morewater
President, Raccoon Haters International
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2014
- Messages
- 1,344
- Reaction score
- 1,673
- Location
- Southern Ontario
- Showcase(s):
- 1
- Hardiness Zone
- 5b
- Country
[QUOTE
@morewater My Skippy is an up-flow. I can attest to the fact that, despite use of filter pads, the crud does flow up with the water and back out into the water column! In order to keep the crud from rising, I have to dial back on the water flow which makes for a more gentle flow......[/QUOTE]
I have used, on many occasions and on many ponds, 2 successive meshes of Matala filters (green over black most often, blue over green over black for overkill), snugly fitted to the inner barrel surface to reduce a significant amount of the "crud" delivered via the submersible pumps.
The vast majority of the crud is deposited beneath the pads.
It is nearly impossible to remove 100% of the "crud" via a filtration system, however the cumulative effect of continuous operation does in fact remove the vast majority of the "crud" delivered via the pumps.
Using the "bottom-up" method, coupled with a vortex-like motion (created by opposing angles on the tee), this system is very, very effective and requires minimal maintenance. A forty gallon drum set-up requires at the very most, 2 "cleanings" per season (once mid pond season, once again for winter shut down). The two or three pads are simply pulled out mid-season, rinsed with a hose and put back into the barrel. It's such a simple process that it can be done weekly, monthly, whatever floats your boat.
The fragrant, pleasant smelling and aromatic sludge removed from the bottom of the barrels (via shop-vac) is deposited around the various plants in the surrounding garden. This, and tooth extraction with no anaesthetic, are two of my most cherished activities.
As an aside,
High-quality Matala filters are extremely durable and will not deteriorate over time as they are constructed with extruded plastic rather than a woven "fabric". Matala filters (regardless of manufacturer) are superior to the filters than are included with new waterfall filters and other pond products. I replace the supplied filters with Matala-type filters for each and every equipment purchase. The product that is included with the bought equipment simply doesn't last and is of inferior quality.
@morewater My Skippy is an up-flow. I can attest to the fact that, despite use of filter pads, the crud does flow up with the water and back out into the water column! In order to keep the crud from rising, I have to dial back on the water flow which makes for a more gentle flow......[/QUOTE]
I have used, on many occasions and on many ponds, 2 successive meshes of Matala filters (green over black most often, blue over green over black for overkill), snugly fitted to the inner barrel surface to reduce a significant amount of the "crud" delivered via the submersible pumps.
The vast majority of the crud is deposited beneath the pads.
It is nearly impossible to remove 100% of the "crud" via a filtration system, however the cumulative effect of continuous operation does in fact remove the vast majority of the "crud" delivered via the pumps.
Using the "bottom-up" method, coupled with a vortex-like motion (created by opposing angles on the tee), this system is very, very effective and requires minimal maintenance. A forty gallon drum set-up requires at the very most, 2 "cleanings" per season (once mid pond season, once again for winter shut down). The two or three pads are simply pulled out mid-season, rinsed with a hose and put back into the barrel. It's such a simple process that it can be done weekly, monthly, whatever floats your boat.
The fragrant, pleasant smelling and aromatic sludge removed from the bottom of the barrels (via shop-vac) is deposited around the various plants in the surrounding garden. This, and tooth extraction with no anaesthetic, are two of my most cherished activities.
As an aside,
High-quality Matala filters are extremely durable and will not deteriorate over time as they are constructed with extruded plastic rather than a woven "fabric". Matala filters (regardless of manufacturer) are superior to the filters than are included with new waterfall filters and other pond products. I replace the supplied filters with Matala-type filters for each and every equipment purchase. The product that is included with the bought equipment simply doesn't last and is of inferior quality.
Attachments
Last edited:
