Identifying Suitable Koi Pond Pumps 5 Ideas

Koi Pond Pumps Are The Heart Of A Pond

Keeping koi has become an art, and if this is what you decide you want to do, you will need all the equipment that will help your fish not only survive, but also thrive and grow as large as possible. At the very heart of this idea are koi pond pumps that will help you to keep the water in your koi pond clean, healthy and constantly clear.

While you won’t usually find pumps that are specifically intended for koi fish ponds alone, any pump for a koi pond will need to have the capacity to deal with the volume of water in the pond. They will also need to be suited to the filter you choose to use in your koi pond, in terms of size.

When you buy all your other fish pond supplies compare what pumps are available for use in your particular type and size koi pond.

Both submersible and external pond pumps are suitable for koi ponds.

Submersible Koi Pond Pumps

The submersible type is placed in the pond and minimal plumbing is required to install them. This means you won’t need to employ the services of a registered plumber. You generally won’t need to use the services of an electrician either, because submersible pumps simply plug into an existing plug point.

Most have a strainer on the inlet that stops debris from getting into the working mechanism of the pump. While this is not a filter, it does perform a very useful function.

Many submersible pumps also have fountain fittings that may be used to create a variety of effects.

External Koi Pond Pumps

External, or surface pumps, as their name suggests, sit on the outside of the pond. You will need extra pipework to connect up the pump, and this plumbing operation can add quite substantially to the cost of the pond. You may also need an electrician to help you.

External pumps can be a bit noisy, but they normally have larger motors than the submersible type, which makes them potentially a lot more powerful.

Assessing the Performance Rate of Your Pond Pump

Generally, output figures will give you a good indication of how a pond pump will perform. This is quoted in gallons (or liters) per minute or per hour, at a particular head.

What the ‘head’ means is the height at which the pump output will drop to zero – or the maximum height it is able to pump the water from the surface of the pond.

If you want to create a high fountain or force water over a substantial waterfall, you will need a pump with a high-pressure output and a high maximum head – probably an external model.

Solar Pond Pumps

While solar pond pumps are available, and they are becoming increasingly popular, they are generally only suitable for smaller fountain features and relatively low-volume (water) fish ponds.

The Best Filter for Your Koi Pond

Another factor to consider is that biological filters are much more efficient in particularly effective in terms of breaking down dirt and waste in the water, which is what a biological filter will do. But to be effective, a biological filter must run continuously. So it stands to reason that you need a pump that will run continuously.

Unfortunately solar pond pumps do sometimes run out of power, unless you have a good back-up battery supply, which generally makes them not very suitable for use as koi pond pumps.