Cheap pond filter media?

[theanimala]

I moved into a house about 7 years ago that had a small pond (around 400 gal I guess) surrounded by bamboo. Over the years the bamboo went wild and overgrew it's territory and slowly invaded the pond. Last year I had all of the bamboo dug out by hand (what a project) and a new pond put in that is probably around 1200 gallons. Still need to do the exact math. Anyway, I have a skimmer and a waterfall that splits into two smaller falls before it drops into the pond. I read somewhere last year about using dish washing scubs and sponges as biological filter media. I went to the dollar store and bought lots of scrubbies and sponges and placed them inside my skimmer and waterfall box. I also bought some cheap "pond" filtration media from ebay to catch the big debre in my pond. Along with that I did buy several hundred bio-balls from an ebay reseller which I have in the waterfall. Lastly, I am temporarily using my old Fishmate 1000UV filter to help as well until things are really solid.

So far it seems to be working pretty good. I have plenty of extra space in my skimmer and waterfall and was looking if there are any other cheaper recommendations I could use to help keep my pond moving in the right direction.. ?

 

[koiguy1969]

FIRST. I woild lose the sponge (if its really sponge)..irrigation tubing cut up , plastic curlers, plastic bottle caps, heck plastic army men...bacterias arent real picky about what they colonize. the more surface area you can provide the better.

 

[j.w]

theanimala

 

[Waterbug]

Pile of rocks in a trickle tower is pretty cheap. Also 10-30 times more efficient than fixed submerged media.

 

[j.w]

Interesting article I found on trickle towers. This guy uses bio balls all connected together to form the tower:
http://lukmannet.blo...gical-pond.html

Another idea: Building a Low Cost Trickle Tower step by step instructions A trickle tower is a way to add extra filtration to a pond when there is no way to add more filtration to the outside of the pond. It sits inside the pond and a pump is attached to the tower. You can make the towers as large or as tall as you like. If making taller, I do recommend a large rock in the bottom to keep the tower from blowing over in the pond during high wind.
To camouflage the tower, small plants can be tucked in the "holes" to cover the tower. Plants that would work are lemon bacopa, creeping Jenny, water mint watercress. There are others that would work too, so experiment.

Plastic fencing mesh to form the outer circle which is 18"w x 36"h. Use zip ties are used to hold the structure together. Both available in hardware or home improvement type stores.

PVC pipe and glue put together to fit
the top of the mesh cylinder tower.

Spray bar in place
Holes drilled in the spray bar

Egg crating is placed on the bottom. Egg crating is available in home improvement type stores in the lighting department. It is most commonly used in ceilings to cover fluorescent light fixtures. The the tower is filled with media that can be Spring Flow ribbon, bio balls, pot scrubbers (available at the Dollar stores), strapping tape or an assortment of other items where the bacteria can grow on the media.

Top of the trickle tower before spray bar is added

Finished Trickle Tower with spray bar in place.

 

[Waterbug]

That takes me back...same plastic mesh I used to make baskets in a vacuum years ago. I also used it instead of wire in making rocks that hung over the sides of ponds. Good stuff. Not sure how UV affects it...can't remember.

I wouldn't be afraid to even use regular wire, but pretty heavy. Can look good as it rusts and can give you several years of service. These are just so fast and easy to make replacing the wire every 4 or 5 years shouldn't be a big deal for most people.

IMO the spray bar on these isn't really worth the effort. For the cost of the fittings and labor you could make 5 additional towers. Same with the foam on top...it's going to clog. One of the original benefits to trickle towers was almost zero maintenance. A lot of hobbyists then "improved" them with spray bars and such claiming they were better but never did any measurements.

I like the basic design above, but keep it simple. Pipe up the middle and just fill with rocks. No fuss, no muss. It's not a big deal if the top 1" of rocks don't get a lot of water. Still 10-30 times better at converting ammonia than any fixed submerged media.

 

[j.w]

Makes it even easier w/o the spray bar and all the filler. Might give it a try sometime w/ just some rocks! Would lava rock be better or just smooth type or does it really matter? He also does not say what that white bottom circle is made out of.

 

[Waterbug]

I don't think it matters. Back in the day lava rock was popular because of the surface area but it just seemed to clog so the thinking seemed to be there was no point to lava rock. If higher surface area is needed it seems like the bio ball type stuff is preferred. For most water garden fish loads I'd think bio balls is more than needed, but ammonia level tells the story.

