It is possible to create amazing effects with water-feature lighting.
You can make fountains glow with light, highlight features to draw attention to them, heighten reflections, and of course illuminate entire fish ponds. But to be able to choose a pond light that is suitable for your fishpond, you need to have some idea of what your options are, and what effect each type of lighting will have.
You will find a good selection of pond lights with all your other fish pond supplies.
We can categorize pond lighting in relation to both the position of the lights, and the function they fulfill or general effect they create. In general they may be grouped in these categories:
- floating,
- submerged,
- floodlights,
- spotlights, and
- exterior or out-of-pool lighting.
Floating lights drift on top of the water and create a festive atmosphere. For example, floating water lily lights come in various colors and they give the impression that colorful flowers are floating on the surface of the pond. Another type has been designed to produce an underwater light show that creates a kaleidoscope effect under the water. Battery-powered, it can either float freely, or you can tether it to keep it in one place.
Because floating lights are in contact with the water, they require either a low-voltage power supply, or a solar-powered supply.
Submerged lights are made especially for underwater use, although there are some types that may be used either in or out of the water. Examples include LED low voltage stainless steel pond lights that come with a transformer, some of which even change color. Red, blue, yellow and green are the favorite colors. Other types come with aluminum or PVC housings.
There are also low voltage submersible pond lights that use halogen bulbs. These are usually suitable for both in and out of the water, and are normally supplied with a transformer.
Submerged lights may be used inside ponds, and also under fountains and waterfalls to add drama to the scene. They may also be installed so that they light shines up out of the water and highlights features, from statues to trees, either in the pond or on the water’s edge. This type of spotlighting has a much more diffused effect than regular spotlights installed out of the ground.
Floodlights may be used to light up the pond or the area around the pond – or both. This type of lighting literally floods the area with light and if the lights are submerged, it can make a body of water appear to glow from within. If out-of-pool floodlights are used, it is often best to position the light so that the beam it produces is at a reasonably low angle across the water.
Spotlights may be used to create dramatic effects both in the water and around the pond. It total contrast to floodlights, these lights have a small, tight and very focused beam that can shine upwards to highlight various elements. If you position the light imaginatively, you can create reflections in the water at night.
When used out of the water, garden spotlights are often used to highlight statues and feature plants. You can do the same with spotlight in the water.
Various power beam lights are available, some with transformers and others without. The best designs have colored lenses that you can change and the lights themselves may be rotated to about five different positions.
Out-of-pool lighting is usually also low voltage, or solar powered, and often supplied with stakes that enable you to set them in the ground – and move them if you wish. Some are super-bright white LED lights, while others come in the same sort of colors as other pond lights.
Unless you are using exterior lights that come with a post or are mounted on a decorative column or pole, it is best to conceal housings behind shrubs, rocks or even beneath decking.
