Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations School me on pond fountains

Fountains are basically only a fishery benefit when there is a severe DO sag and fish are dying. Fountains are for aesthetics which is why the wife wants one. Falling water is peaceful and pretty. Fountains spray water into the air basically well aerating the same near-surface water over and over in close areas surrounding the fountain. Waves will tend to spread the aerated shallow surface water away from the fountain area.

HP pump? The bigger the spray and higher the spay the more HP it takes. Size depends on your budget (see last sentence). Fountains are a big waste of electricity - very inefficient. Water is heavy and it takes a lot of HP to throw water into the air. How high can you toss a 5 gallon bucket of water??? The higher you throw it the more HP & electricity needed. Tell your wife the fountain will have an electric cord and electricity to the motor in the water. I would not let people in the water with or when the fountain is running - liability issues even with GFI. Motors on fountains work very hard. Thus fountain motors often do not last very long before needing replacement. Sellers of fountains get lots of repair work. Choose your seller carefully for good service and costs. After several years you will need them on a regular basis depending on quality of motor and length of motor run times.