DrDave said:The rope idea seems to be a great solution for a low cost, highly effective, media.
yea I am new to ponds but have used it for two seasons on my small pond and it works well the water stays crystal clear. Very cheap and there are no dead zones in the media. the first pond before I moved and re-did my pond was 24/7 out in the sun and still crystal clear. Just used benifictial bacteria put directly in filter to start it up.