Top 5 OASE pond products.

Why we at Shirley Aquatics rate OASE so highly and our Top 5 OASE pond products.

Who are OASE? #

Firstly, it’s said ‘Oh-wah-zuh’. You’re welcome.

OASE are considered by many to be the last word in water gardening. They started out in Germany repairing agricultural equipment in 1949, had moved into agricultural pumps by 1960, and by 1966 were creating some of the best fountains in the world. Since then they’ve not looked back. 

OASE has a strong focus on presenting water’s charm, elegance, and natural flowing beauty. Hence their strapline ‘Living Water’.

On top of this OASE places Sustainability and Environmental Awareness among their core values when innovating their products. They do not compromise on their commitment to the natural environment nor the state-of-the-art technology they continue to bring the water gardening and lake management markets. By managing to successfully merge these two ethos, taking into account both science and nature, they are a responsible and industry-leading producer.

Why should I buy their products? #

Shirley Aquatics were one of the first companies in the UK to stock OASE pumps, many many years ago. And like the other great brand relationships established in the 70’s and 80’s – Michael Jordan & Nike, Wimbledon & Rolex, golf & Mercedes – Shirley Aquatics & Oase has stood the test of time.

In those early days OASE produced phenomenal stainless steel pumps with eye-watering price tags. But you get what you pay for. They were the first range of pumps to focus on economy. 

Competitors products such as the Dab Nova and the Cyprio Prima range were half, or even sometimes a third, of the cost, but …and this is a big but… their running costs were significantly higher. It wasn’t uncommon for these pumps to run at 300-700 watts, meaning they could cost you up to £730 per year just to run!

By contrast the OASE product would easily pay for itself in a couple of years and continue to keep going for many years after. 

To this day OASE continually knocks the spots off all of their competitors in terms of build quality, durability and economy. Even after all this time the only thing to change about this is that the prices, whilst still eye watering in some cases, are in line with a lot of other makes out there.

It’s not often that a company continues to produce best in class equipment and products whilst becoming more affordable!

Are OASE products good? #

Shirley Aquatics devotes over half of our entire pump and filter section to OASE, and that’s not just because we get along with them. They haven’t, for example, paid us to write these nice things about them (although we’re open to offers). We truly believe the product range is fantastic and OASE have never compromised on quality. If we are going to recommend a product for our customers it is important to us that we have unshakeable faith in that producer and brand. OASE absolutely delivers this.

We operate an unofficial “good / better /best” system in store when recommending products in order to give customers every option. OASE products will always be either the better choice or the best choice because, well, they are. 

Do OASE care about consumers? #

One of the things that tends to wind us up as retailers is the claims filter manufacturers often make about their filters. In much the same way car manufacturers quote a fuel consumption rate in their brochures that none of us will even get close to in our day to day commute, filter manufacturers will often quote extraordinary figures on their filters. 

Experience has taught us that this figure needs to be halved for general ponds, and quartered for koi ponds, heavily stocked ponds or ponds in full sun. 

So a filter that claims to do 10,000 litres, in reality may only do a 5000l general pond or a 2500l pond with koi in. 

OASE was the first company (as far as we know) to recognise this nuance and actually print it on their boxes and literature. Not only does this back up our experience when we tell a customer that the money saving alternative they’ve found will cause more problems than it solves, but it shows OASE are committed to providing the best possible solution and product to their customers.

As an example, this is taken from a technical sheet for the OASE BioSmart pond filter clearly showing the difference between their BioSmart UVC 1600, BioSmart 5000, and BioSmart 10000;

Once again OASE is showing their commitment to creating the best environments they can with their products. By ensuring customers are aware of the realistic size of pump they need for their pond they are ensuring the quality of your water and, by extension, the quality of life for your plants & animals.

Clean Water Guarantee   #

OASE are so confident in their products that they have a Clean Water Guarantee that, subject to fulfilling certain conditions, means that fish, plants, or rocks on the pond floor are recognizable to a pond depth of 1 m below the pond surface*.

*To view full T’s & C’s and the qualifications behind this guarantee click here 

Do OASE only produce pond equipment? #

No. OASE also produces a wide range of aquarium pumps, filters, heaters, UV clarifiers and accessories, as well as owning the BiOrb range of tanks. Check these out on our website or in-store.

What are the best products? #

Obviously every setup is different and OASE’s range is so diverse that we will focus on pond products here.

Listed below are our five favourite products for your pond that we would recommend.

Top 5 OASE Products #

OASE BIOSMART #

The OASE BioSmart is a flow-through pond filter. Which means water is pumped in, flows through the media and falls out by gravity. The Flow-Through system allows for maximum oxygenation of your water as it passes through the unit ensuring an optimal environment for your animals.

Distinct filter zones promote the settlement of a variety of beneficial bacteria responsible for different phases of the nitrogen cycle, which increases the conversion of harmful ammonia in your pond. 

With a huge surface area achieved by housing between 4 and 18 (depending on your model) separate filter sponges in the unit it provides exceptional biological filtration. 

These sponges in themselves are a marvel – the BioSmart includes cleaning handles centred in each sponge that allow for easy maintenance and cleaning without having to faff about manually removing and cleaning or unclogging the filter foams. 

All the guesswork and potentially messy procedure of checking when you may need to ‘get your hands dirty’ is removed. The BioSmart has a built-in cleaning indicator 

(alongside the very handy thermometer) which will alert you when maintenance is necessary. 

