Pond Filters

| July 17, 2011

Pond Filters

Pond filters are used to clean debris and biological waste from your pond.  In nature, ponds have a constant influx of fresh water and waste water is pushed downstream.  When you build your pond, however, it will be a closed ecosystem.  There is nowhere for the waste to go and so it builds up and starts to affect your pond environment.  Without proper filtration, algae will begin to feed off of the abundance of organic material in your pond and starve off other aquatic life.

Pond filters can provide biological and mechanical filtration as well as UV sterilization to keep your pond water clean and clear.  The filtration components of a pond filter can also slow down the buildup of algae.

Biological Filtration

The biological filters of a pond filter operate by running water through an established colony of beneficial bacteria.  This bacterium lives and grows within the filter on surfaces such as bio balls or sponges.  As the water filters through the pond filter, the bacteria feeds on harmful waste products (ammonia and nitrite) and break them down into harmless compounds (nitrate).

Mechanical Filtration

Pond filters remove larger waste particles (uneaten food, algae, etc…) from pond water by physically straining the water through a mechanical filter.  Smaller particles are removed by trapping them in a biofilm living within the filter.

Chemical Filtration

Chemical Filtration is typically only used for small aquatic spaces such as aquariums.  The process usually refers to using activated carbon to absorb dissolved organic material from the water.  Activated carbon chemically attracts the dissolved particles and they stick to the porous surface of the carbon.  Because carbon with a large amount of Ash can alter the pH of the water, high quality carbon will guarantee that it will not alter pH.

Types of Pond Filter

There are different types of pond filter available for all different needs.  Any of the pressurized filters can be placed underground and be effectively hidden from view.  External filters are usually very low maintenance.  They typically offer some sort of back flush option that flushes the waste material out the back of the mechanism. The main types of pond filter are:

  • External Gravity Pond Filters
    • This type of filter relies on gravity to push the water through the internal filters.
    • Filtration
      • Mechanical
      • Biological
      • Some offer UV sterilizers
  • External Pressurized Pond Filters
    • Require a pond pump to operate
    • Filtration
      • Mechanical
      • Biological
      • Some offer UV sterilizers
  • Pond Skimmers
    • Require a pond pump to operate
    • Filtration
      • Mechanical
      • Biological
  • Submersible Pond Filters
    • Some may require a pond pump to operate while others are included with a pond pump
    • Filtration
      • Mechanical
      • Biological

Category: Pond Equipment

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