Spring will be here soon, and many of you will either be looking for a pump for your pond, or be looking to replace a non-functional pump.

The pump is one of the most important features of a pond, because without a pump, there will not be any trickling or moving water, and you will effectively have a bog. If you choose the wrong pump, your water will either not flow the way you desire, or you may have insufficient flow to filter your water and/or feed your waterfall. Therefore, it is worth taking the time to choose the proper pump to suite your needs. The first question you should ask yourself is: "What functionalities do I require from my pump?" Are you using your pump to drive a waterfall? Do you have a statue? Or do you need a pump to circulate your water and drive a filter?

Many people require a pump merely to circulate and filter their water. It is recommended that you circulate your pond water at least once every 2 hours to ensure that mosquitoe larvae do not accumulate in stagnant water. Thus, you should measure the number of gallons in your pond and obtain a pump that pumps at least half that volume every hour (I.e. the gallons per hour rating, or GPH, should be 50% that of the pond volume). If your pump needs to feed a biological and/or mechanical filter (E.g. submersible, pressurized, and above-ground filters), make sure that you consult the manual for the filter to determine the minimal required water flow to run the filter.