If you have a small pond and just want to add a small fountain, then you do not need to worry about flow rates. A Minipond 700, or 900 will do the job. For bigger ponds see the larger Midipond range. The main thing to avoid, is having a high fountain in a small pond. A small breeze may cause the water spray to fall outside the pond and the pump will soon empty your pond. As a guide the height of the spray should be less than half the pond width.
If you want to have a waterfall or use a filtration system then you need to make sure that your pump will deliver an adequate flow. The flow rate provided by a pump varies with the head. The head is the difference in height between the pond water level and the top of the waterfall, filtration system or water feature.
We have a calculator page to help you calculate the flow requirement. We also have a volume calculator which you may need if you have a filtration system.
The higher you pump water above the pond surface the bigger more powerful pump you need. You need to work out the highest point to which you need to pump water in your system (usually either the height of the waterfall/ornament or the top of the filter, above the water surface) this is called your head requirement.
There are four ranges of pumps shown below. In each case, find your head requirement on the vertical axis of the chart - look across the line of figures until you find one which matches or is above your calculated total flow rate requirement. Look at the bottom of the column to see the model and price of the pump. Look on one of the other tables and you will probably find an alternative. If you click on the model number you will be taken to a page with the full specification of the pump to help you decide.
| Head (M) | Flow Rate in Litres per hour |
|||||
| 5.00 | 1500 | |||||
| 4.50 | 800 | 1800 | 2000 | 3000 | ||
| 4.00 | 1800 | 2500 | 3000 | 4200 | ||
| 3.50 | 2500 | 3340 | 4290 | 5600 | ||
| 3.00 | 1200 | 3500 | 4350 | 5700 | 6400 | |
| 2.50 | 1100 | 2000 | 4180 | 5050 | 7200 | 7730 |
| 2.00 | 2050 | 2880 | 5000 | 5900 | 8360 | 9250 |
| 1.50 | 2735 | 3575 | 5590 | 6700 | 9570 | 10625 |
| 1.00 | 3460 | 4360 | 6220 | 7520 | 10750 | 12000 |
| 0.50 | 4100 | 5100 | 6800 | 8400 | 12000 | 13320 |
| 0.00 | 4650 | 5800 | 7300 | 9200 | 12900 | 14900 |
| Model | FH5000 | FH6000 | FH8000 | FH10000 | FH14000 | FH16000 |
| Price | £94.13 | £101.57 | £114.47 | £128.69 | £144.98 | £158.35 |
| Head (M) | Flow Rate in Litres per hour |
||||||
| 3.75 | 338 | ||||||
| 3.50 | 938 | ||||||
| 3.25 | 225 | 1575 | |||||
| 3.00 | 732 | 2100 | |||||
| 2.75 | 1275 | 2812 | |||||
| 2.50 | 1800 | 3188 | |||||
| 2.25 | 282 | 2269 | 3562 | ||||
| 2.00 | 100 | 240 | 1012 | 2682 | 3994 | ||
| 1.75 | 113 | 1613 | 3075 | 4331 | |||
| 1.50 | 400 | 800 | 750 | 2138 | 3487 | 4650 | |
| 1.25 | 1350 | 2588 | 3881 | 4950 | |||
| 1.00 | 300 | 550 | 1200 | 1931 | 3000 | 4125 | 5212 |
| 0.75 | 1931 | 3375 | 4463 | 5494 | |||
| 0.50 | 520 | 800 | 1640 | 2363 | 3713 | 4706 | 5775 |
| 0.25 | 2813 | 4012 | 5025 | 6037 | |||
| 0.00 | 700 | 872 | 2000 | 3310 | 4400 | 5360 | 6350 |
| Model | MP700 | MP900 | MP2000 | MDP3500 | MDP4500 | MDP5500 | MDP6500 |
| Price | £27.44 | £33.26 | £52.14 | £70.08 | £81.78 | £101.64 | £117.78 |