Stream and small waterfall, flowing water creates a uniquely beautiful ambience at the ornamental pond, which ensures many hours of relaxation. Designed as a stepped cascade or bubbling calyx, ready-made elements can be used for the water features or your own inspiration can be realised.
A waterfall in your own garden pond ensures pleasant splashing and is a feast for the eyes
Irrespective of the undisputed statement that a waterfall in the garden pond is one of the most beautiful design elements, which optically enhances the oasis of peace enormously, the rippling water brings another very practical advantage. With the bubbling water, the oxygen supply and its quality improve significantly and even the smallest stream ensures a better biological balance in the pond.
size and effort
While the financial effort for the self-built waterfall on the garden pond will not cost enormous sums, the preparation of the watercourse and the natural design is a little more complex in terms of time. Even if the size of the garden plot and that of the pond allow it, plan your waterfall on the pool in such a way that disturbing noises for the fish stock and the neighboring plots are kept to a minimum. Several small slopes that are not too steep are more work-intensive, but look particularly attractive with a natural line.
Location for the self-built waterfall
The commercially available stream bowls can be used as storage containers for the water flowing down the valley. Such tanks are usually made of robust plastic and are already equipped with the necessary inlets and outlets, sometimes even with pumps and the associated water filters. The size of the reservoir you need will depend (among other things!) on how far the pipe will be into the pond and whether you want your waterfall to run continuously or only flow for a limited time. Depending on the delivery height and HOW, i.e. in what form the cool water should splash along, the system needs a certain and not inconsiderable water reserve, which our table shows in liters:
| Delivery height (cm) | 30 | 50 | 60 | 100 / 125 | 150 / 200 | 250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| foam nozzle | 2.500 | 3.500 | 4.500 | |||
| water bell | 900 | 1.800 | 2.700 | 3.500 / | ||
| chalice | 1.200 | 2.200 | ||||
| tulip | 700 | 900 | 1.100 | |||
| pirouette | / 2.500 | 2.800 / | ||||
| fountain | 600 | 900 | 1.200 | / 2.200 | 2.800 / 4.000 | 4.500 |
| calyx | 600 | 900 | 1.200 / | 2.800 / |
Source: "Teich compact" 3rd edition from 2014 with the kind permission of Eugen Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart
The optimal pump size
In addition to the size (length, width and depth) of the course of the stream and its route, which depends on the terrain, the volume of the stream bowl and the required design and performance of the feed pump must also be taken into account when planning the waterfall. If the installation of cascades in the water supply is then desired, a considerable amount of water is produced relatively quickly, which demands maximum performance from the pump. Even with a low delivery head of 200 cm, it must be expected that the pump delivery capacity can be between 700 and 2,000 liters per hour, with 330 cm the value is even around 4,500 liters.
tips
It is not uncommon for the flow speed in the course of the stream to suddenly be too high, especially after very ambitious waterfall projects. One or more large stones will help reduce and even create turbulence in the water, which in turn will help to add oxygen to the pond water.