The best pond pump for many garden and display ponds is the APP MH range. It is a continuous-duty pump built to run day and night, it handles the debris and fish waste real ponds contain, and the various models mean it can suit from a small pond up to a large water feature, so one range covers most needs. But the right pump for your pond depends on a few things, so here is how to choose.
How to choose a pond pump
Six things decide it:
- Pond volume and turnover. As a rule, the whole pond should pass through the pump roughly once an hour, or match your filter's rated flow. Work out your volume (length x width x average depth in metres, times 1,000 for litres) and you have your target flow.
- What the pump has to drive. Simple circulation and a filter need less; a fountain or a waterfall needs more flow and head. A waterfall in particular is sized by the width of the lip, see how to create a waterfall.
- Solids and free passage. Ponds carry leaves, string algae and fish waste, so the pump's free passage (the biggest solid it can pass) matters. A pump with too small a passage in a debris-heavy pond will keep clogging.
- Continuous-duty rating. A pond pump must be rated to run continuously. Ordinary submersible drainage pumps are not, and will fail early if left running, which is a common and avoidable mistake, see should a pond pump run all the time.
- Head. If you are lifting water up to a waterfall or a raised feature, add the height plus the pipe friction to get the head, and read the pump's flow at that head, not its headline maximum.
- Energy. Because a pond pump runs around the clock, an efficient, correctly sized pump running in the middle of its curve costs less and lasts longer.
Our pond pump recommendations
Best all-round pond pump: the APP MH
The APP MH is our go-to for most ponds. It runs continuously, passes solids up to 6mm, and spans the MH150 (around 230 L/min, 6m head) to the MH750 (around 380 L/min, 10.5m head), with the model number matching the motor watts so it is easy to step up. On the MH150 and MH250, an optional gate valve lets you fine-tune the flow and sit the pump comfortably mid-curve, ideal for a pump that never switches off. It drives circulation, filters, fountains and waterfalls equally well.
Best value for a small pond: the APP TPS or TPV
For a smaller pond or a modest feature on a budget, the APP TPS and TPV both deliver around 140 L/min at up to 7m head. The difference is free passage: the TPS passes 5mm, which suits fountains and cleaner water where fine jets must not clog, while the TPV passes 19mm, better for waterfalls and ponds with more debris.
Best for a large lake fountain: the APP Floating Tree
If you want a big fountain display on a large pond or lake, the APP Floating Tree floats on the surface and throws a wide, tall spray with no fixed plumbing. See the best pump for a large lake fountain for more.
Keeping your pond healthy
Whichever pump you choose, running it continuously keeps the water oxygenated and clear, which matters most in hot weather when oxygen levels fall, see how to aerate a pond with a pump. And if an existing pump has stopped performing, our guide to why a pond pump loses flow works through the checks.
The pump specialists behind your pond
floodandwaterpumps.co.uk is the UK's leading pond and water feature pump stockist, led by an environmental and engineering team. Browse the full pond and water feature pump range, or call our team on 0115 987 0358.
