Lets first talk about what a filter is suppose to do for your pond....
The filter is designed not to just to keep the pond clear of debris, but
to turn bad fish waste into good clean water for the fish to live long
and healthy lives. There are also different ways that some filters work
better then others. The two types used outside of the pond are an
Upflow filter and a Downflow filter. Upflow mean that the water is
gravity fed from the bottom of the filter and slowly works its way
up to the top of the filter and then is returned back to the pond.
The downflow filter is fed from the top of the filter and in the same
manner, returned to the pond. Be careful reading the amount of
GPH (Gallons Per Hour) needed for the filter to work properly.
Water flowing too slow or too fast will cause your filter system to fail.
We could sit here for hours discussing the pros and cons of which
filter is better but your best bet is to ask a local pond keeper
in your area for the best results.

Before attempting to design your own Filtration system, this is probably
your best excuse for visiting ponds in your local club. Visit as many as
possible and ask why they chose their filtration system. Yes, you can
run out and spend thousands of hard earned $$$$ on buying a pre-made
filter system only to find out its not the right one for your geographical
area. Trust me, I learned the hard way.

Here is one on many first attempts at trying to build a filter system

Attempt # 21 ( just kidding )

Ok, this one was finally designed after several trips to different aquatic stores and farms
to see what they used.  Of course, it is a lot smaller version but it actually did the trick.

Again, this is a 3 chamber design using 3 Tupperwear 30 gallon storage containers, some
1 1/2" PVC and connectors.  The way this worked was on the far left, you see a piece of
PVC that covered the entire width of the first chamber.  There are 5 spouts that were
facing down at an angle.  This chamber is where the larger debris / waste would settle
before filling to the line where you see the 2 inter-connecting pieces of PVC  to chamber 2.
Chamber 2 was filled with "Shaved PVC" which can be bought at just about any aquatic
supplier. You could also use "BIO-Balls" or any other type of material.  What this chamber
did was to catch anything that might have passed the first chamber. It would filter the water
down and with gravity, the water level would rise inside the 2 tubes and flow into the final
chamber.  The last chamber I used filter material ( matting or sponge type ) to allow the
bacteria to grow.  bacteria GOOD!   and once it passed downward to thru the material,
it too would upflow through the final pipe and return to the pond.

So, there is no right way or wrong way to make and/or design a filtration system.
The end result is the only thing that counts!

Next we will venture into Aquatic Plants.

Continued on is: Aquatic Plants and Selecting KOI

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