Learn how to make your own natural and efficient biological pond filter. More at www.pondalgaesolutions.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Matt’s Pond, Part 2 in a series
Uv+ Bio Pond Filter, 8W 500 Gal 
Uv+bio pond filters provide uv clarification to destroy algae in addition to mechanical and biological filtration. Results in beau…
Tetra Pond Waterfall Filter, Ponds up to 1000 Gallons 
Tetra Pond Waterfall Filter quickly and easily creates beautiful waterfalls. The mesh bag allows for the addition of bio-media fo…
Danner Coarse Pond 1000 
Coarse poly single pack. Replacement pads for PM 100, PM 2000, 02212, 02213, 02215, and 02217….
Pond Filter Media 12″ Wide X 10′ Long By 1.5″ Thick 
Krew Kut’s Bonded Filter Media 12″ X 10′ x 1.5″ Bonded Filter Media Start clearing your water in hours Easy to clean, ju…
Tetra Pond Bio-Active Pressure Filter BP2500, Ponds up to 2500 Gallons Tetra Pond Bio-Active Pressure Filter BP2500 is designed for ponds up to 2500 gallons. Bio-Active Pressure Filters provide mechan…
Bio Pressurized Pond Filter, 3000 Gal This pond filter includes both gravity and pressurized versions. Easy to maintain, while providing powerful mechanical and biologi…
Pressurized Pond Filter, 500 UV Makes pond life even simpler now with the versatile range that offers the option of above or below ground installation. This is al…
Pressurized Pond Filter, 3000 UV 
Combined uv and biological filtration for crystal clear purified water. Easy to maintain, easy installation above or below ground….
Danner Filter Pm1000 Suitable for small to medium sized ponds. 12″ x 12″ filter box with locking handle for easy maintenance. Provides biological, che…
Tags: diy pond filter material, diy pressure pond filter, Filter, homemade pond biofilter material, Pond, pond filter diy, pressurized diy pond filter, skippy bio filters
very detailed info, thanks
@megnut411 – i used 10 full pads in mine – works great – it does take time to get up and running
@invasmani – you can buy floor buffing pads at homedepo or lowes (look in the rental area – they sell them for about 5-6 bucks a pad – I built this unit this spring and used about 10 pads, cut them up my self .
This pretty simple, and love to give this a try. But where do you buy the media (pads)? What kind? How much? On skippy, he said floor scrubbing pads, you say simple floor cleaning scratch pads. I tried searching online and closest thing comes up, cost more then $100. On skippy site, 3 bags for $75. Could anyone tell me, where they gets theirs and how much.
Really like this idea. Any clue as to how many of the floor cleaning pads a 150 gallon tank would take?
Really like this idea! Any idea how many of those floor cleaning pads a 150 gallon tub would take? I will have to order them since I live in a rural area. Thanks
I did something similar, I took two 55 gallon drums and set them up with a smaller grate and the same pipe, then I filled them with number 8 gravel, the gravel doesn’t fall down into the gunk trap at the bottom and I planted some bog plants in the top. Do you think this will work like the design you just showed. If not how can I fix it with an EXTREMELY limited budget. thanks
anybody lookin to make a cheap homemade weir for their skippy bio filter should check out my videos,im still in the process of getting them uploaded though.i looked all over the internet and you tube to find information on making a decent size weir to incorporate with my skippys filter with no results.I finally came up with my own solution, which was cheap and pretty easy.
@nightstalkerrc Thanks for the heads up! =) I actually might try it. Cause i have a pond which is around, 2,000 Gallons. Alllllll my bead filters i sold, i never knew people liked them so much! They were gone within a day and i sold them for like $1000.00 for the new ones and i sold the used one for $400.00 which my cousin was using.
with the flush valve..you just open the valve and the water rushing down and out of the filter will eliminate much of the fish waste and other organic matter from the system witout removing the live bacterial colony… if you build one of these you’ll find it performs extremely well, and with the addition of the flush valve its maintainence is minimum. i flush mine once a week.. takes less than a minute. this increases the filters efficiency by decreasing its work load.
@Arteolike the rubbermade stocktanks start at $70.00 for a 70 gal . you can get an off brand 110 gal for $60.00 . @ tractor supply company floor scrubber pads and scrubby pads perform well as media..i,m on over 2 years non stop use on my media, its never been cleaned,and it goes from my outdoor pond to my basement pond. you can easily build one of these for under $250.00 U.S. buty do yourself a favor and add a flush valve to the bottom with a 2″ shower drain,2″ pipe and 2″ ball valve
Ive allways found that if you wash out your filters with pond water it has no effect on the bacteria count, nice job on the filter.
No No, i understand, and everything you said is so true, for a smaller pond DIY is best, Hey i made a DIY filter for my fit small pond!?!
And for anyone wondering were i got the filter for such a cheap price, we had a pond store in our location closing, so i bought a filter for around 50% ($1,200.00) off, 3 weeks later i went to the store and really stocked up! I found they had three more left at 95% off ($114.79) I took them all, there still in the shed, in boxes!?!
I bought a lot more too,
@Arteolike ,
Don’t be sorry…as I said, everything is relative. For smaller ponds, and those with specific circumstances, diy isn’t a bad way to go. There are a lot of options to this thing and costs can be kept down pretty well. I prefer bead filters myself with backwash and pressurization, but they may not fit everybody’s budget or needs.
