Bear in mind a typical hose end has a 'mushroom' plug in the end. By moving it in and out you get everything from a wide cone to a narrow jet, so an adjustable gap might be the key to getting this right (and keeping the flow rate up and pressure down).

The small pump has arrived and I've done some testing.  Gone from one extreme to the other!   On full flow this little pump produces far less flow than the bigger one on minimum.  The six hole head produces a whole 4" (100mm) height of water!  The ring type about the same outwards.  I may try a fountain with smaller holes.  I'll try a six hole one with smaller holes first - it's quite a nice effect and would certainly aerate the water.  Or I could have five or three holes - an odd number is probably better.

Designed and now printing a five hole fountain top in transparent orange PETG.

Will one of your ponds be still water?

Or are you aiming for ornamental water features

Equally pathetic!    I'll give it one last try - a single just off vertical jet.  This little pump is probably more suitable to circulate water for my 3D printer cooling!  It seems to need more power for a fountain.

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

Will one of your ponds be still water?

Or are you aiming for ornamental water features

Ornamental essentially.  One entirely ornamental, in fact just a reservoir for a water feature, the other for wildlife with a small fountain to aerate the water and help keep it clear.

If it is for nature then in time with the right environment it should clear. I think from reading that fountains don't necessarily encourage nature. If you are intending to put fish in there as a fish pond then the fountain is great idea.

Made a nozzle for a single jet.  4mm bore.  Produces a jet just over a foot high when the jet is just above the water level.  Since the small pond is a good 2ft deep I think I'll make a float to mount the pump and fountain on.  Of course it will need tethering so that it stays more or less in the centre of the pond.

Put pump etc. into pond and connected power.  Two photos and a video. 

I have spent a quiet a bit of the spring sorting my pond out, main thing was to upgrade the filter and re-route the pipework and electrics for the pump. I also added a small fountain, its a pondmate 1200 and costs £30 with a selection of fountain heads, it has a 2nd output if you want to run a waterfall, seems good so far gives a couple of feet on the fountain. The only downside is the filter built in to the fountain pump needs to be cleaned, especially if you have a wildlife friendly pond. Have also upgraded the electrics so individual bits can be switched on and off.

There's a frog in my smaller pond now ?

The wildlife pond is looking very small compared with the area of the garden.  But it was good for a start.  Having only really grown fruit and vegetables before I have a lot to learn about flower and wildlife gardens.  But it's fun. 

I have another area covered with the huge tarpaulin I used to cover my observatory during construction, to kill off the turf and nettles so next year I should have another area to make use of.  I might make a bigger pond by digging a hole and lining it.  It could be deep one end and have a beach at the other end so that wildlife could crawl in or out of the pond.  Probably have paving overlapping the edge around all but the beach.

I have an idea for small, raised beds for flowers making use of my largest 3D printer.  The principle is rather like a birdbath but holding soil and flowers instead of water.  Of course, the soil will have to be kept damp but not wet so some form of irrigation will probably be required.  I guess a soil dampness sensor and water valve (or pump) could be arranged in an automatic irrigation system.

This is a design for a raised planter.  Just under 400mm diameter and 700mm high.  This is as big as I can print in my Giant 3D printer in one piece.

The problem with this print is that it is likely to take at least a Kg of filament.  ATM my Giant printer is out of action but when it's working again I can predict the amount of filament required.  OTOH there are some quite nice looking plastic planters such as these from Amazon (and something like half the price of printing a planter).

Sankey from Strata GN653 49 Centimeter Oakwood Barrel Plastic Planter - Natural Oak

Stewart Blenheim Half Barrel, Copper Effect, 40 cm

I might get one or other of those Amazon plastic planters.  For one thing I already have plants that want planting before they die.  I may replant the ones from round the wildlife pond into a planter.  I could get a plank and put it on a couple of concrete blocks to carry a planter (or two).  One thing I like about my own design printed plastic planter is that nobody will have the same and I do like to be different!

I've designed a lily pad shaped float for the fountain pump and now printing it.

The float was inadequate.  Placed float plus pump and nozzle on pond, it floated so I powered up.  Small jet which grew but as it did the assembly gradually sank!  More bouncy required.  Not a problem.

The two planters I ordered from Amazon arrived this morning and look fine.  I've started filling them with soil.

On 11/06/2018 at 20:55, Gina said:

Put pump etc. into pond and connected power.  Two photos and a video. 

MVI_3906.MOV

Blimey @Gina... that Dorset scrumpy must me good stuff  ...L@@k at the size of that ladybird/ladybug! 

I'm buying the same garden pond for frogs in my garden... 

If you put frogs or fish watch out for wild life stealing them, cats for sure, raccoons or skunks if you have them?

We don't have raccoons or skunks in the UK, except in Zoos.  

Heron's will have them though.

Carole 

I don't plan to put fish in the pond but there was a frog in it the other day.  Only saw it when I disturbed the bottom of the pond.

Can't really do much to the garden ATM as the ground is like concrete with cracks an inch wide.  We need rain and not just half an hour of drizzle!  The turf I laid round the wildlife pond has mostly died in spite of watering.  The flowers are surviving though.  I shall be moving them to planters or raised beds when I can manage it.  I have some planters now containing lumps of hard, solid soil and some water, hoping it will soften up enough for planting.

Gina!  We spend so much time complaining about the rain and cloud, and now you're complaining because it's been too sunny!

James

Oh yes, we're always complaining about the weather - a truly British occupation ?  I try to do astronomy and it's cloudy - I try to make a nice garden and it's too dry!!  Sometimes I think I can't win.  Doesn't really bother me much though - if I can't do one thing I do another.  So I'm now working on astro stuff - specifically my all sky camera which was working but stopped last night.  I also need to find out why my mount isn't working so I can do some Ha solar.

Gina, just seen this blog, & I'm wishing you all the best....

I have a pond of 50,000 L & have Koi, Shubunkin, Orfe & Frogs etc. in residence with visiting Herons who can't get in as its all covered in netting...

If you need any pointers, just shout.