I wish I could help you with the filter question but I've found that all the filters I've purchased have not been up to the job so I bought a 55 gallon barrel and will be getting some Matala rolls to put in it to use as my new filter in the spring.

Now, if you need pumps there are a couple places I would recommend if you're looking for submersible pumps.

azponds.com is a great source for cheap Laguna pumps. About 2 years ago I got a 4200 gph Laguna Maxflo pump/Laguna Pressure-flo 3200 pressurized filter combo for around $400 and it was in the deep freeze of winter when they offered this deal.

petmountain.com cannot be beat for the price of PondMaster pumps. I have a 2400 gph pondmaster running in my pond for the last 3 years without even a hint of trouble.

I wish I could give you info on external pumps but I don't use them. I live in the frozen north and can't keep my pumps running all year so I figured it would be just as easy to pull out a submersible pump as to winterize an external one.

Wow. You really are in the frozen north! ;)

My pond is not very large, about 1200 gallons, so I figured that I would go for an external filter (Fish Mate makes a nice one I've seen on several sites) and a submersible pump to go with. I hadn't planned on running it in the winter, removing the pump and filter probably Jan and Feb then replacing in mid-March or so. I keep a hole in the ice so gasses won't build up, and these fish have lived without a filter system for a few years now so they probably won't miss it when they're in their torpid state.

Thanks for the petmountain site info and also the recc about PondMaster pumps-- that brand was on my "short list".

Hi
I'd second the "Pondmaster" pumps. Since they only have one moving part and no gland what can go wrong?? lol
Had an "Iwaki" pump that ran 24/7 on a SW aquarium from 83 to 04 and to my knowledge is still running!!
Very expensive though. I got the PM from "THat fish place" gary