The Whats and Hows of Pond Filters

The cornerstone of any healthy pond and a must for building the optimal water garden system is a good filter. A pond filter’s job is to maintain the water clean and healthy by removing algae and other waste and organic materials from the pond. Without filters, ponds are susceptible to algal issues and water parameter imbalances.

Do I Need a Filtration System for My Pond?

You may omit the filter and instead try to achieve a natural balance if you don’t intend to keep any fish or if you’re building a natural pond with plenty of plants and few fish. Many plants, enough to cover two-thirds of the pond’s surface, can be used to accomplish this. These plants will consume and digest any toxins left behind by fish and decomposing organic waste, working in tandem with the pond’s beneficial microorganisms to maintain a healthy natural balance and a clear pond.

While it seems like a simple procedure, achieving a balanced nitrogen cycle in your pond can take a lot of time. For this reason, most people still use a pond filter of some sort.

Pond Filter Systems

When looking for the right filter for ponds, you’ll discover there are many different systems available. These include biological filters, mechanical filters and water clarifiers. 

Biological filter systems transform waste into less hazardous substances that can be applied as fertilisers to aquatic plants. Systems with mechanical filters collect and get rid of silt and debris. Water is circulated through a tube with a UV light in a water clarifier, killing any living tiny particles.

The most effective method of filtering water involves using a good biological filtration system in conjunction with a suitable mechanical system to remove particles before the water enters the biological filtration unit. Without the use of clarifiers, a pond can preserve its natural ecology with adequate biological and mechanical filtration.

Let’s take a better look at each type of pond filtration method so you can have a better understanding of how these systems work.

Types of Filtration Methods

Mechanical

A mechanical pond filtration system is the first step in increasing pond water clarity. Its purpose is to physically gather and remove garbage from the pond, such as leaves, uneaten food, and fish faeces, to lighten the load on biological systems.

Sponges, vortex, and filter brushes are a few examples of mechanical filter media. The less well-known technique, called a vortex, uses particular water flow angles to gather waste items into a chamber.

Mechanical filter systems are placed in the ground and are intended to be used in conjunction with a pump (or two). It’s composed of two parts:

• A debris-catching basket – it can be easily removed so that any waste collected can be emptied.
• A filter mat that collects smaller dirt and debris – needs to be rinsed regularly to keep the filter running smoothly.

Biological

The biological filtration stage, like mechanical filtration, also contains biological media which are typically small pieces of plastic, bio-balls, or a variety of other small objects. These media offer an ample surface area for bacteria to inhabit and grow. 

Beneficial bacteria residing on the biological filter media then break down the toxic waste produced by the residents of the pond. This breakdown makes the pond water less harmful by lowering the levels of nitrite and ammonia, which is safer for the ecology to dwell in.

Biological filtration is the key step in pond clarifying. It affects the effectiveness of pond products to remove green water to some extent.

UV 

UV systems help manage the green pond water that algae causes. They function by sterilising all pond water bacteria, which kills algae. 

However, UV radiation can destroy both dangerous and helpful microorganisms without making a distinction. And beneficial bacteria are crucial for preserving a balanced pond’s chemistry and minimising chemical accumulation from fish waste and natural organics.