Can you run a pond without electricity?
If you are building a wildlife or ornamental pond, you may be unable to connect equipment to your mains power based on the location of the pond. We get a lot of customers who build a pond a long distance away from their property and then ask us; can you run a pond with no electricity? In short, the answer is maybe; provided you have plenty of plants with no fish, your pond can be run using solar products. But it may take a while for your pond to develop a balanced ecosystem. Once the ecosystem is established you can try introducing one or two goldfish and see how it goes.
Are you putting fish into the pond? (Useful Blogs: Pond Sludge, Filtration)
If you are planning on putting fish into your pond, then you should use mains powered units. The fish will produce waste, which sinks to the bottom of your pond and forms sludge. Without a dedicated pump and filter, this sludge will decay and release harmful chemicals (like ammonia). Unless the sludge is removed, the ammonia will start to create a toxic environment.
Mains powered units push the waste from a pump to an external filter, which removes the waste via UV, foams, and biological filtration. But to run this kind of a system, you need mains power. If you add fish to a pond without a mains powered pump & filter, this could lead to ill health for your fish.
You can run a solar powered pump and filter kit, but these are only suitable for small ponds up to 1,500 litres. This is normally ok for most wildlife ponds, but not so much a fish pond. Our eco sets include the PondXpert EcoFilter 2000 Set & PondXpert EcoFilter 4000 Set.
Solar Powered Products (Useful Blogs: Aeration, Top 5 Benefits of Solar Products)
If you are trying to run a pond without mains powered equipment, solar powered products will be useful to you. While they are limited in their capacity and reduced efficiency on cloudy days, they are very useful for a wildlife pond. By using natural sunlight to generate power, the solar products won't use energy generated from fossil fuels and it's free energy! This both reduces your carbon footprint and you won't be paying any running costs for the lifespan of the solar product (whether its a pump, air pump, or LED light).
While a fish pond requires mains powered equipment, a wildlife pump only needs aeration and circulation. This can be achieved through a solar fountain pump, running a small waterfall or adding a small solar powered air pump. This helps to circulate the water and prevent it from stagnating, while aerating the water which improves healthy bacteria in the pond. Please see our range of solar products by clicking this link.
Solar powered products are great because they run without the need for a mains connection, they generate their own electricity and provide circulation for your pond. Most solar products on the market also include a battery, so excess energy generated can charge the battery allowing the unit to run when cloudy or at night. They also require minimal maintenance. This makes them very flexible in terms of location; very eco friendly; reduced energy costs; unobtrusive and safer because there are fewer wires and cables.
Along with incorporating solar products, you will need to add plants into the pond. We always recommend 50% plant coverage in any pond, as this is helps to maintain a balanced ecosystem. Plants will help to aerate the pond, they also filter out excess nutrients (like ammonia, nitrogen, nitrites, and phosphates) and they can prevent algae, green water and fish diseases. Further to this, they will help to create interest in the pond and provide shelter for a whole range of wildlife. We sell a wide variety of plants and planting equipment which you may find useful.
Test the Pond
Because you will be avoiding mains powered products, it is best to test the pond regularly (at least once a month) to track the chemical changes in your pond and prevent any imbalances before they become a problem. We sell two different test kits, the Tetra Pond Test 6-in-1 and the Blagdon Pond Health Test Kit. Both kits will test the levels of nitrates, nitrites and pH of the water; whereas the Tetra kit also tests for chlorine and carbonate levels whereas the Blagdon kit won't. In comparison, the Blagdon kit will test for the levels of ammonia, whereas the Tetra kit won't.
Please find a small list below of other blog posts you may find useful:
• Winter Wildlife Sanctuaries
• The Importance of Wildlife Ponds and How To Build One
• Support your local wildlife - build a pond with pond liners
If you need any further advice or assistance, please email us on info@pondkeeper.co.uk.