Looking after your garden pond - the importance of pumps and filters

A garden pond can be a great addition to your garden “ a tranquil, calming and attractive focal point thats perfect for keeping fish in or providing a haven for local wildlife.

However, without proper maintenance, your pond can quickly go from being a beautiful, relaxing place thats full of life, to an overgrown, murky and fetid swamp!

In this post, we explore water feature maintenance, looking at the benefits of pond pumps and filters, and how these can help to ensure your garden pond is always at its absolute best.

All about oxygen

The main secret to keeping your pond clean and healthy is to ensure that the water is well oxygenated.

Fish, wildlife, and beneficial, water cleaning organisms all need oxygen-rich water to thrive in “ and keeping the water moving by investing in the right, high quality pump is one of the best ways to ensure its well oxygenated.

Without water movement, your pond water can quickly become deoxygenated, allowing harmful bacteria and toxic chemicals like ammonia and nitrates to form “ which can quickly turn a thriving pond into a desolate swamp!

Its especially important to ensure your water is well circulated in warm weather, when water holds much less oxygen, and at night, when plants stop producing it. Warning signs that your pond water isnt oxygenated enough include fish looking lethargic, and gulping at the surface of the water.

The benefits of filtration

If you want to get the most out of your pond, or keep fish, then youll definitely want to invest in a filter.

Filtering helps to remove organic waste like dirt and leaves, and the by products of fish waste like ammonia from the water, which will prevent your pond from becoming murky, cloudy and toxic.

As an added benefit, filtering will also help to improve visibility so that you can enjoy your pond to the fullest.

Types of filter

There are two main kinds of filters:

Biological

These works like a sewerage system for your pond, utilising beneficial bacteria that break down harmful toxins in the water, before returning clean, purified water to the pond

UVC “ Ultraviolet Clarifiers

These use UV light that reduce harmful bacteria and allow the biological filter to break down algae more effectively. Typically, UVC filters work alongside biological filters, and many modern units contain both types of filtration in a single package.

Choosing the right pump and filter

When purchasing a pond pump, its vital that you choose one thats big enough for the size of your pond.

As a rule of thumb, all the water in your pond should be circulated at least every 2 hours, so pick a pump thats capable of handling at least half the volume of your pond each hour.

Calculating the volume of your pond can be tricky, and its always better to over estimate rather than under-estimate, to ensure that you get the right level of aeration.

When choosing a filter, its important to ensure that you match the right filter with your pump “ it needs to be compatible, and capable of filtering the volume of water pumped into it.

How we can help

At Keen Gardener, we stock a full range of high quality pond pumps, as well as gravity fed and pressurised filters designed to meet every requirement and budget.

Our pond experts can provide tailored advice on the best system to ensure that you get the most out of your pond.

For further information or advice, get in touch today on 01789 763336.