DIY Filter

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I am really considering building my own filtration system. I’m currently cleaning all of my filters every two days because there is so much gunk in my pond. I have yet to see crystal clear water all summer. Anyways my question is has anyone used anything besides a 55 gallon barrel for filtration? How do you camouflage it? I’m trying to keep my water garden as natural looking as possible and I don’t want a bright blue barrel next to my pond. I’d like something a little prettier.
 
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Do you have anywhere you could hide it a distance away from the pond? Behind a shed or garage for example? Then you could run the lines to and from and bury them. Or build a screen to hide the barrel.

Your post begs the question - why so much gunk?
 
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Do you have anywhere you could hide it a distance away from the pond? Behind a shed or garage for example? Then you could run the lines to and from and bury them. Or build a screen to hide the barrel.

Your post begs the question - why so much gunk?

I think my current filter is VERY shotty! It’s a canister filter about 18” tall and it has 3 bags of carbonized with pea gravel. Other than that I have a mesh bag around my pump with a black matala pad in it. I also have a few matala pads in my waterfall box.
 
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And no I don’t have a shed near by. The pond is quite a ways from my house too. I thought of building a little decorative outhouse to hide it in but it’s more work than I’m looking forward to right now.
 
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Or what about just getting a better filter to replace what you currently have? When you say canister filter, do you mean a pressurized filter? Is it external?
 
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I am still a new ponder but I can tell you from my limited experiences. The bog is amazing. I did not have the patience to complete the entire project then fill it up with water. As soon as the pond was lined and the boulders were placed the pond was being filled. I have completely clouded up the pond more times than I can count. I couldn't see 6" into the pond. But to my amazement in the morning I could see the bottom of the pond and by the time I got home some 18 hours after I clouded up the pond the water was crystal clear. I turn over 12,000 gph with the pump but only 6 of that goes to one of two bogs today one bog is with a centipede and 6 feet of rock while the other bog is 2" pvc and a foot of stone. I'm sold and it's the awkward stage for the bog a year from now the bog should be able to handle anything that's thrown at it.
 
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+1 on the bog setup. Space and looks while maintaining functionally, that my first concern as well. The answer was a bog filter, its an added element of beauty gives the opportunity to have plants that might not thrive in normal soil conditions and is a natural way to filter water. Since you mentioned 55 gal drum i thought i would mention that i use one for my skimmer which feeds my bog but i dug a space large enough to keep it underground and out of view. Under the walkout deck in the upper right hand pick is a 55gal drum skimmer (about 40 after i cut it down some)
20180722_152353.jpg


This is my bog filter
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sissy

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stock tank and adapter will work and you can hide it with plants .Who cares if it shows a little ,be proud you did it yourself .Mine is inside the liner so if it ever overflows it goes back into the pond
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Or what about just getting a better filter to replace what you currently have? When you say canister filter, do you mean a pressurized filter? Is it external?


Yes it’s an external pressurized filter.
 
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+1 on the bog setup. Space and looks while maintaining functionally, that my first concern as well. The answer was a bog filter, its an added element of beauty gives the opportunity to have plants that might not thrive in normal soil conditions and is a natural way to filter water. Since you mentioned 55 gal drum i thought i would mention that i use one for my skimmer which feeds my bog but i dug a space large enough to keep it underground and out of view. Under the walkout deck in the upper right hand pick is a 55gal drum skimmer (about 40 after i cut it down some)View attachment 114195

This is my bog filterView attachment 114196


That is a beautiful setup! How do you access the 55 gallon skimmer to clean it? Just move the bridge? Is there filter media in your skimmer? I’m just wondering why you needed a skimmer that big.
 
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That is a beautiful setup! How do you access the 55 gallon skimmer to clean it? Just move the bridge? Is there filter media in your skimmer? I’m just wondering why you needed a skimmer that big.
Thank you, yes the boards of the deck can removed to access the skimmer. Currently mine has blanket batting, a filter pad, and a catch bag for larger debris. The reason I made the skimmer that big is because the pond is both large (about 10,000 gallons) ans surrounded by trees. Inside the skimmer is a 2,500gph pond pump. You may not need something this big but it gives you ideas of options that can be hidden yet very effective.
20180613_211605.jpg
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Thank you, yes the boards of the deck can removed to access the skimmer. Currently mine has blanket batting, a filter pad, and a catch bag for larger debris. The reason I made the skimmer that big is because the pond is both large (about 10,000 gallons) ans surrounded by trees. Inside the skimmer is a 2,500gph pond pump. You may not need something this big but it gives you ideas of options that can be hidden yet very effective.View attachment 114239 View attachment 114240 View attachment 114241


How far is your bog area from your skimmer? I’m trying to comprehend how the skimmer feeds the bog area.
 
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You can place a bog anywhere around your pond. In my case I had a area that looked bland so I took a piece of liner I had which was 10x10. Made a 12 inch hole in ground about 3 x 6 feet laid in liner and put in 3 rows pipe with slits cut in about every 3 inches in the rigid pipe apart and run hose into one end that divided into the 3 channels. Covered in smallest pea gravel I could find and layers the liner over the edge of pond so it drains into the pond and that's it. If you run that skimmer you can have the pipe from it go to a waterfall and just before the waterfall anywhere in that line put in a T connector to a separate line to the bog. Not perfect but will work fine. I'd you want to get more specific water flow to either the bog or more to waterfall just put in a adjustable valve the will fit into your hose and that you can reach and hide under something. This would allow you to send more water to falls or Visa versa.
 

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