Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
I am in the midst of making my own pond filter. I was going to use charcoal brickets from the barbeque. A friend advised me to be careful. Does anyone out there know if this is a good idea or not? If not, what are the possible substitutes?
Thanks for all your help. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
"ken" wrote in message s.com... I am in the midst of making my own pond filter. I was going to use charcoal brickets from the barbeque. A friend advised me to be careful. Does anyone out there know if this is a good idea or not? If not, what are the possible substitutes? Thanks for all your help. -- Charcoal briquets are just dust charcoal held together with some kind of glue - personaally I think they make food taste funny so I never use them & I certainly wouldn't put them in a pond filter - I would have thought they'd disintegrate. The easiest/cheapest thing to do is to get some of that black corrugated hose they sell for pond pipework - about 1/2 or 3/4" dia should do. Chop it up into pieces an inch or so long and stick them in the filter. All you are looking for is as much surface area for bacteria to grow on as possible but without making it so dense that the filter will clog. I've read of people using chopped up drinking straws - but I think it would be quite a loabour intensive thing to try & do! I. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
Hi Ken,
Here are some very good ideas for making a pond filter. It's well worth it to spend some time learning about how and why pond filters are built the way they are. It'll save you a lot of extra effort, wasted time and grief in the long run. http://www.mikebentley.com/ponds/homemadefilters.htm http://www.wavepumps.com/state_of_the_art_filters.htm http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm Hope this helps, Mark "Iain Miller" wrote in message ... "ken" wrote in message s.com... I am in the midst of making my own pond filter. I was going to use charcoal brickets from the barbeque. A friend advised me to be careful. Does anyone out there know if this is a good idea or not? If not, what are the possible substitutes? Thanks for all your help. -- Charcoal briquets are just dust charcoal held together with some kind of glue - personaally I think they make food taste funny so I never use them & I certainly wouldn't put them in a pond filter - I would have thought they'd disintegrate. The easiest/cheapest thing to do is to get some of that black corrugated hose they sell for pond pipework - about 1/2 or 3/4" dia should do. Chop it up into pieces an inch or so long and stick them in the filter. All you are looking for is as much surface area for bacteria to grow on as possible but without making it so dense that the filter will clog. I've read of people using chopped up drinking straws - but I think it would be quite a loabour intensive thing to try & do! I. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
On Fri, 01 Aug 2003 22:55:03 GMT, ken
wrote: I am in the midst of making my own pond filter. I was going to use charcoal brickets from the barbeque. A friend advised me to be careful. Does anyone out there know if this is a good idea or not? If not, what are the possible substitutes? Thanks for all your help. A biofilter is simply a place for bacteria to grow on a surface. A material that could be rinsed of algae and dead stuff would be more practical. There are filters with broken clay pots, bio balls, plastic pieces of a number of description that work well. Charcoal and things that absorb ammonia worry me because some of those things saturate and release the ammonia back into the pond under some conditions. Regards, Hal |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
"ken" wrote in message s.com... I am in the midst of making my own pond filter. I was going to use charcoal brickets from the barbeque. A friend advised me to be careful. Does anyone out there know if this is a good idea or not? If not, what are the possible substitutes? Thanks for all your help. I am going to attempt to start a new elist trend here on rec.ponds and suggest you abandon the SILLY idea of a bio-mechanical filter, and build a VF. VF'ers rule. The yahoo's on this group with bio-mechanical filters are just sadist that like doing too much work. BV. tee hee...that should ruffle some feather...seemed like a fun troll...ooh...I am trolling rec.ponds. So much fun? *laugh* You guys know I am kidding. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
BV,
