The UK's bestPond Pumps2022 Review

Setting up pond filter systems isn’t always straight forward, but fortunately there’s very little preparation or effort required when fitting this AllPondSolutions CUP-311 into the pond.

It’s a single unit with just one power cable (10 metres long) which makes a change from other filters that can have multiple wires, units, and connectors.

If you have a waterfall feature, this is also one of the best pond pumps for managing the flow of water around the pond between different elements. There’s a splitter included that allows the circulating water to be divided between a waterfall feature and the pond, and the flow rate of water sent through either course can be controlled.

Three fountain heads come included, which attach to the top of the filter and turn it into a water feature itself, keeping water moving. It’s primarily suitable for small to medium ponds, up to 2500 L or ornamental ponds up to 4000 L.

There are several filters included too: a coarse foam filter and three filter-media baskets. The first two baskets are filled with ceramic biological media and the last with a K1 media.

Within a few days it’s possible to see the results of these filters working, and the water clearing. Once you can see into the depths of your pond again, you may even find some fish you didn’t know you had!

Like many of the pumps featured on this page, it makes use of a UVC lamp, utilising UV light to kill algae as the water is filtered. However, the UV bulb is 11 watts which is slightly more powerful than others.

Overall, this seems to be a great option for those who like ponds with aesthetic elements; it can send a controlled amount of water over a waterfall whilst creating an attractive fountain in the middle of the pond. Plus, the water becomes visibly clearer.

The Hozelock 3003 Easyclear 3000 Pond Fountain Pump is suitable for filtering up to 3000 L pond in size, and the cleaning power is helped by a variety of sponges, stones and Kaldnes bio-media (K1 media). This helps to promote ‘good bacteria’ in the pond, which, in turn, benefits the ecosystem and ensures that fish and plants remain healthy.

Set up is relatively straight forward, not requiring any previous knowledge of pumps and filters, although the instructions are quite basic.

Whilst it does work effectively at cleaning dirty water in smaller ponds, quite regular servicing may be required. This not only includes cleaning the filters monthly, and more frequently after initially installing them, but also keeping an eye on the pump’s UV unit and making sure that the O-ring remains water tight.

Given the low price, this pump offers a good balance of quality and functionality. It’s one of the best pond pumps in terms of value for money for several reasons: its cleaning power, versatility (working as both a pump and fountain), inclusion of K1 media and low cost.

As it turns out, there’s a lot more to pond filtration systems than simply cleaning grubby water. This Blagdon Inpond 5-in-1 3000 offers five different functions in one unit, some of which are purely aesthetic.

Not only does it work well as a pump and filter to keep water clean, it also uses UV to kill algae, creates a stunning fountain, and makes use of LED bulbs to transform into a light feature after dark. A nice feature with the light is that it can be programmed to only come on at night, but setting it up may take a bit of experimentation as the instructions aren’t very detailed.

The filtration system uses a combination of coarse/medium foam and ceramic bio-media, as well as a polymer wool pad cartridge to remove debris and clean the water. Within one week the filter can clear the water so that it’s possible to see the bottom of even a 60 cm pond.

One thing that might be a little misleading, is the amount of water this pump can filter – despite the model name being ‘3000’, it is only suitable for filtering 700 L of water an hour. Therefore, it’s only appropriate for small-medium ponds.

As an example, a pond that is approximately 140 cm long, 100 cm wide and 50 cm deep would have a capacity of about 700 L.

Another thing to be aware of is that you will need to fit plugs onto both the power cable for the pump and the UV base unit. The plugs aren’t included, so this is something that needs to be sourced before the system can be used.

Overall, this is one of the best pond pumps for offering aesthetic features as well as working well to clean the water. It’s inexpensive, especially considering everything it can do, but it does require a fair amount of maintenance to keep the filters clean and the pump working.

This Pressurised Koi Fish Pond Filter is suitable for relatively large ponds and cleans them using a combination of a filtering system and UV light.

Depending on what type of pond it is, it has slightly different cleaning capabilities: for a heavily-stocked Koi pond, it can clean up to 6000 L of water; for ponds stocked with a small amount of fish/Koi it will clean up to 9000 L; and for decorative ponds it can filter up to 12,000 L. Its performance is therefore very much based on the function of the pond as well as its size.

For a dirty, green, cloudy fish pond of roughly 4500 L, a difference in the water can be noticed within one week of using the filter, and in less than six weeks it can have the water completely clear.

In terms of value, it’s almost half the price of some other filters yet offers a similar service. It may need to be cleaned more often, and can be a little prone to getting blocked, but given its cost, this still offers good value.

There are biological and mechanical filters, as well as coarse and fine foam filtration. These work alongside the built-in UV clarifier, filtering dirt and debris whilst preventing the growth of algae and harmful microorganisms/parasites.

