Pond Filtration Systems
As we have mentioned in other parts of our site, pond filter systems should filter one half of the ponds' volume in one hour. For example, a 500 gallon capacity would require a filter capable of moving 250 gallons of water per hour.
Basically, there are three different kinds of garden pond filters: biological,chemical and mechanical.Biological filteration
In using this type of pond filter system, the pump must run 24-7 for if it stops, bacteria use up the oxygen and die. In order for this system to work there needs to be a lot of bacteria, which anchor themselves to things such as plants. This is why there needs to be a lot of surface area for the bacteria to grow and thus, better filtration by a biological filter system. Garden pond plants make wonderful biological filters.
Biofilters need to be sized according to ammonia load, or the amount of fish waste produced each day. Selecting your pond filtration systems will depend on how many fish you plan to purchase and the weight of the food fed daily. Koi fish eat about 1-3% of their weight daily, added to this are the natural foods found in a pond. It will not be easy selecting a filter to match the load.
Bio filters come in many forms, from bio balls that have ridges that trap the bacteria in a surface area form but are very pricey, to lava rock that does the same job at a far better price. In between these are ribbons requiring large quantities to perform, foam that clogs quickly and ceramic, another pricey option.Mechanical pond filtration systems
Mechanical pond filtration systems will capture most of the large waste, particles and sediment but do need to be frequently cleaned. There are several difffernt types of mechanical filters in the marketplace:skimmer filters mentioned earlier, with the box skimmer the more easily maintained over the floating type. There are vertical and horizontal filter mats. Vertical mats require more maintenance and need to be cleaned more often. Horizontal mats can be cleaned once a month, are made more sturdy than the vertical mat, filters more debris, never clogs so that there is no danger of the pump running dry.
External pond filtration systems
Other pond filtration systems that should not be used are pump pre-filters, also requiring frequent cleaning. Submersible filters can be good but because they remove ammonia, a by-product of fish waste, they need to be cleaned often to maintain flow. Above all, do avoid swimming pool filters because sand and diatematius earth filters will harden in a short time because these media are not designed to filter fish waste.
Filters generally process 0.1 gram of food daily per square foot of filter media area. Surface area of the pond filter system is very important because the larger the area, the more biological activity it will support. Measurment of surface area of the media is per cubic foot. As we have mentioned before, don't overfeed your fish because this will cause the ammonia and nitrite levels to rise dangerously high, unless you are prepared to change the pond water frequently. Overfeeding puts too much stress on the biological filter, especially when you consider the square area of your pond. You may have to set more than one filter in a series depending on the total food being processed.Ultraviolet pond filter systems
Last but by no means least is the ultraviolet filter that controls green water algae. The drawback with this form of pond filtration systems is that it destroys beneficial bacteria that comes in contact with the tube housing the light bulb. The UV filter works best when used with a mechanical or biological filtration system. If you are looking to treat your pond naturally, the UV filter is not a good idea, because of the radiation given off. These fiilters are very expensive not to mention the bulbs that need to be replaced every six months and are also expensive.
Whatever your pond filtration systems needs are, be sure to check out the links that we have provided titled "forums". And as always, enjoy your pond.