Choosing a Filter - Step by Step Pond Building Instructions - Pond Doc's Pond Construction Education Center

Choose the Filter for Your Pond

Yes, you need a filter - I don't care what anyone says! It's not an optional component -- even if you are building a water garden. Read the Pond Doc's Blog Entry on the subject.

Now that that's out of the way, lets look at the different types of pond filters are out on the market and what type filter is best for your pond.

Let's talk about what kinds of filters NOT to buy. #1 - A submersible filter. #2 - A "bio-falls" or filter in the waterfall. Neither do a good job and neither provides adequate biological or mechanical filtration. They are a waste of money. Use them only as pre-filters or not at all.

Ponds less than 1000 gallons have more of a selection from which to choose. You can use a small gravity-fed pad (or other media) system, a closed filter such as a SuperPro™ (for ponds over 500 gallons), a bead filter like the ProBead™ (for ponds over 500 gallons) or a BioForce closed filter. The SuperPro and ProBead bead filter are more expensive but offer hands-free operation. They require the least amount of work than any other type of pond filter. If low-maintenance is your biggest concern and your pond is over 500 gallons, spend the extra money and enjoy the backwash abilities. If you want to save a little money and are willing to spend more time each week cleaning the pond filter you can opt for a BioForce 2000. The manufacturer says the 2000 will work on ponds up to 2000 gallons. That's not true. It would require constant attention if you installed a BioForce 2000 on a pond over 1000 gallons -- a fine example of manufacturers over-rating the effectiveness of their equipment.

If your pond is less than 500 gallons, I would suggest the BioForce 1000. It offers good biological and mechanical filtration at an affordable price -- but it will require weekly maintenance. A bead filter or the SuperPro would be overkill for the pond and expensive for that sized pond. I wouldn't mess with a gravity-fed pad filter. They are cumbersome to install and the BioForce 1000 is affordable enough not to have to go through the installation and maintenance involved with the filter pads.

Any pond over 1000 gallons either needs a bead filter or a large vortex settlement chamber system or a very large gravity-fed filter pad system. Anything less will simply not do an adequate job of filtering out particles and housing good bacteria. The filter pads are probably the cheapest but they are harder to install and require a lot of maintenance - a LOT of maintenance. A vortex system is probably the most expensive and isn't as hard to clean as the filter pads but still requires quite a bit of maintenance. Plus it's a nightmare for an inexperienced pond hobbyist to install.

That leaves us with a bead filter. If you've cruised our website, you know we love them! The ProBead is our choice, of course, because the Pond Doc designed them to do the best job of any bead filter out on the market. We have realistically sized them so that you won't purchase a filter that is not big enough to do the job! There is a model ProBead available for all sizes of ponds up to 8500 gallons.

If your pond is larger than 8500 gallons it makes extremely good sense to place two "systems" on your pond. The reason we say this is because enough water to effectively filter and aerate the pond cannot physically travel through one set of plumbing lines and pump. It would be advisable to have two pumps running through two different filters. For example, if your pond is 10,000 gallons you might have two systems, each sized for 5000 gallons. Having two systems on your pond gives you the added benefit of a back-up system. If one pump goes down you haven't lost your total filtering and aeration.

There are two different sized valves available on most of the ProBead models. Smaller ponds usually have 1 1/2" plumbing and, if your plumbing is 1 1/2" you should opt for the 1 1/2" 6-way valve upgrade. If you have 2" or larger plumbing, go for the 2" High Flow Valve. On most models the 2" High Flow Valve Option costs no more than the 1 1/2".

Most ProBead models are available with a Bead Agitator / Blower option. Because of the Anti-Clogging Multi-Bead Feature of the ProBead the blower is not required on most models to get a thorough back-washing from the bead filter. It is, however, a very wonderful option for saving water -- something we can no longer do without in our drought-ridden North Georgia mountains! If you can afford the option - do it! The ProBead 360 comes standard with the Bead Agitator.

For 500 to 1300 gallons, we recommend the ProBead .65. If you are borderline - meaning your pond is about 1200 to 1300 gallons - and you are planning to build a koi pond - you should go up to the next model.

For 1200 to 2500 gallons, we recommend the ProBead 120. Again, if you are over 2000 gallons and you are building a true koi pond - go up to the next filter size.

For 2000 to 4500 gallons, we recommend the ProBead 180. If you are building a true koi pond and have over 2500 gallons, go up to the next filter size.

For 2400 to 5500 gallons, we recommend the ProBead 250. If your pond is borderline at 5000 gallons and you are building a koi pond, you might want to go up to the biggest size.

For ponds up to 8500 gallons, we recommend the ProBead 360.

Order Everything You Need for Your Filter

When placing the order or purchasing your filter remember to order any connectors, unions or valves you might need with your filter in order to install it onto your system.

Connectors or Adaptors: You will need to connect the filter to your plumbing so make sure to order the right connectors for the filter you choose. Flex hose will need flex hose adaptors. PVC flex and PVC piping will use regular PVC fittings. We especially like to use unions (aka Quick Disconnects) when installing the filter so that we can disconnect it easily from the system for repairs and cleaning. If you have decided on either a ProBead or SuperPro they already come with the PVC Unions but flex connectors can be substituted in many cases and all for no extra charge - but - if you choose a different filter make sure that it either comes with the correct sized adaptors for your plumbing or that you order the correct adaptors. Here's where you can find adaptors and connectors on our website: http://www.ponddoc.com/Store/Hardware/Plumbing/Plumbing.htm.

Valves: There are basically two kinds of valves that may be necessary for the correct installation of a filter. The Ball Valve or Gate Valve controls flow to the filter when bypassing the filter is necessary (when you don't want the whole pressure of the pump going through the filter). A Check Valve installed between the pump and the filter becomes necessary if the filter is at a higher level than the pump to keep the water from flowing back into the pump when it is turned off or loses power. All valves fit onto PVC or Flex PVC. Separate adaptors are necessary to install them onto flex hose.

The Doc is always available to help you figure out all the fittings and valves needed for your project.

OUR PROJECT POND

Our project pond will be approximately 5500 gallons. We want the lowest-maintenance we can have in a pond filter and we want the best mechanical filtration available so we will go with a ProBead bead biological pond filter. Since our pond is designed to be a true koi pond we are opting to go up to the ProBead 360. The 360 comes standard with a blower (bead agitator) which we definitely want for its water-saving abilities. We will choose the 2" High Flow 6-Way Valve upgrade because we will be using 2" plumbing throughout most of our system.

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