'd like enough water to flow over the watercourse/fall to make a great sound, but I'm just not sure what I need. 170, 200, 300, 400 gph??? Also, what's the difference between a fountain pump and a pond pump?? I've seen many that have the same output, but the pumps look different. I have a VERY tight budget as well and don't want to spend more than $45 for the pump.
Any suggestions, advice or help is greatly appreciated!


Terri

 

[Lisak1]

You'll get some great suggestions here! I'm not up on pond equipment so I can't help you there, but just wanted to say welcome!

Also thought I would mention - people use the term "oxygenators" very loosely. All plants expel oxygen during the day, but they reverse that process and take up oxygen at night. Nothing beats water movement of aeration!

 

[tbendl]

People have mentioned harbor freight. I bought a small pump at Lowes that I had for a few years. I don't think it was expensive. The advantage is you can get the smallest gph and exchange it if you don't like the flow.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Also thought I would mention - people use the term "oxygenators" very loosely. All plants expel oxygen during the day, but they reverse that process and take up oxygen at night. Nothing beats water movement of aeration!

In addition to the above, not all aquatic plants are "oxygenators"; only submerged plants contribute to the Oxygen content of the water.

You have a lot of fun and enjoyment ahead of you.

 

[Terri D.]

Great advice! Thanks!! is there any difference between pond and fountain pumps if they're the same gph output?

 

[sissy]

do you have a harbor freight near you or even ebay has small pumps cheap

 

[Usman]

hi welcome , 400Gph should be good for u as it will decrease 30% due to the waterfall height and length of pipe. if u want 200Gph pump to work , then u can reduce waterfall height to 6 inch or so it shud work too

i know what u mean by fountain and pond pump and i have wondered about it too , no one knows exactly when i researched they just sell for its different market ,if the head pressure is same then it should be same . some times just shape design has difference .

 

[MitchM]

...is there any difference between pond and fountain pumps if they're the same gph output?

Other than marketing, the outlet fittings may be different.
Same pumps, otherwise.

 

[Terri D.]

Do you have a harbor freight near you or even ebay has small pumps cheap

OK, since last posting this, sooooooooooooooo many things have cropped up on my little pond! One, I have a huge aquatic aphid problem on the water lettuce! 2nd, one of my goldfish died this AM (), 3rd, I only have ph test strips I use for myself and they read 6.4 this AM with pond water, 4th, I ordered a 330-gallon pond pump off of Ebay which should be here by Thursday!
Unfortunately, we're going to have a horrible heat wave over the next few days (temps >100°) and my pond is facing South, so it's going to be getting a huge amount of heat and afternoon sun.
I'll take some pics of the aphids. I took the affected ones out of the pond for now.

 

[Terri D.]

In addition to the above, not all aquatic plants are "oxygenators"; only submerged plants contribute to the Oxygen content of the water.

You have a lot of fun and enjoyment ahead of you.

Actually, this seaweed thing is underwater all the time. It recently EXPLODED with growth so I took much of it out - probably about half since it was going crazy in the deep parts of the pond! Now, I have aquatic aphids that are taking over the lettuce....

 

[MoonShadows]

Shade your pond with anything you can during the upcoming heat wave. Do you have aeration? The higher the water temp, the less oxygen in the water. If you don't have aeration, you could probably pick up and inexpensive aerator pump and air stone from a pet store as a last resort to help you get through the heat the next few days.

 

[Terri D.]

Will this be OK do you think? This is a pic taken from our deck above my little pond. This is about all I have to shade it with. The Shaded part is the shallowest on the pond and only about 8" deep. The deepest part has a couple large rocks for fish to hang out

there as well as the seaweed. I figured covering up the shallow part would help keep the water temperature cool.

 

[MoonShadows]

Anything is better than nothing. Keep whatever water that is flowing going to break the surface if you don't get anything else for aeration. Remember, as the temp of the water increases, it holds less oxygen.