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| There is no other single subject in the hobby that is discussed more than filtration and for good reason. Although opinions vary as to what works best, all can agree that some sort of filter needs to be installed in every pond The challenge is making the right choices because there is so much conflicting information, particularly on the web. The bottom line is, all filters have their strengths and weaknesses and there is no panacea Most of the focus in the hobby seems to be on biomedia when perhaps more attention should be paid to effective solids removal and simple maintenance |
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| What Does a Filter Do ? Filters are for the most part, homes for nitrifying bacteria. But other types of bacteria will propagate the filter and benefit the pond as well. Filters in essence chemically and visually keep the pond water clean The biomedia within the filter provides surface area for bacteria to adhere to. The more surface area, the greater the number of potential bacteria. The water flowing through the filter brings oxygen and food (nitrogen) to these bacteria. Surface area, nitrogen load, temperature and water chemistry will ultimately control bacteria population levels |
Do It Yourself or Store Bought ? Homebuilt As with all choices in life there are always pros and cons. In general, making your own filter is a good option if you are handy and do your research. They also afford a level of customizability that a store filter can't match - you can build for the exact specifics of your site. Home built filters are usually less expensive and if constructed properly, provide equitable results when compared to the pricier store bought units Store bought filters
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| Design Concepts A good basic filter design will incorporate at least 3 chambers - settlement, biological and polishing. Probably the most important feature of a good filter is the settlement chamber. This chamber should allow sufficient dwell or retention time for debris to sink to the bottom. Dwell time is the length of time water will remain in the drum. If the dwell or retention time is too short, debris will just continue onto the next chamber. It is therefore imperative to realize that a faster flow rate is not always better. A 3 minute dwell time would be a bare minimum, giving the debris at a chance to sink. When you do the math you can quickly see how big these chambers have to be. A 3000 gallon pond with a 2000 gallon flow rate filter system would require a chamber at least 100 gallons. The math is as follows - 2000 gph divided by 100 = 20. 20 turnovers divided by 60 minutes = 3 minutes/turnover. Properly manufactured vortex tanks allow for smaller chambers to be utilized because their design is tuned for settling particulate. All filters should have a gate valve installed which allow the isolation of the filter from the pond. This is necessary for proper cleaning, medicating and Winter shut down Poorly constructed filters use foam as the initial filter media. Unfortunately the foam is quickly saturated by debris. This means the flow rate (ie return to your waterfall) slows down and you will need to clean the filter very frequently. In a properly designed 3 chamber filter, the foam goes in the last chamber so that it only has to trap small debris - larger particulate has already been settled out. Therefore much less frequent cleaning is required and water recirculation remains at peak rates Some companies claim that natural filtration with rocks on the bottom of the pond and waterplants are all you and your fish will require for a healthy balanced eco system. The truth is however, You can't rely on a natural process in a unnatural setting. A backyard pond is not a natural thing. It's a small closed system with a high bio load and our goal is that everything survives. No one I know is willing to keep 1 fish per 10,000 gallons+ so natural approaches will fall short. Sure a microbial web will develop in any pond but it is not extensive enough to cope with the abnormally high fish load. Rudimentary science debunks this marketing myth espoused by companies who just want to sell. As with keeping all animals, hygiene is important. I don't know anyone who keeps a rabbit or guinea pig and never cleans the cage. Allowing the natural breakdown of the high excrement load in a fish pond is asking for disease issues A quick tip: if you are planning on purchasing a filter. If it easily fits in the backseat of your car, it's really not designed to filter a pond |
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The tank pictured left is 300 gallons and has a conical shaped bottom to allow proper flushing of accumulated debris. This is a classic vortex and well worth the investment |
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Gravity Fed Filter Systems Rotating media filters offer very good nitrogen conversion and are inexpensive and easy to build. We install these on many of the higher end ponds we construct. Its hard to find a negative with these types of filters |
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Chart of Common Methods of Filtration and their Advantages & Disadvantages
One can see the trend of Advantages increasing and Disadvantages decreasing as we move down the above chart. Additionally, moving down the chart means increased costs, time and space are required. The key however, is the value for the effort is much greater. Water quality and clarity are much improved, maintenance is dramatically reduced and the fish will be healthier and grow faster when you invest in the proper system |
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