I have two ponds and have one of each type. I just posted a pic of my three tiered fountain and small 7' round pond on the 'area off patio' thread. I have that fountain uplighted with red, green, and amber lights and it is very cool at night. I just bought the string of three lights at Lowe's I think it was.

I also have a much larger koi pond through the copper gate you see pictured. I have dual spots mounted on the pergola that sits on the side of the pond. They light up the whole rock garden/waterfalls/pond area. I also have several of those round solar floating lights that change colors all night. I don't have a pic loaded on photobucket that shows the actual spots but this one shows a small part of the pond. I have two of those light balls sitting on the rocks, I think there are three more that are floating. The spot lights are mounted on the front pergola post.

Two totally different effects. I would say if your pond is small and you want to highlight the fountain, go with the first. If you want to illuminate the whole area go with the second or a combination of both on separate switches.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:8608}}

Uplighting is the way to go with fountains or falls to highlight the water itself IMO. Underwater light (in ponds) highlights algae or other items you might not want to draw attention.

BTW boxofrox - stunning pond/stream/falls/garden!!!

Thanks comet, from my days in the horse show business, I call it AOTDB (Amatuer Owner To Design Build :-)

I totally agree with the uplight, it just gives you a mystical kind of sparkle off the water.

so when you talk about "up lighting" - do you mean a light mounted in the pond, but with the light face just above the water? I'm not clear on the uplighting thing. Please help (describe).

Here is the picture I had posted on the other thread. You can see the three lights I have placed above the water level to shine up (uplight) on the fountain. When you catch the water low enough with the light at the right angle, it lights up the whole thing. With the three different colored lenses, it gives it kind of an abilone sheen.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:8610}}

Boxofrox, pardon me for veering off the original topic, but i'm fascinated by that copper gate in your photograph. Did you make it yourself?

estreya,

Yes, I made the gate. I wanted it to tie into the cedar/copper fence/trellis in my front yard. I hunted for the wrought iron center piece and then designed the gate around it. When it was all done I sprayed it with several coats of lacquer so it would stay bright. It is made out of 1" copper, fortunately I made it and the fence before the price of copper skyrocketed.

Here's a closer shot...

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:8611}}

Boxofrox, it's absolutely superb. Congratulations on a beautifully conceived and executed project ...

Thanks for your kind words :-)