Last updated on September 26th, 2022
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I recently talked about how I choose a pond filter, but the easiest way to keep your garden pond clean and healthy with the least work is with an all-in-one pond pump and filter system and combine this with the best pond skimmers which I recently tested here. As most of these units also have a UV light to do the job of a Pond UV Clarifier as well, that’s three water cleaning systems within one cased unit. The water skimmers are great for removing leaves and other floating debris.
That doesn’t clutter up the bottom of your pond or your garden with many intake and outtake pipes and power cables and they generally work well with smaller and medium-sized garden ponds.
I look at the pros, cons and features of the best models and make my recommendations. My Buyer’s Guide explains what’s inside the case of the integrated pump and filter and how it works.
I review fewer than my usual number of products as these three are the only ones that meet my demanding criteria for consideration and they may not be perfect, but they are much better than some of the other alternatives on the market.
Best Pick
All-In-One Pond Pump and Filter Units Reviews
1. All Pond Solutions Pond Pump Filter with Fountain
Best Pick
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The All Pond Solutions Pond Pump Filter with Fountain is the ultimate all-in-one solution to keep your small pond (ornamental 2,000L; with fish 1,000L) clean, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing. And with only one power cable to worry about.
This electric integrated pond filter unit is encased in a black plastic box. It opens easily for you by adjusting two clips for you to reach the inside to clean the filters and maintain the pump. You can fully remove the pump and filters to clean them completely away from the case. You have both mechanical (foam block, ceramic stones) and biological (good bacteria) to cover all the cleansing bases.
Rising up from the case is the fountain part of the unit. If you have a waterfall instead, just hook your waterfall hose to the splitter on the fountain pipe and enjoy the water cascading down. You can adjust the rate of flow of the water to the fountain or to the waterfall, so the sound and look of these water features fit perfectly into your landscape.
Along with the circulating water for your pond’s health is the ability to keep green algae from growing there. The UV light uses 5W of power to sterilise the water and kill the microorganisms. As you can’t actually see the light when this pump/filter is submerged, there is an indicator light on the top of the unit that lets you know that it’s on.
A more powerful model – the CUP-311 – pumps 2,500L/hr of water, has an 11W UV light and is suitable for larger ponds up to 4,000L (ornamental) and 2,500L (with fish). For even larger ponds (7,000L ornamental; 4,000L with fish) check out the CUP-7000 that pumps at 5,200L/hr.
Pros
- Electric pump with in-built filter that pumps 1,000L/hr of water.
- Use in ornamental ponds up to 2,000L or fish ponds up to 1,000L.
- Has a 5W UV lamp to sterilise the water.
- Comes with coarse foam, ceramic stones and bio filter material for the filter part of the unit.
- Includes fountain set with three different spray heads and angle adjustment.
- Splitter lets you divert water to a waterfall.
- Outlet fits into a variety of standard hoses – 1cm; 2cm and 2.5cm.
- Easy access to the unit for cleaning.
- Comes with 10m power cord and a spare impeller/shaft..
Cons
- Lack of instructions for assembly.
- Needs cleaning quite often.
Our recommendation
I love multi-function appliances and the All Pond Solutions Pond Pump Filter with Fountain has all three that you need to keep your pond (and fish) clean and in good condition. The pump circulates 1,000L/hr of water, the filters use both mechanical and biological means to strain out the debris and the UV light keeps the green algae from appearing. Plus you have the adjustable angle and flow fountain, with a splitter for a waterfall if that’s more your landscape design aesthetic.
The All Pond Solutions Pond Pump Filter with Fountain is my Best Pick of the all-in-one pond pumps with filters for all its features and ease of use.
Look to protect your pond from freezing over, let oxygen in and poisonous gases out? – check out my best pond heaters and deicers
2. Hozelock 3006 Easyclear 6000 Pond Fountain Pump, UVC and Filter
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From a company famous for their garden products, powered and manual, comes the Hozelock 3006 Easyclear 6000 Pond Fountain Pump, UVC and Filter. This three-in-one pond unit has all the essentials for keeping your pond clean and this model works well in larger ornamental (without fish) ponds of up to 6,000L volume.
