Pond pump on a timer?

[beertech]

My pond is almost complete except for placing the rocks around it so it looks nice, and adding plants and fish etc...
It is filled, and the pump(Thanks Elad!) is running a waterfall and a fountain accessory.
I am wondering if the pump needs to run 24/7, or can I put it on a timer so it shuts off at night? The total size including main pond,upper pond and creek is approx. 450 gal.
Thanks, Gord.

[babblefish1960]

If the pump is merely for a water feature, the only issue I would see would be the bacteria in the pump system may start to break down and cause some blooms you won't enjoy, each and every morning, particularly on very cold nights, or very hot ones too.

If the pump is all that you have for some sort of water circulation and filtration, you don't mention filters, then no, but this would be for the sake of the fish, it would keep CO2 from depleting if the water is still overnight, and the mostly covered surface of plants will keep much of the cycle going rather well all summer.

So yes, you can shut it off at night and see what happens, or no, you can't shut it off, at least until you have talked about filters and such, for you are mentioning fish but no support system.

On the other hand, it sounds lovely, and if you want to shut off the thing while you sleep, then go ahead, it is your pond after all.

[Sue]

Yes you can turn it off. We usually just run our pumps when we are around to enjoy the ponds.

[gvv]

My pump works about 10 hours per day, during the daytime on the timer.
No issues and I'm openning the 4th season.

Regards

[beertech]

Sorry I wasn't more clear about the filter,
Yes the only pump in the pond feeds the upper small pond with the filtration integrated into it, as well as the small fountain feature.
So from what I gather, it's o.k. to turn off the pump for a portion of the day or night, but what about Babblefish's concern about rising CO2 levels?It does seem to make sense, so in that case would it help to include some oxygenating plants?, or do all the plants help in general?
Thanks again, and I hope my confusion isn't too annoying, I just want to avoid any losses if at all possible. 

[babblefish1960]

Actually, I was more concerned about the interruption and resultant swinging of the nitrifying process, and this would come more from having standing water in your filtration system every night. As for plants in the pond, try to imagine having about 2/3's to 3/4 of the surface covered in plants, such as hyacinths or even just frogbit or giant duckweed. With this in place, you will find the pond more stable over the summer and able to take on weather swings more easily.

All of the plants convert CO2 overnight, and use it up during the day, if you have the water falls running over night, you may find that it slows the growth of your plants as they try to catch what little carbonic acid they can. So a pond isn't super simple, but it isn't too complicated either, keep your eye on it daily and you'll get a feel for when things are going awry.

And yes, most plants would be helpful, especially as they become emergent, great little filters and nitrite sponges on their own. Have fun with it, ponds are great for so many reasons.

[squeeker]

Turning the pump off makes no sense.  Would you turn off your tank filters at night?  No, you'd have an ammonia spike every morning.

[Sue]

In my case the pumps don't run filters, and the ponds have a very low bio load of fish/gallon so the pumps are purely to add some water circulation and for looks.
Plants grow like crazy with the natural sunlight outdoors, so I don't worry about CO2.  Of course I'm not a green thumb, so I don't try to grow anything fancy in the pond.
There's so much surface area/gallon of water for the nitrogen cycle to take place that in a good sized pond you don't have to worry about ammonia spikes coming off a small filter. I have seen some ponds with crazy amounts of big koi, or ton's of goldfish, and big barrel sized filters. I don't think you'd want to turn off the pump on a pond like that.

[squeeker]

Yes, Sue, that's very true.  It all depends on stocking.  If the pond in question is very lightly stocked and has lots of plants, turning the filter off won't make much difference, if any at all.  However, if it were me, I wouldnt chance it.