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Types of Fish Pond Filters
If your pond has aquatic life like fish then it becomes extremely important for you to install pond filter systems. They are crucial for removal of biological and other solid wastes, disease causing bacteria, sludge and algae from your pond ensuring that your pond remains healthy and clear making it aesthetically beautiful.
Pond filters can serve a variety of functions, including:
- Protecting the pond pumps from getting clogged of debris
- Breaking down biological wastes like ammonia that can be dangerous to aquatic life
- Removing suspended particles from the pond water before they reach the ground
- Filtering out dissolved wastes from pond water
- Control algae growth by removing excess water nutrients
Fish pond filters come in a range of sizes and packages. You can go about buying various components separately and then assembling them or simply buying assembled filters.
A pond filter is made up of two basic components as follows:
1.) The Filter - Based on the various cleaning methodologies; there are four types of pond filters that can be installed - Mechanical Filers, Biological Filters and Chemical Filters and UV Filters. (These filtration types are discussed below in detail.)
2.) The Pump - Filters can generally be connected to pond pumps that do the job of sucking water in for treatment via the various filters installed. The treated water is then put back into the pond. Pond pumps also do the much important activity of introducing oxygen into the pond water.
Types of Pond Filters
Pond filters as discussed above can help you do four different types of filtration - mechanical filtration, chemical filtration, biological filtration and UV filtration. Depending upon your requirement you can go for different filters.
Mechanical Filters
Mechanical filters are an extremely important part of any filtration media. They help clarify the pond water of solid wastes like dry leaves, fish food, uneaten food, feces, plant debris etc. before they reach the pond bottom and thereby help keep the water free of decaying substances which can later produce harmful chemicals.
Mechanical filters come fitted with skimmers that have pre-filters for catching large floating debris; this is followed by a net which catches smaller debris and prevents it from entering the pump and other filtration media like biological and chemical filters. So basically a mechanical filter can be considered the first phase of a pond filtration system.
Biological Filters
Biological filters make use of beneficial bacterial to break down toxic wastes like ammonia and nitrate present in the pond water. All biological filters make use of nitrifying bacteria that help in the breaking up of harmful toxins like ammonia to nitrite and then nitrite to nitrate.
Biological filters can make use of different filtration media like gravel, hair rollers, sponge, mats etc. on which the beneficial bacteria from the pond can attach themselves and grow using oxygen. As a pond owner you can either allow the biological filters to mature naturally or make use of nitrifying bacteria available in the market to speed up the process.
Chemical Filters
Chemical filtration involves purifying the pond water of harmful chemicals by chemically binding them to the filter media. This method of filtration is extremely useful to remove chlorine, pesticides, heavy metals, ammonia and other chemical impurities from the pond water. Chemical filters can help improve the pond clarity and remove pond odor.
Chemical filters make use of activated carbon as a filtration media that helps absorb chemicals. The carbon used can be cleaned in salt water and reused again. It is important not to use salt water in your pond when using a chemical filter as it might release some of the ammonia.
You need not use a chemical filter if you are using a large biological filter, but to using both simultaneously is a way to ensure that the water is 100% free from harmful chemicals. Chemical filters can also be used to remove chemicals when the biological filter is maturing.
U.V. Filters
U.V. filters make use of ultraviolet radiation to kill harmful pathogens, fungi and algae cells UV filters are highly effective against suspended algae and can help in eliminating them from the pond by altering their DNA structure. In addition they are also effective again ICH and fungi that can cause diseases among the fish population. Although U.V. filters are not as effective against string algae, blue green algae and large parasite.
U.V. filters can be used along with a combination of biological filters to product better results.
As mentioned earlier, you can either go for a assembling the entire filtration system by a combination of the various filters given above or go about buying an assembled one.
Related Reads
Things to Consider while Buying a Pond Filter
Types of Fish Pond Filters
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