Filtration of pond water is an extremely useful aid to make maintaining a pond easier.
Filtration
Introduction to Filtration
Filtration of pond water is an extremely useful aid to make maintaining a pond easier.
Pond filtration is broken down into three main types - Biological, mechanical and chemical.
Please be aware that the little sponge supplied with most pumps is not a true filter. It is there for the protection of the impellor of the pump and does not have the capacity to clean any large volume of water.
With this in mind, a true filter for a pond will normally sit externally from the pond with a pump driving water to it. The bigger the better, however this is not always fact as some brands are very big with very little material inside. So quality and common sense play vital roles in making the right choice for your particular needs.
Something else to bear in mind is when purchasing filtration the products generally have a recommendation for size/volume. This is a guide only as a 3000 litre pond with 5 small goldfish and plenty of plants will require a smaller filter than a 1500 litre pond with 30 goldfish with very few plants.
Talking through your needs with a specialist outlet is recommended and be prepared to spend a good hour looking over brands to find the ideal unit.
Lastly make sure it is easy to operate. A complicated system will make maintenance a chore and your water garden is supposed to be a pleasure, not a hassle.
Filtration in Ponds
Pond filtration is broken down into three main types - Biological, mechanical and chemical.
Please be aware that the little sponge supplied with most pumps is not a true filter. It is there for the protection of the impellor of the pump and does not have the capacity to clean any large volume of water.
With this in mind, a true filter for a pond will normally sit externally from the pond with a pump driving water to it. The bigger the better, however this is not always fact as some brands are very big with very little material inside. So quality and common sense play vital roles in making the right choice for your particular needs.
Something else to bear in mind is when purchasing filtration the products generally have a recommendation for size/volume. This is a guide only as a 3000 litre pond with 5 small goldfish and plenty of plants will require a smaller filter than a 1500 litre pond with 30 goldfish with very few plants.
Talking through your needs with a specialist outlet is recommended and be prepared to spend a good hour looking over brands to find the ideal unit.
Lastly make sure it is easy to operate. A complicated system will make maintenance a chore and your water garden is supposed to be a pleasure, not a hassle.
Biological Filtration (Gravity feed)
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Our 75,000 litre Display pond runs two Biological Filters. A Single Box and a Double Box Filter
The Super Pond CBF-350 (Single) Pond Filter System is a complete box filtration system designed to run pond water through a variety of Filter Media and fine and coarse foams to keep your pond looking crystal clear.
This system is suitable for pond with fish up to 6000 litres or Ornamental pond (NO fish) up to 12000 litres.
Filter OperationThe filtration system uses a variety of filter media distributed amongst the different compartments inside its filter bay, allowing you to filter high volumes of water.
This single bay filter system has two (2) Blue Coarse Filter Foams and two (2) Yellow Fine Filter Foams included.
DIMENSIONS IN mm 540mm x402 mm x400 mm
MAX FLOW-THROUGH Litres per hour 8000
INLET HOSE ADAPTER 3/4’(19mm)- 3/2’(38mm)
OUTLET 70mmSUITABLE FOR PONDS WITH FISH 6m³SUITABLE FOR DECORATIVE PONDS 12m³Suggested Clarifying UV - Super Pond CUV-224
For larger ponds the Super Pond CBF range has Double and Triple Box Biological filtration.
Biological Filtration is certainly the most important process for the overall health of the pond. Using naturally occurring bacteria you process fish waste and other organics into less toxic material that can be used by the pond plants.
Most pond filters have strange looking plastic balls or porous type gravel inside them. These products are there to provide as much useable surface area as possible to grow your helpful bacteria on.
A good quality biological filter material is something that requires limited space but has huge area for bacteria to grow on (sintered glass is a good example). It must also have good water flow over/through it as the bacteria require oxygen from the water as well as food to thrive.
It is very important for pond balance that you do not sterilise these materials as you will destroy many of your beneficial bacteria. It is easiest to rinse bio-materials gently in a bucket of water from the pond. Don’t use tap water as the chlorine will also harm. If unsure refer to the users guide for specific procedure
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UV Clarifying lights
UV Clarifying lights can be added to these box filters to kill floating algae in the water. For the Super Pond CBF range we recommend the
Super Pond CUV-224 or CUV-236
Mechanical - Pressure Filtration
This is a very easy process to understand as it simply means removing solid debris from the water much like the home vacuum cleans dirt and dust.
The most common material used is an open cell foam/sponge. These can be graded from coarse to fine so debris are caught in stages allowing filters to be serviced less frequently. (see picture)
Any product that acts as a catchment for solid material is classified as a mechanical filter. Some filters also contain brushes or other similar things.
Most of these materials are re-useable
As these systems require a power supply for the UV Clarifying light you will need to make sure you have access to a power.
We supply a range of Pressure filter systems including:
- Super Pond CPF-180, 250, 380 and 500 (these include a backwash option to clear the dirty water to garden)
- Jebao PF10 and the larger PF20
CPF Sponge system
PF 10-E and PF 20 system
Chemical Filtration
Chemical vs Eco-friendly Algae control
This way of filtering water commonly uses temporary products to provide a quick clean up or specific toxin removal.
Many specific products are available to the consumer like phosphate remover and ammonia remover for one off use if a problem occurs. It is important to remember that if you have a issue and require a chemical filter material this only provides a short term solution and steps must be taken to address the source of the problem. Like most things prevention is better than a cure.
We suggest the Eco-friendly option as an alternative, it may take a little longer to establish but your ecology will love you for it. See
for more information.
Electrical Suggestion:
We suggest the use of weather proof outdoor powerpoints be available close to your pond or water feature. This provides easy access for maintenance to your pumps or the ability to change lighting, filtration or garden electrical equipment.
Hard wiring any pump equipment causes access problems. When an electrician hard wires your pump or any electrical equipment it requires the plug to be removed - voiding the warranty. Hard wiring will also means additional costs for an electrician to return to remove wiring should your pump or outdoor electrial products need replacing - this can get expensive.
Talk to your electrician about the option of weather proof outdoor powerpoints as an easy option to garden electrial requirements.