# Pump for very small pond?



## chinwag (8 May 2020)

Wondered if anyone can point me in the right direction for pumps for my selection of tiny ponds/tubs.

I have a small tub pond that I use really as a plant nursery, plus a belfast sink pond, and a (currently very sad looking) wildlife pond.

I've tried cheap solar pumps but they're not really up to the job, but other pumps I look at online all seem to have a much higher litres per hour than I need.

If I've worked it out correctly, the tub is around 100 litres, belfast is around 130 and the wildlife pond around 300 litres.

Are their suitable pumps for ponds this small?

Thanks.


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## martin-green (8 May 2020)

Not being funny, but it depends on what you want the pump to actually do.
You can get small mains operated pumps, and as you have found out, solar pumps are a waste of space, and usually money.


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## zozo (9 May 2020)

If you like to create some circulation you might want to take a look at airlift principle. Simple and cheap to DIY and you can do all 3 with 1 air pump. In the aquarium hobby, it is used for driving UGF and HMF.



David P Butler implements it in his organic pools/ponds.


To get some reasonable flow the pipe diameter versus length versus airflow should be in unity... Something you need to find out experimenting depending on how deep you can go in your tubs and pond. Airflow can easily be regulated with valves... There are outdoor air pumps available in pond shops.

Last year i actually did build something like this for in a family members garden. And used a solar-powered air pump. After i visited them after 6 months it still was working. But never mind the rechargeable batteries after a while it will only provide air if there is daylight. Was a first for me, seems solar powered air pumps need less energy to work properly for a longer period. Solar powered impeller pumps i can imagine not giving  any suffient flow.

Search youtube for DIY airlift pump and you will find enough inspirations, optimizing this technique very popular in the aquaponic scene.


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## martin-green (9 May 2020)

I am only saying............. You can buy a small pond water pump for around the same price as a small air pump, and you don't need to "make anything"  to make it work. 
I do admit, I can see the "fun" value in making it yourself, but the parts will add to the cost.

Speaking of parts, I notice that in America, they have "Lowes and Home depot" and they both sell a lot of small plumbing parts we just don't have over here. So any video you see on YT take it with a pinch of salt regarding the parts.


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## zozo (9 May 2020)

martin-green said:


> You can buy a small pond water pump for around the same price as a small air pump, and you don't need to "make anything" to make it work.



True!? But x3 if you have 2 tubs and 1 pond... That is also installing 3 power sockets and 3 cables plugged in. Just a guess it involves making something to make it work..

It's a choice to make and decide what's easier on you, depending on the situation its in..  You can run 3 airstones on 1 air pump, then its installing 3 airlines instead of electrical wiring. If all are relatively close together, a simple 3-way air splitter might do perfectly. But if all are further apart it requires the mainline to be a ring to equalize pressure.

Whatever you do each solution comes with pros and cons. 

Personally i would do the airlift because it's relatively maintenance-free doesn't get dirty, doesn't clog easily. And it goes easier on the micro-organisms in a wildlife setup. Stronger flow and impeller pumps need a sponge or mesh guard or will suck al in and shred it to pieces.


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## martin-green (9 May 2020)

zozo said:


> But x3 if you have 2 tubs and 1 pond...



But what if he hasn't 

Joking aside, everyone has their own opinion. Best let chinwag decide.


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## zozo (9 May 2020)

martin-green said:


> But what if he hasn't
> 
> Joking aside, everyone has their own opinion. Best let chinwag decide.



That's true also... 

But guess what!?... 


chinwag said:


> I have a small tub pond that I use really as a plant nursery, plus a belfast sink pond, and a (currently very sad looking) wildlife pond.


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## martin-green (9 May 2020)

Like I said, wait till chinwag decides. He may have 3 pools, but may only want it for one or two.


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## chinwag (9 May 2020)

Hey thanks for the replies guys, I've been watching the videos @zozo, very interesting - do you run an airlift in Mission Bathtub?

I've never setup up any sort of pond or aquarmium pump before, so I'm still trying to work out the best approach for such small ponds, at the moment I'm really looking to create water movement to help the plants grow - I've found even with the bad solar pumps, the plants seem happier and the water is clearer.