This particular design is completely reliable and simple to put together. But I’m not trying to sell the idea..just share the information.
…… And to match up to a 15,000 Gallon Advantage pressurized bead pond filter (According to you) You would need around 3 of your 150 Gallon filters, with will run around $800.00 And they don’t work as good as the bead filters …..
Sorry, felt like you should know. =)
No not really. Bead filters are reliable, Easy to clean, extremely effective, and easily hidden because they are pressurized and not gravity flow.
These filters are even more expensive than i first planned, it is around $150.00 – $300.00 for the tank and around $200.00 for good media, If you are going to add Malta® Mat (The Best Bet) It will be around $350.00 for the media!
And bead filters from advantage that are rated 15,000 (KOI)Gallons are around $1,200.00 (I have one)
apauln…around here we find them in some garden centers…we have one called Menards, that’s like Lowes or Home Depot so it might be worth checking at those two. Places that have products for livestock and horse people, may carry them as well.
Hi Arteolike…cost is relative. When compared to a bead filter these are pretty cheap. Many of those can run in the thousands of dollars…but basically do the same thing.
where do you get a rubbermaid “stock” tank???
@ChinaBlue1231 that white net is that light cover that goes over a drop ceiling system. you can get at home depot for about $2,(2’x4′). i think nothing goes underneath. it collects settlement(heavier waste).
great vid,thank you sir
Its’ a nice DIY! But it is expensive! around $200.00
there is NO METAL in this filter, the bottom rack is a plastic flourecent light defuser, you will find them with the ceiling tiles at LOWES or HOME DEPOT. the only metal you ever use with a pond is stainless steel. its a good idea to put another on top of the filter media also… the media is a mix of floor scrubber pads.. you can also use furnace filter pads (the plastic(vinyl)cut to fit ones and dollar store scrubbies.
correct me
between the ceiling rack and the bottom of the “z”pipe.
what goes in between those two when water is flowing down passing through the ceiling rack to the medium?
.i see it as..
the “z”pipes.then rocks and bolts covering the “z”pipes.then goes the ceiling rack.then comes the form medium.??is that right??
hi this is a vid i made in response to your video,
hope you can help me
youtube. com /watch?v=1zCNCP4Z7Zs
@letsbeefriendsok
Surprisingly, no, all my small hang out at the inlet side.
I like your pond the skimmer Was interesting do you get fish in the skimmer much. I think I would cover the filer area with a top but I must say that was fun to watch you have one with your pond all finished that I would like to see.
It would be great to have an experienced ponder like you on our site!
I like your pond videos and want to invite you to join a pond site to share your stuff!
Please join the new OldGardenPond,com group today! I learned a ton of stuff and it gave me the motivation to finish up my own pond. POST EVERY DOG-GONE POND PICTURE AND VIDEO YOU GOT! Sign the Guest Book and let us hear you on the message board. This site will be rocking, because you will make it happen!
i meant is there a way without electricity.
Thanks!
Watch the temperature, tropical fish can’t handle the extremes and won’t survive below 68 or so…
Ummm.. A pump?
Kewl pond dude!! Thumbs up! I’ve always wanted to make my own tropical fish pond.
dude, how do you get the water to come through the pipes anyway? mines wont work.
I did add plants right into the filter, check out my update video. I did it mainly to make the filters a bit more attractive. Just make sure they dont fill up with plants and run over!
Tou’ve asked the best Qs so far. I didn’t make the outlest of the filters quite low enough, so yes, a majority of the water runs right over the filter.
And I do have a pre skimmer filter but it needs work, it’s very difficult because if it clogs, then the pump runs dry. The problem is how to catch the junk but not the water!
won’t the water by-pass the boxes as the media gets dirty? Wouldn’t it have been simpler to put the filter boxes at the entrance to the skimmer/sump? I am designing a pond for our new house right now, how has this layout worked for you over the last year?
Question, I’m really new to this and my first project will be smaller in scale compared to yours. I wanna try this filter idea but I was wondering can you build a Bio bog and a filter into one system? Maybe by adding plant life to the filter? But ether way i’ll be trying this when I get home from Iraq.
small roofing nails (the kind with little plastic heads)
Getting close.
what did you attach the liner with
I’d like to see an updated video of how this project has evolved.
Looks awful.
I actually cleaned the filters a few weeks ago and made a few slight modifactions.
I hope to update with a new video soon.
I don’t plan on cleaning the filter much anymore, i expect it to be self sufficient and break down everything by itself. I only clened it because of all the dirt I’d knocked in last year building the pond!
This year it’s all biologically balanced, I don’t expect it to get dirty at all.
how long does it take for the water to go dirty and murkey after you clean it ?
How do you maintain a pond when its winter?? Do you take the fish out?? Wouldnt the water like be frozen?
Not yet, been a long winter and I hope to do a bit more with it when it warms up.
is there an update video? hope to see it retouched kinda rough good luck
it would work but its a little too small and you probably have to clean it out often mabe every 3-5 days or something depending how much fish you have, because they poop a lot during the summer.
I have one station of my sprinkler system that puts a bit of water in every day or so. It’s winter now, so the level doesn’t drop with the snow and cold.
With the pump being in the smaller body of water (behind the skimmer) have you noticed any problems when the level in the pond drops and prevents water from reaching the pump? If so, you could install an auto top up system to ensure that the water retains its level. Also, If you put in a slide valve on the lowest rigid pipe after the split you could regulate the flow precisely. Coming along well.