Waterfall vs. Fountain

[tbendl]

Hello ponders,
Would you recommend a waterfall or fountain for aeration? If I understand correctly, both are attached to a filter and both give the happy bubbly sound of water and both provide aeration for the pond. Are they equally good and it's just a matter of aesthetics or is there a reason why I see more waterfalls and less fountain? Obviously more cowbell is needed. Lol Thanks for the input.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I personally like waterfalls better because they seem a bit more natural and sound better. I love watching the water flow over the rocks in different paths, and I never really cared for the sound of fountains. That's really the only reasoning I have for liking waterfalls over fountains.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

It depends what you want for a "pond".
My preference is for waterfalls, they look more natural in fish ponds. Fountains fit wishing wells and water features better then fish ponds, I think, but some people seem to like fountains in fish ponds too, and they do help aerate (oxygenate) the water.
One thing to consider with fountains though is when it is windy the wind can and will blow the spray from a fountain a long ways. I've seen small ponds lose half their water on windy days. Also if you are considering plants, a lot of plants don't like to have their leaves continuously wet under the spray of a fountain.
The best thing you can do when deciding how to design your pond is to check out other ponds, go on pond tours, check online pictures and videos, and see what you like and try to copy it. Don't buy a pond kit that happens to be on sale, or build it a certain way because the guy at the store suggested you build it that way. Let your own eye decide what you want to build.

 

[dieselplower]

A fountain is usually after a small junky prefilter that offers little in the realm of effective filtration. A waterfall usually has a skimmer box with filter pads in it, bio material, a bog or something like that before it. Waterfalls are just generally prefiltered better. If you are just looking for aeration, I really dont know which would be better. But I do think you will lose more water to evaporation with a fountain. Also, waterfalls can handle hundreds or even thousands of gallons per hour of water. In a common homeowner pond, a fountain rarely flows over 300 to 600 gallons per hour, otherwise the water would be spraying all over the place, including out of the pond.

 

[tbendl]

So usually the filter is better in a waterfall feature than a fountain. And I hadn't considered the evaporation issue or the fact that the plants don't like water splashed on them. Thanks! It seems like a waterfall is the way to go. I have been looking for a good instructable for building a waterfall, any suggestions?

 

[dieselplower]

So usually the filter is better in a waterfall feature than a fountain. And I hadn't considered the evaporation issue or the fact that the plants don't like water splashed on them. Thanks! It seems like a waterfall is the way to go. I have been looking for a good instructable for building a waterfall, any suggestions?

Well just to make sure I dont give you bad information... The filtration could be better or worse for either the waterfall or the fountain. It just depends on how you build it. But generally, in most of the ponds I have seen, people with waterfalls have better filtration than people with fountains.

 

[tbendl]

Those dirty "fountainers".. Lol I understand dieselplower, and I may still opt for a fountain depending on space but what you and the others say makes sense and the evaporation is a big issue. I'm going to work on the waterfall. Truly that is my preference, I just figured I'd consider all my options before I begin building.

 

[JohnHuff]

Waterfall for me too.

 

[tbendl]

So following the waterfall, do you recommend putting the waterfall into the deeper or shallower end? I am going back and forth with where to place it and how to build it and still trying to fit the idea of a bog above it. The problem is I have a huge tree that sheds every single leaf in the fall. I'd like to stick the waterfall in the middle directly under the tree, that's where it would look the best but then thought, if I could put it on the right side of the pond where it's level and sandy, I might be able to concrete block in a bog, but that's the shallower side of the pond.

 

[dieselplower]

It depends how your pond is set up. Do you have a skimmer? If so, you want the waterfall across the pond from the skimmer. That way, the flow from the waterfall helps direct debris into the skimmer. If no skimmer, do you have a pump on the bottom of the pond? If so, you would want the waterfall return to be on the opposite side of the pond as the pump. This helps to keep the water circulating in all side of the pond.

 

[tbendl]

I'm planning on a skimmer, after all the info you guys have given me, I think I have to do a skimmer with that huge tree dumping leaves and such in all the time. Since I haven't installed that yet, I will plan on putting it across. I think it was you dieselplower who had recommended a skimmer with a filter inside of it, so that's the plan at this time. I'm just weighting the information on where best to place the waterfall.

 

[dieselplower]

I would put the waterfall where I had the best view of it

 

[RobAmy]

Waterfall for me too. If you look at my showcase you can see my setup with the skimmer on the opposite side of the pond. I have a filter in the waterfall and a filter in the skimmer but that is more of a prefilter for the pump that is in there.

 

[timvz]

If your waterfall drops water directly into a deep area of the pond, it will aerate better. So, if your pond is 3 ft deep, then for best aeration bring that depth right to the waterfall and have your water fall into it. The alternative would be if your falls end in more of stream that glides into the pond (like mine). Falling directly will aerate better because a lot of aeration occurs at the water/air boundary of your pond's surface. Water that falls directly into the pond causes a mixing action and thus sends more oxygen to the lower depths. If you don't have this, then an air pump or fountain might be needed during hot summer months (hot water holds less oxygen).

 

[tbendl]

The heat is definitely an issue. I live in the south. Summer heat, spring heat, fall heat... Well you get the picture. I have a small submersible fountain I can stick over in the deeper side if need be. Thanks timvz. And robamy, I'll have to check out your picture when I'm back at my computer, I can't really see it in my phone.