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How to Choose a Pond Pump

A pond pumps is an important part of any water feature. Even if you don’t have a waterfall or stream, a pond pump is necessary to circulating and aerating the water. But you don’t need any old pump – you’re going to need something that is the right size for your pond, otherwise it may not circulate the water as much as is necessary, or may be more powerful than what you need it for.

There are two types of pond pumps: submersible and external. External pumps are for large water features, and are situated outside of your pond. The submersible pumps, ideal for ponds up to 1000 gallons of water, are placed inside the pond. These ones are normally preferred due to the fact that they are much quieter than externalpond pumps. They are very easy to install, and can be used to drain your pond if necessary. A lot of submersible pumps are also mag-driven, which means that they are driven by magnets, therefore consume less electricity.

The size of each pond pump is based on the number of gallons of water it can pump per hour at one foot of height.

In order to determine what size of submersible pond pump you need, you will need to find your pond’s volume. You can determine this by multiplying the length of the pond, by the width, by the height. You will want the water in your pond to circulate once every two hours, so your pump should have a GPH rating of at least half of the volume of the pond. (For example, if your pond held 1000 gallons of water, you should use a 500 GPH pond pump.)

If you have fish in your pond, or if you have any additional water features, you will by all means need a stronger pump. If you are planning on adding fish, you should probably double the pump’s capacity. If possible, try to find an aerating pump that will add even more oxygen into the water for the fish.

If you have a waterfall attached to your pond, determining the right pump is a little bit harder. Waterfall pumps are normally rated by both GPH and by maximum waterfall height.

You need to know the distance in height between the top of your pump and the waterfall, as well as how much tubing you will be using. Added together, this will give you the maximum waterfall height. In order to determine which GPH you are looking for, you should measure the width of your waterfall. Each inch of width requires an extra 100 GPH. If, for example, you had a waterfall that is 10” wide, you would require a pump that is 1000 GPH at your waterfall’s height.

Pond Pump Sizing Chart

Pond Size (gallons) Minimum Pond Pump Size*
30 – 100
50 GPH
100 – 200
100 GPH
200 – 400
200 GPH
400 – 700
350 GPH
700 – 900
450 GPH
900 – 1100
550 GPH
1100 – 1500
750 GPH
1500 – 2000
1000 GPH

* for pond circulation only

Recommended Tubing Diameter for Pond Pumps (When Connecting To Waterfalls)

AquaYard Pump Charts

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