Whilst some filters can be surprisingly noisy, this one cleans the water quietly without disrupting the ambience of the garden. It’s also relatively easy to install, although as the instructions are a little lacking it may take a bit more patience from first-time pond filter users.

The Blagdon 3500 Midipond Filter & Pump is a fully submersible pond pump, designed for use in smaller ponds. It can be used as a filter, waterfall and fountain – with the fountain reaching up to 100 cm in height – and it has a flow rate of 3500 L. It’s suitable for ponds with a capacity of up to 1897 L.

This pump can be used with any of the three included hose fittings. Choose from 25 mm, 19 mm or 12.5 mm, so there should be an option that suits your existing hose. There are also several extra accessories supplied, to help with the installation and customisation of the pump/water feature.

These include: a T-piece with flow control values, a 30 cm adjustable telescopic fountain extension pipe, and a 20 cm extension pipe.

Plus, for those who are after an eye-catching water feature, this pump also comes with five different fountain heads, creating five different types of fountain. The fountain styles are named ‘Daisy’, ‘Triple’, ‘Foam’, ‘Bell’ or ‘Tulip’ and you can see examples of the fountains that they produce in the product listing.

Unlike some pumps which have short mains cables, this pump has a 10 m cable so it’s suitable for larger gardens. It’s relatively easy to set up and maintain, and the flow is fully adjustable for the filter, waterfall and water features.

This pump has a low-velocity intake that helps prevent the pump from clogging. When it’s used in the correct pond size, it works effectively to clear the water and makes a marked difference in pond clarity.

Overall, this is one of the best pond pumps in terms of versatility and value for money. It can be used in a variety of different ways, and comes with lots of extras so you can create different fountains without having to buy any separate pieces.

The best choice for those committed to keeping their energy costs low, the Jebao XTP-10000 Compact Eco Pond Filter Pump uses just 68 W of power. It’s been specially designed for energy conscious, eco-friendly operation, filtering the water in the pond without leading to a dramatic energy bill increase.

This pump can be used as both a filter and a watercourse pump; it’s suitable for ponds up to 5000 L in size, with a flow rate of 10,000 L per hour. Be aware, however, that this pump needs to be hooked up to a separate filtration unit to be most effective. Although it’s a very powerful pump, moving a lot of water, it is not intended to filter the water by itself. The outer case will only act as a minimal filter, for debris over approximately 6 mm.

Extra accessories would need to be purchased separately for turning it into a water feature or more effective filter. Given how powerful the pump is, it’s suitable for use with waterfalls, as it can pump the water relatively high.

Measuring just 306 x 265 x 127 mm, this pump doesn’t take up a huge amount of space. Plus, another useful thing about it is that the hose connector is ‘stepped’ meaning you can connect four different hose sizes: 20, 25, 32 and 40 mm. As a result, it should be compatible with hoses you already have.

Finally, this filter pump is equipped with a thermal resettable fuse so it automatically switches itself off if the motor overheats. Therefore, the pump can be left on continuously.

The only downside to this pump is that, as is the case with many pond pumps, there’s no mains plug included so this will need to be purchased separately.

To conclude, I would say this is the best pond pump if you’re looking for a low-energy option. Despite being “low power”, it’s still a powerful pump with a lot of strength behind it.

Hozelock 1581 Aquaforce 2500 Pond Pump has a flow rate of 2500 L per hour, although there are a number of other models available, with flow rates up to 15000 L per hour.

This pond pump is low maintenance, with a self cooling system that ensures the pump is kept at a constant temperature to prevent overheating. One of the features that sets this pump apart is that it is fitted with a wildlife protection system.

This prevents smaller animals from getting caught inside the cage by accident. The inlet can be reduced to 2 mm so that small fish, newts and frogs don’t get trapped.

This pond pump works by drawing water through the cage grill which filters out coarse solids. Smaller particles are eliminated using the clip-in mesh filter tray. This filtration system helps stop the pump from getting clogged, allowing it to work continuously.

This pond pump is very effective when used as a filter. Within 24 hours of this pump being installed, your pond should look noticeably clearer.

The design of this pond pump also adds to the ease of use. The carry handle means it’s easy to lift in and out of the pond and no tools are required to take it apart.

This pump is fairly lightweight, so some users report needing to weigh it down to prevent it from floating. Perhaps the biggest downside to this pump is the colour – it’s quite a light, grey/silver colour that is noticeable at the bottom of the pond. A darker colour would offer more camouflage.

Overall, this is one of the best pond pumps if you have small fish and wildlife in your pond. The wildlife protection system should prevent them from getting stuck in the pump, which could happen with larger models.