With the EasyClear model, the water circulates at a flow rate of 1,700L/hr throughout your pond. This model comes with a fountain stem and three fountain heads for a two-tier, three-tier and bubble spray pattern. Choose the one that suits your garden design or mix them up through the summer months.
There’s also a splitter to attach a hose for a waterfall. But with this EasyClear 6000 model, you don’t have to make a choice. This unit is powerful enough for you to have both the fountain and the waterfall running at the same time.
The filters are cleanable, replaceable and are easy to get to. Two foam filters strain out the solid waste particles and three bio-media chambers to help the growth of good bacteria that eat any algae that show up.
The final part of this system is the 9W UV-C lamp. This is of the wavelength that kills microorganisms (both good and bad).
The EasyClear series of integrated pump filters have a range of similar units that serve small ponds of 3,000L to large ponds of 9,000L in volume. These are all for use with ornamental ponds as there is no information about the size of fish ponds supported. Note that the models at the lower end of this range support either a fountain or a waterfall and not both at the same time.
Pros
- Integrated in-pond pump filter (triangular shape) that comes with an outlet for a fountain and/or waterfall.
- Suitable for ornamental up to 6,000L in volume.
- Integrated 9W UV lamp to keep the water clean.
- Replaceable filters and UV bulb.
- Adjustable flow to fountain that comes with three different heads – one stage; two stages; bell shape.
- Supports the fountain and the waterfall running simultaneously.
- Easy to access for cleaning – two buttons and clips.
- Three-year warranty.
Cons
- Easy to accidentally turn the output regulating band when cleaning.
- No information about the size of fish ponds this model supports.
Our recommendation
The Hozelock 3006 Easyclear 6000 Pond Fountain Pump, UVC and Filter has the high quality you would expect from this manufacturer. With all three features essential to pond health – circulating water, filters and UV light – this model also supports the fountain and a waterfall operating at the same time.
This model is a great choice for those with larger ponds who love having extra water features in their garden. Note that the EasyClear Pond Fountain Pump comes in a wide range of choices for all sizes of ponds.
Read next: Best Pond Aerators
3. PondXpert All in One Triple Action 3000 Pond Pump/Filter/UV Steriliser & Fountain
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The PondXpert All in One Triple Action 3000 Pond Pump/Filter/UV Steriliser is designed for small ponds of 3,000L and under in volume. This size applies only to ornamental ponds but the flow rate of 1,000L/hr also supports fish ponds of up to 1,500L and this model is energy efficient, needing only 28W of power to operate well.
The filters in this model include foam blocks and ceramic stones for mechanical filters to sieve out the solid debris. The kaldness bio-media mass (polyethylene pellets) encourages good bacteria to grow on it; this bacteria tackles the green algae that always grows on pond water that’s in the sunlight.
You can easily adjust the flow rate of water to the attached fountain. In fact, by turning the T-connector, you can change the rate of flow of water to the fountain, back into the pond or to the waterfall you connect to the appropriate splitter connection. You may want to do this for the fountain depending on which of the three spray heads you choose to use.
The UV-C light that kills microorganisms and green algae operate at 9W. This is a significant amount of light for a small pond so that your water will be well sterilised.
Pros
- All-in-one pump, filter and fountain with UV sterilising light.
- Pumps water at 1,000L per hour.
- Filters using filter foam, ceramic stones and kaldness biomedia.
- The UV-C light is 9W to discourage green algae.
- Connector included to adjust the output flow rate to the pond, waterfall or fountain.
- Suitable for ornamental ponds up to 3,000L in volume and also for fish ponds up to 1,500L.
- Fountain attachment has three different spray heads and an adjustable angle.
- Energy efficient at 28W.
- 10M power cable included.
- Two-year warranty.
