Garden Pond Filtration | Water Garden Pond Filters & How To Clear Green Pond Water

Today I would like to talk about how garden pond filtration takes place using water garden pond filters (biological pond filters). I would also like to discuss pond algae algae control, in particular how to clear green pond water and if possible prevent it in the first instance.

If you are new to pond keeping you may ask yourself why is my pond water green? Green fish pond water is caused by microscopic algae that multiply at tremendous rates, especially in summer. This is addressed further down the email...

You can get in depth answers of these and more in the "Complete Pond Solver" book now on special offer at 60% off or alternatively sign up to my free weekly newsletter series...

How do I prevent most bacterial diseases in my pond?

You need an effective fish pond filtration system. Excellent biofiltration and feeding high quality food will generally result in few problems with bacterial diseases. In simple terms you need to install a reliable biological pond filter.

In the UK and other countries Aeromonas and Pseudomonas bacteria cause ulcer and dropsy diseases. Once the disease is established it is very difficult to eradicate and whole collections of expensive koi can be wiped out.
There is one method of prevention and this is by using Viresco a revolutionary natural treatment. This specialized Viresco product can be offered to a casual gardener with pond who will have great success. Viresco is sold in small quantities (5 gm to 25 gm packets) so can be delivered worldwide at the same price.

Keep your biofilter working if you have to switch off your waterfall pump at night

If you cannot run your waterfall pump at night - for example it may make too much noise - then install a second very small pump that just runs overnight & that will keep water flowing through the filter.
Effective garden pond filtration requires the pond filter to run continuously. The bacteria in a biofilter die if they are starved of oxygen for more than 5 hours which occurs when the pump is switched off overnight. Once dead the bacteria take between 4 and 6 weeks to become viable again. By installing a low cost efficient pump the filter is kept alive and the flow of water can be diverted direct to the pond without making a noise.

water remains dirty even when a biofilter is installed

There are a number of possible reasons for this but the most important is that the mechanical section of the filter is not doing a good job. You need to check if water is able to by-pass the mechanical section - for example are there gaps around the sponges or are there holes in the sponges.
If the mechanical section is in perfect condition then algae could be the cause. Algae is not always green and it is so small as to be able to pass through sponges.

Biological Pond Filtration ... Improve your biological pond filter performance by 50 times

Replace your present biological fish filter material (plastic balls, tubes, and other devices) with Fishmate Supra Biological Fish Filter Material... low cost & extremely effective.
Fishmate Supra is a very porous inert ceramic filter medium. It is produced in England especially for water purification. It is unmatched for effectiveness and value for money.
One litre of Supra is sufficient for a biofilter handling 1,500 litres of pond water. Each piece of Supra is full of tiny holes. 1 litre has a surface area of between 40 and 100 square metres for the bacteria to grow on depending on particle size. Compare this with plastic bio media which have a maximum of 1 square meter per litre.

biological pond filter boxes how do they work?

In a swimming pool the sand filter does the job of removing solids and particles that remain suspended in the water. This is filtration namely the removal of solids from liquids. However the filter does not purify or clean the water. This job is done by the use of HTH. In this way it is safe to swim in the water because all the harmful bacteria are killed by the chlorine.
Food is eaten by the fish, is partly digested and partly expressed as a waste product by the fish. The fish needs to urinate and this passes into the water also. Toxic chemicals build up. The biofilter purifies these chemicals. Without the biofilter the fish would poison themselves to death. The secondary purpose of water garden pond filters is to remove solids to allow clear water to be obtained. Its first job however is to purify the water. Effective backyard pond filtration in 99% of cases isn't going to be achieved unless a pond bio filter is used.

Garden Pond Water Filters - How long Before They start to work?

When a new pond is built it will typically take 4 to 6 weeks before the biofilter is working effectively. Therefore during this period introduce new fish slowly.
A continuous supply of oxygen is required to enable the bacteria in the filter to live. This is why a pump must work 24 hours per day since the water is the source of oxygen for the bacteria and without the oxygen the bacteria die quickly and certainly within 8 hours. Once dead the colony takes 4 to 6 weeks to build up again.

why is my pond water green? how to clear green pond water

Green pond water is caused by millions of microscopic planktonic algae. This type of algae is particularly prevalent during sunny summer weather when the days are long and there is an abundance of sunlight. After all these algae cells are a miniature form of plant life.

The number one reason why pond keepers decide to fill in their pond and give up on pond keeping is because they struggle to control pond algae. This need not be the case. The best on going and simple solution is to install a UV clarifier, sometimes known as a UV sterilizer.

Install an Ultra Violet Clarifier of the correct wattage for your size of pond. 8 watts is normally big enough for a pond up to 5,000 litres (1320 US gal or 1099 UK gallon).
Green Fish Pond Water happens because the algae which feeds on nutrients in the water provide it with food. This together with bright sunlight can happen very suddenly. Because algae is very small (4 microns) it is almost impossible for a normal filter to remove it. When green fish pond water containing algae is passed through an Ultra Violet clarifier the algae are killed and they clump together making it possible for them to be taken out in a good biofilter.

Ultra Violet Clarification ... The green pond water cure

Ultra violet clarifiers (UV for short) have been one of the best inventions ever for the pond keeper looking for an answer as to how to clear up green water in a garden pond, but surprisingly only a very small percentage of pond keepers know of their existence.
One very important maintenance point has to be made. The UV lamp inside the quartz tube has to be replaced after about 8,000 hours use which is every year in practice. This is a must because the lamp is useless after this period. So if your pond starts to go green and you want to know how to get rid of green pond water then it is probably time to replace the lamp in your UV unit.

Click here to Review The Water Garden Pond Filters on this site ...