TetraPond Water Garden Pump, Powers Waterfalls/Filters/Fountain Heads

Good pump. Would buy again, and I just did that. Last order was 11 years ago and it ran the entire time, other than a power outage or two. I think 11 years running not stop is good. I was happy to see the same pump is still here. And, it's a bit cheaper which is nice.

Good for my outdoor pond

I had this for 10 years and still going with limited maintenance. I used on a timer that shuts it off at night. The flow decreased over time, but still a great purchase.

Does not come with the inlet barb adaptor to connect with their own brand Tetra Pond Skimmer. Purchased this pump along with the Tetra Pond Skimmer hoping to do a dual pump setup. The Tetra Pond Skimmer comes with (2) barb adaptors but you have to use (1) of them on this Tetra Pond pump inlet.The pump itself appears to pump more water then either of the $52 pump from Lowes we were using.One of the Lowe's pumps broke its ceramic center shaft the impeller is mounted on.The Lowes pump does list the impeller assembly on the pump manufacturer website for $10, but it is SOLD OUT which implies it must break a lot?Regardless, we are disappointed this pump does not come with any inlet accessories and Tetra does not list inlet accessories on their website that I could find for neither the pump of the skimmer. They do list the impeller though but it is TWENTY EIGHT DOLLARS and NINETY NINE CENTS. Blows my mind the pump costs $50 but the impeller itself is $28.99.Next trip to one of the big box stores we are gonna buy some extra barb adaptors for pumps in a variety of sizes. These pumps seem to last 1 to 2 years. Every time we buy a new one the threads for inlet and the outlet are never the same. It goes from male to female, or 1/2" to 3/4". So, if we just have a big ole box of adaptors, more then the big ole box we have already amassed over the years, maybe replacement will go smoother.This pump is sitting in a plant basket along with the (1) working Lowes $52 pump. This Tetra pump is connected to the Tetra in pond skimmer.The Lowes pump pulls in water directly from the basket through its small surface area grill which likes to clog every 2 days. We were lining the basket with air conditioner filter material but after having to pressure wash those filters every week for years we wanted to make the whole process easier. Adding the Tetra in pond skimmer was supposed to give us that but it only half worked. Once we acquire a second barb adaptor we will try connect both pumps to the Tetra Pond skimmer and empty the basket of the skimmer every day instead of having to clean the pump inlet filter.Long story short, the pump is strong but does not come with any inlet accessories.

I actually haven't plugged this in yet, so I don't even know if this specific unit works. However, I have been using TetraPond pumps since the spring of 2012 in my backyard aquaponics system. They have been very reliable and I haven't had one fail yet. I shut down my system in the winter but I have run pumps continuously from late April through late November. I have both smaller and larger pumps than this one, but I specifically bought the 325 GPH pump as I'm going to set up a solar heating system and need a pump to circulate the water through it. I want to run higher temperatures in the aquaponics system to increase fish growth rate.A few reminders: First, as you increase the pressure head ie. the vertical distance that you want to pump the water, the flow rate drops off. They show on the packaging how much flow is lost per vertical distance. This must be taken into account when you're choosing a pump. As an example, if you need 325 GPH of water flow, you would need a larger pump to achieve that flow rate if your pressure head is a foot or more.Second, the plastic hose adapter should be handled carefully so you don't snap it off accidentally. It hasn't happened with any of these pumps, but I have a different brand where it happened. It is, after all, plastic. When you place a hose over it, try to gently slip it on. What I've found helpful is to gently heat the end of the hose with a lighter to soften the plastic hose so it will slip over the adapter easily. Once the hose cools, it will stay put, though you should slip a stainless steel hose clamp over the hose/adapter to ensure it stays in place.Lastly, I run my pumps in an aquaponics system and it can handle uneaten food and solid fish waste easily without getting plugged. However, I keep the tanks covered with tarps to block out a lot of light so no algae grows in my system, and also netting to prevent leaves and other debris from falling into the tank, and also to prevent fish from jumping out! This means that I don't usually have problems with anything solid plugging the pump. If you plan to use this pump for an outdoor pond, remember that plugging of the pump can be an issue. I think they sell pre-filters to help with this but you'll have to do your own research on that.Good luck!