Looking for a small Bio Filter

[cauzeneffeckt]

Make one from a 5 gal bucket so much cheaper and as spaceeficient as it's going yo get

 

[Sweet Lew]

5 gal might work...Need to recheck the space to see if that will fit (my pond pics are in this thread). Looks like I could put a 5 gal bucket right behind the falls, but it will be sticking out like a sore thumb. Might just have to go the function over form way. I got a lead on a new pressure filter on Craigslist. I may not be able to get the filter higher than the falls, so I may need to go the pressure route.

 

[cauzeneffeckt]

you can dig the 5 gal bucket half way, feed the bucket with a pipe from the top that leads it to the bottom of the bucket, water rises up, make a whole on the side of the bucket up top and have it go into your waterfall pool, done deal.... that will prob cost you 20 bucks if you buy the matts and some cheap bio stuff... plus would help if you took off the rocks in the pool and added extra real bio material there... thats all you would need honestly... and cheap

just think of those big 55 gal bio filters people do here shrunk down to a 5 gal, just alot simpler...

 

[Sweet Lew]

Yeah...No place to dig. The pond butts up against the garage (don't ask, I didn't build it. It came with the house). Maybe I'll remove the stones and put the bucket in there. Or do what was originally proposed. Remove the stones, add a grate, then media\then a grate, them some water hyacinth. Technically, that would be a bio filter in itself! I'm gonna try to get one of these ideas completed this weekend.

 

[koikeepr]

can you put it in the garage and put a hole through the wall? You wouldn't be the first to try that...

 

[Sweet Lew]

Well, that is a possible option....A last resort option...But an option.

On a side note, the local pet\pond shop got their shipment of floating plants in. Picked up six small water hyacinth plants. Put one in the upper pool and 5 below. Hopefully, they will help a bit once they start multiplying before I get moving on the filter.

 

[Sweet Lew]

Well, I contacted Skippy's and I think I am going with their mini-me filter design:

One question, do I need to put a lid on the bucket or leave it open?

 

[koiguy1969]

leave it open, but, put a top grate on the media. so the media stays inside and doesnt fall out or block the outlet... if it were me i would also quarter those media and put as many as i could fit ...up to the outlet with a top grid. those tub are shallower than the regular stocktanks, and the larger spaces between media will allow more free channeling of water and debris out of the filter &back to the pond.

 

[gambitmac]

Well, I contacted Skippy's and I think I am going with their mini-me filter design:

One question, do I need to put a lid on the bucket or leave it open?

I belive our pond are around the same gallons.

Look at gallery.lowbrass.com at my picture of my old pond with a pressure filter, it ran for 2 years, and I could never see my koi, a total loss of money, time, and koi, I got a 5g bucket, and built a bio-filter, it works. I have a new pond with my 5g bio-filter, and it's crystal clear. You can see my build on the above site as well.

Let me/us know how you filter works.

 

[cauzeneffeckt]

glad you went this route, as gambit said that pressure filter route for the small pond isnt the best and as inexpensive as this