Pond Appliances!

[Jorge O'Reilly]

Hello.

Well, I've gone into the "pond" section. I have a small company I started with a couple friends, to make some construction work on the side as we study. We've been approached to build a pond, and honestly, I'm sort of winging it. Also, I'm "the fish dude" so the theory has to come from me...

Anyhow, the first problem that arose is that we just don't have pond pumps in Argentina. So my choices are either importing it (a HASSLE, big time) or installing a different kind of pump. However, the problem that I am encountering is that none of the pumps I have found in the market can function non-stop, so I'd need it to work on and off. Is this ridiculous in a wetland/bog pond filter type of setup, or is it at all possible to make it work?

Thanks.

 

[martin-green]

Sorry Jorge, I do not know what you do know. Not all ponds have a pump, some folk are very successful in "balancing a pond" but having said that, there is no guarantee it will work. With this in mind most pond owners will opt to have a UV unit, biological filter and a filter pump*, In order for the biological filter and UV to work the pump must be on 24/7. If it's turned off, all the good bacteria will die.

* Not all pumps are suitable to supply a filter. A fountain pump for example can pump a high volume of water at high pressure to make a good looking fountain. In order to stop the final nozzle from clogging, the pump has a screen, this makes it useless as a filter pump.

A filter pump has a high volume of water but at little pressure, it will have a screen with large holes so that small debris and algae can get in, which is then removed by the biological filter.

Sump pumps are big, use a lot of power and are often only for intermit ant use. So these too are not suitable for ponds.

A pump is like the heart of a pond, so if you want a nice pond you can not skimp on quality.

 

[zozo]

Do you have air pumps available in Argentina? There are several ways to create an air lift-driven filter system for ponds or pools.

Airlift

An airlift is, as the name suggests, moving (lifting) of water by air. Air bubbles rise up in the water and thereby displace the water. Ie the bubbles push the water up. Can I build my own airlift?...

www.koiknowledge.com

https://www.youtube.com/@organicpools-davidpaganbutler

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pond+air+lift+pump

Very cost-effective and it can turn over quite a large pond with a rather low-powered air pump in comparison with conventional impeller pumps.
I lean towards the Under Gravel filter idea with airlift as presented in the Youtube channel from David Pagan Butler. It seems to work a charm in organic pools, then it will work in an organic pond as well it makes no difference if you dip in it or not.