Garden pond..Solar pump?

MysticMonk

My (expensive) pond pump gave up the ghost some time back and it also seemed to be using a lot of electricity from the house. The pond has no way of circulating water now which has made the fish pretty sulky and lazy

I've heard that you can get solar powered pumps to do the job that don't require any electricity..does anybody have any experience or know of a brand they can recommend?

many thanks.

lk67

MysticMonk wrote: »

My (expensive) pond pump gave up the ghost some time back and it also seemed to be using a lot of electricity from the house. The pond has no way of circulating water now which has made the fish pretty sulky and lazy

I've heard that you can get solar powered pumps to do the job that don't require any electricity..does anybody have any experience or know of a brand they can recommend?

many thanks.

Most solar pumps only give an ornamental spray and are poor value versus mains pumps. If you're already wired up for mains then just get another one.

You don't need a pump for the fish though, just make sure you have plenty of pond plants.

recedite

MysticMonk wrote: »

also seemed to be using a lot of electricity from the house.

Get another mains powered one and plug in via a timeswitch, so its only running for 15 minutes x 3 or 4 times a day.

If it was pumping into a filter you'd want to get it sorted soon, as the late spring/early summer period is the most dangerous time for fish deaths. Smelly autumn leaves start rotting at the bottom and combined with warmer temperatures and more light, algal blooms happen. It all creates a toxic environment in the water, if you're not careful.

MysticMonk

recedite wrote: »

Get another mains powered one and plug in via a timeswitch, so its only running for 15 minutes x 3 or 4 times a day.

If it was pumping into a filter you'd want to get it sorted soon, as the late spring/early summer period is the most dangerous time for fish deaths. Smelly autumn leaves start rotting at the bottom and combined with warmer temperatures and more light, algal blooms happen. It all creates a toxic environment in the water, if you're not careful.

Thanks for that. I emptied the pond completely a couple of weeks back to remove all the gunk in the bottom so the water is pretty clean.
I got some pond weed from the local canal and i've planted it in the pond which will hopefully add oxygen to the water.

lk67

MysticMonk wrote: »

Thanks for that. I emptied the pond completely a couple of weeks back to remove all the gunk in the bottom so the water is pretty clean.
I got some pond weed from the local canal and i've planted it in the pond which will hopefully add oxygen to the water.

Don't clean out your pond too often as it will find a balance once it has some plants on it. Get more proper pond plants to cover the surface of the water and keep the light out.

After cleaning out a pond don't be surprised if it goes green pretty quickly as it will take time for the plants and microorganisms to re-establish.

I clean out mine every ten years or so and then only to tidy and divide the plants. I very occasionally run a waterfall but apart from that it looks after itself and is teeming with fish and wildlife.

homer911

Can anyone recommend a shop for pond plants?

lk67

homer911 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a shop for pond plants?

Most of the medium-to-big garden centres have a selection, and I think some sell online.

magicbastarder

if you're out near north county dublin, pond hobby would have by far the largest range i've seen in ireland.

MysticMonk

lk67 wrote: »

Don't clean out your pond too often as it will find a balance once it has some plants on it. Get more proper pond plants to cover the surface of the water and keep the light out.

After cleaning out a pond don't be surprised if it goes green pretty quickly as it will take time for the plants and microorganisms to re-establish.

I clean out mine every ten years or so and then only to tidy and divide the plants. I very occasionally run a waterfall but apart from that it looks after itself and is teeming with fish and wildlife.

How big is your pond?

MysticMonk

magicbastarder wrote: »

if you're out near north county dublin, pond hobby would have by far the largest range i've seen in ireland.

Be advised it's not the easiest place in the world to find..i once ran out of petrol looking for it!

lk67

MysticMonk wrote: »

How big is your pond?

3m by 3m by 5-ish, it's triangular. 50cm at the deepest approx.

littleredspot

I have a small, cheap eBay solar pump. It's not great, needs to be quite sunny to work.

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

if you're out near north county dublin, pond hobby would have by far the largest range i've seen in ireland.

Just a word of warning - we were out there today and the place got torn apart by storm doris. The shop with all the pumps etc is ok, but he's had to put off deliveries of fish and plants. Worth ringing ahead though as he may have what you need in sections which can't be open to the public.