Once you’ve cleaned your foams you just pop open the Sludge Drain (great name for a band) for easy removal of coarse debris and Bob’s your uncle!  

OASE also recommends that for the best results the BioSmart should be paired with an OASE pump and UV clarifier. This will then qualify for their Clean Water Guarantee. (It’s important to note that the BioSmart UVC 1600 comes with a 9W UV bulb included.)

On top of this the 1600 is under warranty for 12 months and the 5000 / 10000 for 3 years.

OASE DuoBoost #

Oase DuoBoost significantly improves your water quality and pond biology with it’s 2-phase effect. 

DuoBoost is easy to use and can be treated as often as required. The two complementary phases of action lay the foundations for achieving crystal clear water and exceptional pond biology.

Phase 1:

The gel is placed directly into the pond or filter chamber. This highly active fluid is packed full of enzymes and bacteria that removes organic dirt, ammonium and nitrite. It also activates the filter bacteria at the same time!

Phase 2:

A ball that is packed with important trace elements, cosubstrates, minerals and other valuable additives is the next phase of action. This ball dissolves over time, adding what would be difficult to put into an artificial pond. These balls can be submerged within a fine mesh bag if you’re concerned about your fish trying to eat them or, alternatively, can be placed inside the filter chamber.

Available Sizes:

250ml container with 5cm ball – Suitable for ponds up to 20,000 litres

250ml container with 2cm balls – Suitable for ponds up to 30,000 litres

2.5 litre container with 2cm balls – Suitable for ponds up to 90,000 litres

OASE Pondovac Classic #

Particularly in spring and autumn the pond must be cleared of excessive plant remains, and sludge must be vacuumed out in order to maintain the biological balance. The Pondovac Start is a wet and dry vacuum for the pond, pool or household. It is an effective sludge vacuum with a powerful 1400 Watt motor, automatic activation and emptying through intelligent device control. The new compact design has a 27 litre tank and low noise due to a new noise reduction unit. Included are 4 suction nozzles; crevice nozzle (a slightly more dubious band name), algae nozzle, flat nozzle with rubber lip, & variable special sludge nozzle (2-10mm). Plus 4 metres of suction hose and 2 metres of discharge hose.

Whilst OASE do a fantastic range of Pondovac Vacuums and you may need one of their more powerful models for larger, or sludgier (technical term) ponds, it’s difficult to see past the Classic in terms of versatility and durability.

OASE Filtral UVC #

The Filtral series are compact filter units with integrated UVC technology for guaranteed clear water. In other words, they are pump, filter and UV all in one compact unit. 

They contain 4 different filter materials – 2 different filter sponges, bio-surface elements and filter pebbles that help ensure biological and mechanical cleaning for clear and healthy water. Also included is a 90 degree bend and stepped hosetail to allow you to feed a small watercourse or water feature. You also get a free fountain nozzle and T piece which allows you to create a stunning fountain effect!

The unit is fully submersible for underwater set up meaning the appearance of your pond is undisturbed.

In terms of maintenance and real-life usage the unit’s practical clips allow a quick opening of the housing, which allows the filter elements to be easily cleaned. It is not necessary to dismantle the nozzle fixture for cleaning.

An Aeration kit is also available separately to allow extra oxygen input.

Available Sizes: Filtral 1500, Filtral 3000, Filtral 6000, Filtral 9000

OASE Aquamax Eco Premium #

Just in case you were still unsure as to our opinion of OASE these are, without doubt, one of the best pumps on the market. We use them to run all of our in-store coldwater section!

The AquaMax Eco Premium Pond Pump is an extremely powerful, energy-efficient pump whose quiet running means it is suitable for not just ponds but as well as dry setup on swim ponds and bathing ponds.

Another feature of the AquaMax Eco Premium is, as far as we’re concerned, hugely underutilised. OASE have a patented second inlet system – we know that doesn’t sound all that impressive yet – wait for it. In basic terms it means that you can just use the pump as it stands, with water being drawn through its strainer cage. This allows debris of up to 10mm in diameter to be passed straight to your filter.

However, this also means that you have a few extra options of how you use your pump. 

1. Yes, you could just hoof the pump into the pond, block off the second inlet and let it get on with its primary function.
2. Or you could use the secondary inlet to it’s best advantage. 

You can attach either a satellite strainer to your second inlet, meaning you can draw water from two separate areas of the pond, or attach a surface skimmer to the secondary inlet.

There is even a control unit built in so you can vary the amount of water that is taken through the second inlet or the pump strainer cage.

You can even use them externally. The versatility of this equipment is remarkable.

On top of this you can adjust your pump’s output electronically using the optional accessories InScenio Dimmer or FM-Master 3/FM-ProfiMaster. The elegant design with clever operating elements and the unique, patented frost protection means your pump will not be damaged at temperatures down to as low as -20° C! Oase’s Environmental Function Control also protects against dry run and blocking. 

Each pump also comes with a 10 metre power cable, can be set up underwater & dry installed and is also guaranteed for 3 years with an additional 2 years upon request!

Dimensions (L x W x H) mm 340 x 280 x 165

Rated voltage 220 – 240 V / 50/60 Hz

So that’s our top 5. We rate every product OASE produce – but for pond essentials these are a great place to start.

If you have any questions about any of the products listed above, or about the rest of the OASE range please explore our website or visit us in store!