Filter media

[jason081180]

Great filter. I would use everything except the rocks. Too hard to keep clean. Use 1/2" poly strapping instead. You can buy it on Ebay.

As koikeepr said there just to hard to keep clean. the little pores of the lava rocks do give a lot a surface area for bacteria. but they clog with poop and other stuff way to fast. that's why if you are going to use them, use them after you have gotten all the mechanical filtering done and even then its a bad idea. they do have a lot of surface area for bacteria but other things have soooo much more.

I really hope I've been helpful and anyone can correct me here. That's what is so great about these forms you get to hear and learn from others with years of experience

 

[Big Frank]

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ...n+&+diy+>+garden+decorations+>+water+features

I got a Pressurized UV and Bio filter left over from my last pond (link above) do you think i should put in line before the multi bay filter

 

[jason081180]

i would say it couldn't hurt. it will however slow the flow of your pump. some say from 25-40% that's why i got away from using them but if your pump is powerful enough then go for it. the pressure filter will take care of the mechanical part and the UV with some Bio filtering. if you go with this i would fill the first three of parts of the multi bay filter with strapping like koikeepr said and the last with pillow stuffing for the fines filter. this would work much better, i think.

 

[Otter]

Do you have a mechanical prefilter before this? If not, I'd use the first chamber for mechanical filtration. If you don't separate mechanical and biological filtration and go course>medium>fine>finest all the way through, you'll have to clean all four chambers regularly.

The idea is to trap all large solids in the first chamber. If your prefilter is much finer than anything that comes after, most of what gets past will wash all the way through the bio media. Hence, you won't have to clean 3/4 of the filter very often. This will be easier on both you and bacteria colonies in the filter.

You might build a frame for fiberglass window screen and put something fine and washable after that. You could use a very fine filter pad, but if you're trying to keep costs down, try several layers of polyester quilt batting. Get two sets so that you can throw one in the washer.

1) screen/brushes/quilt batting
2-4) Order doesn't matter. Just load up whatever is cheap and has lots of surface area.