The bottom could be any plastic you have laying around. The directions say it egg crating from lights but that's expensive. You could just use the same mesh cut in circle and zip tied together. If you have a heat gun that plastic forms really well. Heat it and fold it over and let cool. Dipping it in boiling water might do it to.

However I like making a little form out of wood, put the PVC pipe through the form, set the mesh up right in the form over the pipe and pour in maybe 1" or 2" of concrete. Let cure for a day or two. Easy, strong and you get a very stable base. I don't think these need to drain vertically from the bottom, but if desired a few small diameter PVC nubs could be placed into the form for drainage.

 

[j.w]

Thanks WB makes sense to have it stable from the git go!

 

[HARO]

So how exactly does this differ from the TetraPond filters where water trickles over bio-balls and runs out the bottom??? I've heard these referred to as Wet/Dry filters, and heard them malinged on websites, but I've had mine for about 15 years, and it does a fantastic job keeping ammonia down. Seems to me it's the same thing, but in a solid sleeve instead of mesh.
John

 

[addy1]

So how exactly does this differ from the TetraPond filters where water trickles over bio-balls and runs out the bottom??? I've heard these referred to as Wet/Dry filters, and heard them malinged on websites, but I've had mine for about 15 years, and it does a fantastic job keeping ammonia down. Seems to me it's the same thing, but in a solid sleeve instead of mesh.
John

about the same, same as my stream, if I ran it all the time it is a trickle tower, water runs in at the top trickles down to the bottom past, rocks gravel, plants all filtering

 

[j.w]

WB mentioned using a strawberry pot and I found this on the net:

Strawberry Trickle Tower

Very clear water !

Trickle Towers​

Trickle towers do control nitrates and do work at keeping a pond clear of both pea green algae and string algae. String algae can still be a problem when water temps are below 60 degrees. Basic theory is that by trickling water over a large surface area that has contact with air, the nitrates will disapate at a much faster rate than through a submerged biofilter media.

I made my trickle tower with large strawberry planter. It is supported on a PVC pipd structure that I made. I am using a 1200 mag drive supreme pump.The pump is fed by an in-the-water skimmer unit.. The Strawberry planter is filled with lava rock. I rinse the lava rock off thoroughly to get rid of any red coloring. Also, I discard all the floaters. I am using a sprinkler fountain head to disperse water and to add oxygen. I also have a tee attached to pump pipes and have a venturi exiting to the side of the trickle tower.​

Smaller ponds with goldfish may be able to use a trickle tower as it's only biofilter.​

 

[taherrmann4]

neat idea

 

[Waterbug]

Back maybe 10 years ago strawberry pot trickle filters were the hot new thing.

The text unfortunately is mostly incorrect. Whenever someone has a filter that seems to work they like to give the filter all kinds of credit or make up stuff so it sound better.

Trickle towers have never been shown, as far as I know, to have any effect on string algae.

Trickle towers primarily provide high O2 levels to the bacteria which convert the ammonia and nitrite, they don't primarily "dissipate nitrates".

They may provide a home to bacteria which kills green water algae, just like a stream would. But this is really hit and miss and by no means should be considered a cure for green water. When someone adds anything, including garden gnomes, and a pond clears, they give all the credit to the last thing they did. Poor bacteria and string algae never gets any credit.

 

[j.w]

Waterbug you commented in this thread that you like the strawberry pots and thought that Trickle Towers were very good. Maybe I misunderstood: https://www.gardenpondforum.com/topic/8949-old-hand-at-aquariums-totally-new-at-ponds/

Old hand at aquariums, totally new at ponds

Apr 21 2012 06:16 AM

Your comment:
Streams are very good filters.Bogs are good, which you can search for on this site. "Trickle towers" are very good, 10 to 30 times better than most submerged media filters like you have now. Basically just a pile of rocks you pump water over. For example, something called a "strawberry pot", ceramic or clay, can be filled with stones/rocks and water pumped over it, would be way better than any filter you can buy for under $500. Strawberry pot, or strawberry planters can be found in most local garden stores and sell for $30-150 depending how big or fancy you want. Set the pot on a shelf or shallow area inside the pond but above the water line. You can add bricks or concrete blocks if needed to build a platform. Most people think they look pretty good. Actually any ceramic or clay pot that has a hole in the bottom can be used. Easy to put together.

Now it sounds like you don't like them.