The heart of your water garden is the pump. Without it, the sound and visual effect of moving water is impossible. Please read the article Choosing a Pump for tips on selection of the pump for your water garden needs. We have energy efficient, magnetic drive pumps for low electrical usage. For high volume but low pressure needs, a magnetic drive pump is the best and most cost effective choice. Our top selling pumps are the higher volume Savio Water Master Solids Handling Pumps or the Big Frog Pumps and the smaller, energy efficient Supreme Mag-Drive pumps. Our line of Little Giant Pumps are a great economical choice where higher pressure for long distance is needed.

Skimmers are a must-have option for most water gardens made with a rubber liner. A skimmer is a container that is attached to outside of the pond liner that houses the pump. The pump is out of site and easily accessed for servicing. The skimmer eliminates the need for a heavy, cumbersome in-the-pond intake filter. The water flows into the skimmer opening using the suction of the pump that is located inside the skimmer. The pond surface skimming occurs as the water is pulled into the skimmer box and is pumped out to a waterfall. The skimming action removes surface debris like leaves, grass clippings or fish food, trapping them in an easily removable basket. The water then passes through a filter that doubles as a pre-filter for the pump. A skimmer also allows you to hide the pump and makes it easily accessible. If desired, in the cold weather you can close off the opening where the water enters the skimmer. This allows you to pump the box dry and then service the pump without getting your hands in cold water.

Filters come in various forms. The skimmer listed above is one of the best filters available. A more compact form of filtration is the intake filter. This filter is attached to the intake of the pump, filtering water through filter media before it passes through the inside of the pump. They are heavy when filled with water and debris and must be lifted from the bottom of the pond by hand. A biological filter is a type of filter that is placed outside of the pond. This box-type filter is filled with polyester or foam filter media that the water is pushed through. The water flows back out of the filter box using gravity. The biological filter utilizes beneficial bacteria that populates the filter media to process pollutants and make them harmless to the ponds' eco-system. A pressure filter is also located outside of the pond, but is sealed so the the water remains under pressure as it passes through the filter chamber. These feature an easy to use water flow system that allows for easy cleaning with the twist of the valve, redirecting dirty water out of the pond and clean water in.

UV Sterilizers (UltraViolet are another way to ensure clear water, especially where there are fewer plants than normal, or where you have large fish, or a high population of fish. The UV Sterilizer is attached to the tubing leading away from the pump, but before the biological filter (if one is used). Our Savio Skimmers can have a UV system installed directly in the skimmer box where the pump is housed. An intake filter is absolutely necessary to keep the water clean of suspended particles that would make the glass inside the UV light dirty. As the pre-filtered water is moved through the UV light, it is irradiated with UV rays that destroy the ability of the algae to reproduce. The UV Sterilizer is only effective against green water, or single cell algae that actually passes through the light. It does not work against algae that is filamentous, or that which is attached to the pond walls.