Our recommendation
The PondXpert All in One Triple Action 3000 Pond Pump/Filter/UV Steriliser & Fountain is a good choice for those who have small ponds. This all-in-one pond pump and filter have all the features of the models designed for larger ponds. The UV-C light is powerful at 9W and keeps the water sterilised from microorganisms. The fountain attachment has three different spray heads and adjustable angles and flow rates.
Buyer’s Guide for All-In-One Pond Pump and Filter Units
Although I didn’t find many all-in-one pond pump and filter units in my research, they do have a distinct advantage over systems you put together yourself – you only have one power cable to deal with. So you know what you’re getting in these integral pond pump units, our Buyer’s Guide describes how they work.
And I want to mention upfront is that you shouldn’t expect to receive your power cable with a plug attached. Regulations prohibit manufacturers from selling outdoor electrical products with an indoor plug attached. Plus, you will probably want to hardwire the pump into your switch box.
The unit
Having everything contained within one case with one outlet point and one power cable lets you keep your pond neat and tidy. And it avoids multiple cables snaking across your garden between your outdoor power outlet and your pond.
However, access to the inside of the pump and filter unit is kept and should be easy as you need to frequently clean the filter. Look on the lid for small buttons to press or clips to release to access the inside.
The pump
Inside the unit casing is the pump, consisting of an impeller and a shaft. In the best models, these are made of waterproof and rust-proof ceramic that lasts for a long time. The ability of the pump to push water through the unit (flow rate) is measured in litres of water per hour, and this is how you compare different models. The pump circulates the water through the system, taking it in from the pond.
The flow rate determines how large a pond the filter pump can comfortably support, and this is a given as a volume of water in L. Note that any given filter pump can support a larger ornamental pond than a pond with fish in it.
The filtration system
The filter system within the all-in-one filter pump consists of biological and mechanical filters. The water first flows through a large, coarse foam block that strains out most of the fine to medium-sized bits and pieces. This is the mechanical filter. It then flows through a filtration of ceramic stones (also mechanical) to trap additional solid waste and onto biological filter media compartments.
The biological filter is usually small, plastic bio-balls with a large surface area that lets good bacteria grow there. The bacteria digest the nutrients created by any fish and the waste in the pond. This breaks down the ammonia and nitrates in the pond, leading to a clean and healthy environment.
UV-C light
UV-C light (ultraviolet clarifiers) is often a part of the cleaning system of these integrated pumps and filters. This wavelength of light sterilising pond water of all microorganisms, leading to less green algae in the water.
However, the UV-C light gets rid of all microorganisms, both bad and good. If your pond doesn’t receive a great amount of direct sunlight and you don’t have an algae problem, you may prefer a pond pump with a filter that comes without this feature.
Fountain
Some of the all-in-one models come with a fountain attachment, often with a variety of heads for different spray patterns. But you don’t have to use it as such. You usually find an outlet there that lets you pass the water onto a waterfall feature and one that lets you return the clean water directly into the pond. Most models in our review have an arrangement that allows you to connect all the standard-size hoses to them.
Final Conclusion
Having an integrated pond pump with a filter helps you keep the water in your pond clean and healthy – a must if you keep fish there. Instead of you juggling a separate pump and filter, and possibly a UC-light system – with all the necessary intake and outtake pipes and power cords, an all-in-one unit keeps your pond tidy with just one unit for everything. Be careful to select the right flow rate depending on the volume of your pond and whether you have fish in there.
My Best Pick is the All Pond Solutions Pond Pump Filter with Fountain. This is a solid choice of integrated pond/filter unit that comes in a range of sizes for small, medium and large ponds.
If you decide to put together your own pump and filter system, you need to read my Best Pond Pump Review.
Enhance the look of your crystal clear pond with some of your recommended plants in the Top 7 Must-Have Floating Pond Plants and Best Pond Plants For Small Ponds.
You can also see my favourite raised pond kits here and preformed ponds here.
Last update on 2024-04-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
