Pond filtration has two vital steps such as mechanical filtration and biological filtration. Mechanical filter helps to remove the solid particles, debris, leaf, fish wastes from the pond water. It prevents the biological filter from being clogged by heavy materials. On the other hand, a Biological filter removes the rest toxins from the water.
Sometimes, in many filtration processes, these two filters are used in the compound. If you want to have a large stock of fish on your pond you should use a pond filter to maintain the eco-system and water quality of the pond.
On the other hand, people who don’t intend to have fish on their pond and want to have a large stock of plants don’t need to use a pond filter. In this article, I will discuss how does pond filters work. So let’s get started.
Table of Contents
How does Mechanical Filter work?
Mechanical Filter physically eliminates the solid materials and dirt from the pond water. Fish wastes, leftover food, leaves, organic materials, etc. can be removed by this filter.
Many people use mechanical filters along with biological filters. It makes the biological filtration task easier. Most of the time media, screen, vortex, etc. are used for mechanical filtration. These things help to trap the solid materials from the water.
There is a settlement tank in the mechanical filter. In this tank, the water is slowed down and the solid particles fall into the ground of the tank. From their suspended materials can easily be removed. Many kinds of media are used to slow down the flow of the water. There are two types of mechanical filtration.
How Does Gravitational Filtration Work?
In this filtration process, a settlement chamber is used. It is situated at the top of the unit. It consists of one inlet and one outlet pipe. The flow of water in this chamber must be slowed down so that the solid materials settle at the bottom of the unit. This solid material is eliminated via a sludge drain.
There is another chamber named swirl chamber or vortex where water is forced to spin like a whirlpool effect. In this way, the solid materials drop at the bottom of the unit. A tap positioned at the bottom is used to remove the solid materials.
How Does Particle filtration Work
In this filtration process foam layers, brushed or polishing pads, etc. are used for removing particles. These tools help to trap the solid particles, and debris and let them drop down the surface.
How does Biological Filter work?
The biological filter works like a drain system for the pond. This filter creates a big surface on the pond. Here, millions of helpful bacteria begin to live. Fishes in the pond produce harmful toxins. These invisible toxins are broken down by these helpful bacteria.
Good bacteria break the physical wastes of fish such as excess food, fish feces, etc. The toxins decayed from the fish contain Ammonia which is broken down into Nitrite.
There is another kind of helpful bacteria that breaks down the harmful Nitrite into Nitrate. A huge amount of nitrate is absorbed by plants and the water became harmless for the fish.
The filter size is dependent on the size of the filter. Bigger ponds need a bigger biological filter. Before purchasing a filter for your pond, you must also be conscious of the fish stocking level and volume of your pond.
Helpful bacteria take almost six to seven weeks to start living in the filter. So during this period, you must take care of the water quality of your pond. A proper biological filter is teamed up with a pond skimmer. A pond skimmer is also called a mechanical filter. It is used to eliminate solid materials from the water. Then the water is received by the biological filter.
A mechanical filter is positioned on the opposite side of the pond, The water filtered by the mechanical filter is passed through a flexible pipe. This pipe is positioned near the base of the unit.
The biological filter should run all day long. The water should be passed through the filter every 1-2 hours. The correct flow of water must be ensured. Bacteria supplements can also be used to maintain the filtration process. Never use tap water to clean the filter. Use pond water to clean the filter.
How does Ultra Violate UV Sterilizers Work?
Technically UV sterilizer is not a pond filter. But it can be used as a good pond filter.
This sterilizer is specially designed for eliminating green water from the pond. This is the safest and easiest procedure for removing green water. It removes the free-floating organic particles such as debris, algae, viruses, and bacteria from the pond water.
In this filtration process, the water comes in touch with the UV rays. The ultraviolet ray breaks down the structure of the organic particles.
How Does Waterfall Filter Work?
One big advantage of this filter is appropriate for any size pond. The mechanical and biological filtration process is used in the compound in this filter. It has a multifunctional unit. The simple construction of this filter allows it to be easily incorporated into new or existing ponds by simply positioning it at the side of the pond.
Water is pumped through the bulkhead at the back of the chamber. After that, it enters the swirl chamber where it slows levels and directs water flows to maximize filtration. In the chamber, there is a filter support rack. It works as an ideal base for the filter. A filter mat also comes with a support rack. It works as a mechanical filter and removes all the solid particles and debris.
Above this mat, a biological filter is also used to do the final filtration task. After the filtration the water drop from the chamber as a waterfall. This filter can also be installed in the pond in such a way so that it looks like a natural waterfall. A waterfall filter can maintain the quality of water and make your pond look beautiful.