Your VF is a combination bio-mechanical and veggie filter. The roots on the plants act as strainers for the mechanical filtration, and they also act as surfaces, along with the liner, any submerged rocks, etc. as a place for the bacteria of the biological filtration. Then they also remove the nutrients created by the bio filter. A nice large filter needs little cleaning, but you do have plans to vacuum out the veggie filter once or twice a year, don't you? It is a matter of size. -- RichToyBox http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html "BenignVanilla" wrote in message ... "ken" wrote in message s.com... I am in the midst of making my own pond filter. I was going to use charcoal brickets from the barbeque. A friend advised me to be careful. Does anyone out there know if this is a good idea or not? If not, what are the possible substitutes? Thanks for all your help. I am going to attempt to start a new elist trend here on rec.ponds and suggest you abandon the SILLY idea of a bio-mechanical filter, and build a VF. VF'ers rule. The yahoo's on this group with bio-mechanical filters are just sadist that like doing too much work. BV. tee hee...that should ruffle some feather...seemed like a fun troll...ooh...I am trolling rec.ponds. So much fun? *laugh* You guys know I am kidding. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
BenignVanilla wrote: "ken" wrote in message s.com... I am in the midst of making my own pond filter. I was going to use charcoal brickets from the barbeque. A friend advised me to be careful. Does anyone out there know if this is a good idea or not? If not, what are the possible substitutes? Thanks for all your help. I am going to attempt to start a new elist trend here on rec.ponds and suggest you abandon the SILLY idea of a bio-mechanical filter, and build a VF. VF'ers rule. The yahoo's on this group with bio-mechanical filters are just sadist that like doing too much work. BV. tee hee...that should ruffle some feather...seemed like a fun troll...ooh...I am trolling rec.ponds. So much fun? *laugh* You guys know I am kidding. -- ok now we need another terminology thingy----- a bog without dirt and with plants in pots is a veggie filter ,,, we did that one a bog with mostly dirt is still a bog we left that alone bio mechanical filters self explanatory so now what do we call a container with filter media and plants ???? John Rutz Z5 New Mexico never miss a good oportunity to shut up see my pond at: http://www.fuerjefe.com |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
If we want to get really technical a bog is a body of water through which no
water moves. The frog bog is a bog. And when Heidi goes tromping through it and gets covered in bog mud --- oh-my-gawd, the smell is out of this world. The mud and mulm that is caught in the mech/bio/veggie filter for the pond smells river sweet when we clean it. k30a and the watergardening labradors http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...ors/index.html |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
Iain Miller wrote: ... I've read of people using chopped up drinking straws - but I think it would be quite a loabour intensive thing to try & do! I bought 25,000 straws for $35 and didn't chop them up. I alligned them so the water went through them. It's working great now. I can now see everyting in my pond whereas I used to only see down a few inches. But it did take time and I'm still figuring out what I need to do. I added bacteria starter but also added quite a bit of potash, epsom salts, and iron. So I'm not sure what the deal is but I'm enjoying the clear water. I tried a veggie filter before this and I just wasted a bunch of money on plants that died. I'm not saying veggie filters don't work but I think it's more complicated than what people say. Matt |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
"MattR" wrote in message
... snip I tried a veggie filter before this and I just wasted a bunch of money on plants that died. I'm not saying veggie filters don't work but I think it's more complicated than what people say. snip I am interested to hear more about this, as my VF is my only filtration. BV. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
"RichToyBox" wrote in message news:qmhXa.41805$cF.15683@rwcrnsc53... BV, Your VF is a combination bio-mechanical and veggie filter. The roots on the plants act as strainers for the mechanical filtration, and they also act as surfaces, along with the liner, any submerged rocks, etc. as a place for the bacteria of the biological filtration. Then they also remove the nutrients created by the bio filter. A nice large filter needs little cleaning, but you do have plans to vacuum out the veggie filter once or twice a year, don't you? It is a matter of size. snip Shhh...Don't ruin my fun. BV. |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
BenignVanilla wrote: I tried a veggie filter before this and I just wasted a bunch of money I am interested to hear more about this, as my VF is my only filtration. Long story short: I built a 1300 gallon pond with 2 small koi and 4 shibunkin late one year. Pea green soup. Year 2: VF sounds good so I added a 10' long stream full of lava rock and pea gravel with the intent of filling it with plants. It plugged up in less than a month. Tore it all out. Bought 15-20 iris, a few taro, and some other cool looking plants on line, a bunch of mesh pots, lots of hyacinth, put the whole thing in the pond. Yellow hyacinth, yellow iris, one taro going crazy. *Green* water. If people say you need to dip hyacinth in fertilizer tank when they turn yellow how can they possibly be filtering the pond? Check water, add iron and potash and epsom salts. Remember, 2 small koi and 4 shibunkin in 1300 gallons. Sad plants, sad hyacinth, green water. Shibunkin have babies. Lots of babies. Good news is fish couldn't care less about green water. Year 3: Added big air pump to circulate water like you wouldn't believe (fun watching fish swim up stream!). No change. Add lots of surface area in pond. Fish happy, water green, sick plants. 