None of the ponds will have livestock added by me - the wildlife pond has frogs and the occassional newt so I wasn't sure if a filter would be detrimental?

The other two are just plants but are both small and pretty shallow;

Belfast is 83cm x 53cm x approx 30cm deep
Tub is 61cm across, between 30-45cm deep
The two planted ponds are 6 or 7 metres from the wildlife pond, but are very close to eachother, they all look a bit sad at the moment and I'm planning to drain them and re-plant everything as soon as possible, so it seemed like a good time to look at doing things properly.


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## zozo (11 May 2020)

chinwag said:


> do you run an airlift in Mission Bathtub?



No, the bathtub has an external sump filter box and an overflow syphon, the pump is in the sump.


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## chinwag (12 May 2020)

I'm still not sure what approach to take but I'm doing my research still - @zozo, thought I'd post this in case you find it interesting, lots of good videos from these guys, some talk throughs, builds etc.






						What is an Airlift and how does it work? - airlift.eu
					

Good day, In this topic I will explain the basics of Airlift, in particular I will discuss the types we like to use. What is an Airlift? An Airlift pump, in ess



					www.airlift.eu


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## chinwag (16 May 2020)

Whilst researching UK DIY Airlifters to check suitable fittings I found this site - they have a few airlifts in different, smaller sizes which should be about right for my two smaller ponds.

I've been looking for suitable pumps on Amazon, any opinions on these two, or other recommendations?

Pontec Pond Aerator

Superfish Air-Box

Thanks.


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## martin-green (16 May 2020)

As with any pump, make sure it is suitable for the task for which you intend to use it.  I note that the small "air lift pipe" you link to requires 150 L/min of air to be good.


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## zozo (18 May 2020)

And you might rather go for a waterproof outdoor version, then you don't need to box it. Seeing the box is 28 pounds, that's a tad much imho...


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## chinwag (18 May 2020)

Cool, thank you both.

As you said @zozo - the airbox isn't fully waterproof - the price is for the pump and a weatherproof box but the Pontec is fully weatherproof without boxing.

I was debating the Superfish, boxed one because I thought it might be neater but I think you're right and I'd rather have a weatherproof pump than rely on the box, especially if I'm looking at cheaper pumps.

Flow rate for the Pontec was 200lph which should cover the airlift but I'm still looking to see what else is out there.

I also haven't ruled out more traditional pumps too, but I'm keen to get something in place for these two.


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## martin-green (18 May 2020)

chinwag said:


> Flow rate for the Pontec was 200lph which should cover the airlift



It is.  But you give the impression that you want one air pump to run at least 2 "air lifts" or is this not the case?


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## chinwag (18 May 2020)

martin-green said:


> But you give the impression that you want one air pump to run at least 2 "air lifts" or is this not the case?




I'd totally missed that - my brain read the airlift requirements and I ran with that.

Thanks @martin-green - saved me a world of pain!


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## martin-green (18 May 2020)

🥳


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## chinwag (20 May 2020)

Sorry to come back with another question - I've been looking at air pumps, and was going to go for something like a Hozelock 320 - so 2 outputs, 320 lph total, not sure if Hozelock pumps are considered a decent brand, but it seemed OK for the price and TBH this is my first ever pump of any kind so I'm expecting I'll want to move on at some point anyway.

Both Airlifts I've ordered state min air pump requirement 100-150 lph, so to me that pump at 320 lph sounded perfect, but I was chatting to our local pond supplier and they suggested maybe getting a 4 output pump, like a Hozelock 640 and just connect the outputs together with t-peices, so I end up with 2 outputs, with a higher lph.

The pump is adjustable so I have some control there, but I was concerned that might be too much output for the airlift and I end up with water shooting everywhere? Not sure that's possible but you get where I'm coming from!

Does the bigger pump sound like a good call or do you think the smaller one would be up to it, any of you connected outputs in this way?

Thanks.


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## martin-green (20 May 2020)

As with most pumps, you can turn a big pump down, you can't turn a small pump up.


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## chinwag (21 May 2020)

martin-green said:


> As with most pumps, you can turn a big pump down, you can't turn a small pump up.



Good point. Thank you!

My Airlift's arrived today, they're tiny but about right for the pond sizes.






Hopefully picking up a pump tomorrow.


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