Pond Filters and how to select them. Nurseries, USA, United States, Mail Order Nurseries, Specialist Nurseries,Retail Nurseries, Wholesale Nurseries, Plant Nurseries and United States Export Nurseries. Water Features, Composting Systems, Garden Furniture, Gardening Landscape Design, Gardening Clubs, Roses, Orchids, Bulbs, Trees and Shrubs, Perennials, Water Gardens, Ponds.

Pond Filters and how to select them.
at www.nurseriesonline.com
 

Why You Need a Pond Filter and What it Does

It's important to realize that a pond filter is first and foremost required to purify the pond water ... fish pollute the water as part of their natural metabolism and if the impurities are not removed toxic levels of pollutants are reached. In such circumstances fish would become stressed and might even die. A filter is also useful to remove suspended solids from the water.

If your pond is small to medium and you do not intend to stock with expensive fish then there is little need to overspend on a filter with all the bells and whistles and hype. Most modern filters from the likes of FishMate, Hozelock, Heissner, Blagdon and Oase will do an excellent job. Price is not the determint of how good the filter is. Your choice will be between a gravity (box type) filter and a pressurized one.

Three kinds of pond filters

Low cost gravity flow pond filters used mainly in small to medium ponds. The picture is of af FishMate gravity filter which is sold worldwide and is an excellent low cost system because it incorporates high efficiency biomedia. In simple terms it is the type of biomedia that determines the physical size of the filter box and this has a bearing on how easy the unit can be hidden in a landscaped garden.

Pressurized filters that can be easily hidden and in many cases can be cleaned with little hassle. These filters (picture shows an example from the FishMate range but all models have a similar shape) have started to dominate the market. The reason is that these filters are efficient and small in size compared to a box type gravity filter. One of the biggest advantages however is that they can be remotely located or even buried to allow for more natural appearances. The units require a higher pressure pump than with a gravity type filter and very often the unit is sold with a suggested pump. However so long as you follow the recommendations in the pump selection page you will be fine.

Specialised pressure or gravity filters designed specifically for large ponds. For this type of filter the same principles apply but other considerations need to be applied also. Read the sections on advanced filtration because this choice is critical to pond success. The Aquabead or Aquadyne filter in the USA is good and in the UK the tendency is towards Vortex type filter installations.

The principles behind correct specification are the same in all filter types.

You Must Know Your Pond Volume ... That's All

To specify an appropriate pond filter it is important to know the volume of water in a pond to about 80% accuracy. A filter is specified in terms of what capacity it can handle when the pond is stocked normally which needs some interpretation. In general the more fish in a pond the greater the level of pollutants so a larger filter would be used.

 

How to select a pond filter (also called biofilter)

A filter will claim to handle or purify up to 5,000 litres of pond water. The claim will be based upon qualifications such as fish stock density, amount of food fed and so on. If you can afford it always go slightly bigger to get better performance.

A pond filter will NOT remove suspended algae without help from an UVC (Ultra Violet Clarifier). Most modern filters come equipped with an UVC included in the basic design. This is the best type of filter to buy.

This article republished with permission of the author Tony Roocroft. Original article appeared on the practical water gardens site.


 





NURSERIES SERVICING
ALABAMA AL, ALASKA AK, AMERICAN SAMOA A,S ARIZONA AZ, ARKANSAS AR, CALIFORNIA CA, COLORADO CO, CONNECTICUT CT, DELAWARE DE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DC, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA FM, FLORIDA FL, GEORGIA GA, GUAM GU, HAWAII HI, IDAHO ID, ILLINOIS IL, INDIANA IN, IOWA IA, KANSAS KS, KENTUCKY KY, LOUISIANA LA, MAINE ME, MARSHALL ISLANDS MH, MARYLAND MD, MASSACHUSETTS MA, MICHIGAN MI, MINNESOTA MN, MISSISSIPPI MS, MISSOURI MO, MONTANA MT, NEBRASKA NE, NEVADA NV, NEW HAMPSHIRE NH, NEW JERSEY NJ, NEW MEXICO NM, NEW YORK NY, NORTH CAROLINA NC, NORTH DAKOTA ND, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS MP, OHIO OH, OKLAHOMA OK, OREGON OR, PALAU PW, PENNSYLVANIA PA, PUERTO RICO P,R RHODE ISLAND RI, SOUTH CAROLINA SC, SOUTH DAKOTA SD, TENNESSEE TN, TEXAS TX, UTAH UT, VERMONT VT, VIRGIN ISLANDS VI, VIRGINIA VA, WASHINGTON WA, WEST VIRGINIA WV, WISCONSIN W, WYOMING WY.