Water Gardening: Home Made Pond Filter - cheap, 1 by ApopkaJohn

ApopkaJohn wrote:
To make the filter drill a 1/2 inch hole two inches up on the side of the bucket. drill 1/4 inch holes in the soap bottle. Screw the threaded tube one end inside the bottle, and screw the other end through the hole into the pump inlet. Attach the exit pipe to direct the water away from the filter bucket. Make sure the tube is tight going through the bucket so the water won't circumvent the filters. Cover the soap bottle in the bottom of the bucket with pea gravel. Cut several round pieces of carpet to fit the inside of the bucket and spread them like a layer cake with some more gravel in between and on top. Submerge the bucket with gravel in the water and plug in the power cord. The water will slow down when the carpet pieces get saturated with alge and silt. Unplug the power and pull out the bucket and upend the gravel into another paint bucket. Rinse the gravel and carpet pieces until clear and re-assemble. Beneficial bacteria and protozoa will attach to the gravel and carpet, so don't use any soap on the filter materials. I'm a city boy from the midwest, but I call this my hillbilly filter.