Crazy filtration Question

[KnH]

I am in the process of designing a pond 2 - 4k gallons
Bio-Filtration, why wouldn't this work, hanging black artificial grass on the inside walls, grass length 1.0 inch
So Bacteria would colonize each strand of grass, as the water passes by and through the blades of grass, Bio-filtration would happen.

Mechanical filtration would be some sort of cloth or metal screen sieve

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I am in the process of designing a pond 2 - 4k gallons
Bio-Filtration, why wouldn't this work, hanging black artificial grass on the inside walls, grass length 1.0 inch
So Bacteria would colonize each strand of grass, as the water passes by and through the blades of grass, Bio-filtration would happen.

Mechanical filtration would be some sort of cloth or metal screen sieve

Nature already supplies something similar. It is called Periphyton and works much better than any artificial sub-strate. Regardless, if you plan on having fish in this pond, odds are you will need to include some level of supplemental biofiltration.
Sieves are already used in many Koi ponds but these only target finer particles of debris and are not designed nor practical for removing larger debris, such as leaves.

 

[KnH]

Yes, fish are in the plan, My thought was that we provide outside filter media in different types containers. The whole biological filter process is about getting water to flow through the filter mmedia so that bacteria populate the surface area, the more the surface area, the more biological filtration is possible. The artificial grass has enormous amounts of surface area and using it to cover the sides of the pound you are using the whole pond as your filter media container.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Yes, fish are in the plan, My thought was that we provide outside filter media in different types containers. The whole biological filter process is about getting water to flow through the filter mmedia so that bacteria populate the surface area, the more the surface area, the more biological filtration is possible. The artificial grass has enormous amounts of surface area and using it to cover the sides of the pound you are using the whole pond as your filter media container.

My previous comment should not be read as a negative statement. Any additional substrate in a pond will, of course, increase the SSA (specific surface area). The main pond basin should always be treated as the prime biological filter and, in many cases, with a proper flow rate, will provide an adequate level of bioconversion for the resident fish load. Given the fact, however, that most ponds are either heavily stocked or overstocked, supplemental biofiltration is required.

 

[MitchM]

In interesting idea, but you may find that the artificial grass will tend to look messy and maybe unnatural around the water's edge.
Leaves and floating debris could accumulate in the strands.
I'd like to see some progress pictures if you go ahead with it. Good luck!

 

[Lisak1]

It is an interesting idea, but I had the same thought as @MitchM - what would it look like if it started to accumulate debris? Keep thinking outside the box - there's always new things to learn, right?

 

[Usman]

lets see how it goes , are you gonna hang ? or make border from it , its good idea in one way that it will have some sort of irregular surface for fishes to eat algae or small living org , as others said it may become brownish with dirt debris and loose its shape and colour , as far as for filtration it may work like filter brush more , for bio filter i think gravel or some thing which has smaller mass yet larger surface area will be more efficient , its looking like .... that but it may have lesser surface area then few kilo gravel , i have tried mosquito net its made from nylon and it can be placed on very small area yet will have allot surface area , u can squeeze several meters of net in small place , and it will have larger area then this grass . basically this grass is few meters of string straps cut in and weaved together

 

[DrCase]

The sieve was your best start for your filtration ... I like mine

 

[peter hillman]

It will depend on you actual bio load. My pond is over stocked, but also over filtered/aerated.
What's your plan for fish?

 

[budgenator]

With an external bio-filter you can add extra aeration where it's being consumed, with internal bio-filter both the fish and the bacteria are competing for oxygen.