Water Gardening: Flirtations with Filtration, 1 by BogweedBuck

BogweedBuck wrote:
I've been noodling with homebrew filters since I was a really young guy ... sometimes because I'm cheap, other times because I was poor, and most times because I enjoy a so-called "disease" that plagues so many others: OCD. I'm sorry, but I fail to see the disorder part for me.

Anyhow ... the wife and I decided last year that it was time for me to get back into ponds/fish/water gardening/etc. and it was a koint Mother's Day/my birthday "gift." I've never worked so hard after the fact for a birthday gift ... ever. Well, most of you know how that goes. We opted to go the modest budget, "get yer feet wet" sort of project. Well before summer's end the plans for a new and improved backyard garden (replete with larger pond) was brewing in my head. Come Mother's Day this year my smooth talking (and perhaps a bit of masculine whining [there is such a thing, ya know?]) prevailed and a general building plan was "approved" by she who must be obeyed. Her last question (before the backhoe showed up) was: "Now what did you say about the pond that's there already?"

"We gotta rip 'er out, honey! It's in the way ..."

The look of fear on her face was understandable. Albeit a great deal on the smallish side, she loved it (and the fledgling fishy inhabitants) quite a bit. Anyhow, here's where we started. Not the best angle (makes it look a lot smaller than it actually is ... why do us guys even worry about such things? I dunno, but anyhow)

This pond was driven entirely by homemade filters, with the exception of the UV filter. The mechanical filtration was provided courtesy of a plastic box packed with unraveled "Lufa" sponges (that's actually a fantastic filter medium! Traps tons of gunk and does not clog up anywhere NEAR as fast as any sort of pads or other materials I've worked with). The water from that pump was pushed up through the UV and then to the tops of the twin "mini falls." The biological filter was hidden behind some grasses to the left of the picture (not in this pic). It was a 10 gal. bucket with lid and driven by a second pump. The bucket was filled with lava rock and topped with some lufa sponge material as well (top help cut down the amount of detritus trapped by the rocks. Final opinion on the set up: too much work!