Pond pumps - any words of advice please?

wallbash

a pump previously as they should always be placed on the bottom of the pond ?

Have always advised sitting the pump on something ( to raise above the mud) I use an old black milk crate. But my pond is well over three feet deep

Froglet

In a fish pond,there should be no mud at the bottom.The pump will then remove any small detritus that sinks to the bottom.If placed on something it cannot then do that and problems will arise,causing the bacteria to become anaerobic .

I had this very problem in the early days of my pond because i made that mistake and the fish became ill.It is very important to remove that waste as that is where the fish spend long periods resting,especially over the cold months.

In a natural pond where there is mud at the bottom and the plants grow in it,there is no need for a pump as you should only have amphibians in such a pond.They and fish do not mix as they have very different needs.After all,in the wild where you have large numbers of frogs,toads and newts you will not see running water.And they never inhabit a stream !

hethmar

Many thanks frog. I used to spend literally hours and hours watching the creatures in there. Things Id never seen before in all my (many) years. The dragon fly lava fascinate me, I can see why they are called dragons in that state, fantastic prehistoric looking things and to see one climb up a reed, shed and take flight - breathtaking.

Oh and yes, as far as I can recall, OH has pump standing on something.

wallbash

In a fish pond,there should be no mud at the bottom

Have kept my fish alive for over eight years, and they have bred and grown , to big and too many , have now got to get rid of some of them . As stated my pond is deep but not a great surface area ( reason to get rid of some fish) The lilys are grown in fabric bags at the bottom, but the marginal plants are on the shelves , these are in baskets , so I dont have a great deal of rubbish on the pool floor. That and a filter surrounding the pump , sitting on a crate , still have to clean external filters every few weeks.

Growing lilys , I keep the 'fountain' very very small .