40-50 small shibunkin. Went camping. Considered ripping out the whole thing except the water fall sounded nice. Year 4: Shibunkin getting mid size. Pulled air pump. Decide I need a lot of surface area so I get 110 lbs of beany baby beads real cheap, along with a stock tank. Beads clog with green slime in 2 weeks. Will be selling lots of beads soon on ebay. Buy 25000 drinking straws cheap and add 16 sq ft of quilt batting for a prefilter that I rinse out every other week. That was May. Now, water so clear I can see fish shadows on the bottom of the pond. The plants are growing this year, although not as much as I'd like. And guess what? More babies. So, biological filters do a lot more than remove ammonia. Full sun will not cause algae. Plants need more than fish waste, epsom salts, and potash to grow. Clear ponds need lots of nutrients in them if the plants are to grow. Lots of filter designs on the net will plug. I don't know what biological filters do and I don't know what pond plants need. I suspect the filters have a byproduct that kills the algae and from there added nutrients go to the plants, but I'm not sure. Pond plants (or a VF) might *require* a large fish load or added fertilizer. People may tell you what works for them but it might not work for you because, I suspect, people don't know what's going on in their own ponds. However, pond store people know less so I'd stick with rec.ponds, and add a grain of salt. Matt |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
MattR I don't know what biological filters do They turn fish waste into fertilizer for the plants *and* for the algae. Our problem, we ornamental garden ponders, is that we usually get carried away. More plants, more fish, more feeding the darling fish, more fertilizing for more blooms. More, more, more!! I think the pond rarely has time to catch up before we add or substract something new. :-) k30a and the watergardening labradors http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...ors/index.html |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
there is nothing complicated at all.. just get plants that will live in the filter.
they do need quite a bit of sun, but for a start water celery will grow anywhere. I was advised to use different plants as they each pull out different things. http://users.megapathdsl.net/~solo/ponds/8-2003.html there is one roll of filtering material in the first part of the veggie filter, it and the whole filter gets cleaned in fall when I take most of the plants in. the water celery is not taken in. I start a new bunch each year. it grows like crazy. it is the big green batch in the lower right picture. Ingrid I tried a veggie filter before this and I just wasted a bunch of money on plants that died. I'm not saying veggie filters don't work but I think it's more complicated than what people say. Matt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List http://puregold.aquaria.net/ www.drsolo.com Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
pond filter
Ingrid,
I think this is the first time I've ever seen your pond, and I really like the set-up -- not to mention the totally cool hanging fish (copper? terracotta?) Is that a walkway between the pond & the house? (I couldn't quite tell from the pix.) Anne Lurie Raleigh, NC wrote in message ... there is nothing complicated at all.. just get plants that will live in the filter. they do need quite a bit of sun, but for a start water celery will grow anywhere. I was advised to use different plants as they each pull out different things. http://users.megapathdsl.net/~solo/ponds/8-2003.html there is one roll of filtering material in the first part of the veggie filter, it and the whole filter gets cleaned in fall when I take most of the plants in. the water celery is not taken in. I start a new bunch each year. it grows like crazy. it is the big green batch in the lower right picture. Ingrid I tried a veggie filter before this and I just wasted a bunch of money on plants that died. I'm not saying veggie filters don't work but I think it's more complicated than what people say. Matt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List http://puregold.aquaria.net/ www.drsolo.com Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make. |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Anyone use tulle as a filter medium in a 'Skippy's Type" filter? | Ponds | |||
To filter or not to filter | Freshwater Aquaria Plants | |||
need find cheap (or free) good filter medium for my 436 Gallon filter | Ponds | |||
Filter Pads For Trickle Filter | Freshwater Aquaria Plants | |||
Filter Pads For Trickle Filter | Freshwater Aquaria Plants |