DIY Pump Container Idea, Good or Bad?

[sissy]

I got the laundry bags at the dollar store and it has 3 of them in the package and just lay it on top .That is an old milk crate i have 6 of them i have been dragging from house to house for over 25 years .My home depot used to carry those blue filters but stopped and lowes here does not carry them either .

 

[don't ask]

interesting concepts everyone, but thinking either a finer material will unfortunately require more cleaning and a looser one may allow the younguns to get sucked in.. not sure there is a foolproof way that doesn't require more maintenance. might not be too bad if pump is in a shallow area but if deep then a pain for sure i'm thinking

 

[buckry]

Both of my filters are 14" rubber buckets with pumps and filter material. I haven't had to clean the filters yet, but when that time comes each bucket has a handle, and each handle has a piece of rope tied to it which comes up with the cord and attaches to the deck. I've raised and lowered them a couple of times, good system so far, shouldn't be an issue when it's time to clean them for real.

 

[koiguy1969]

thought i might show my prefiltering cage for my fry pond...this could be upsized for larger ponds and pumps.
I took a mini milk crate...drilled a hole to fit the ouitput hose adapter. and screwed the adapter into the pump thru that hole. this gives a secure mounting of the pump. and holds it off the floor or bottom of pond...(oh...be sure to run your hose thru a hole in the basket first, its much easier. then i cut my furnace filter so it would go in and create the 5 sides of filter surface in one piece.) before tucking in the last side of the filter you can fill the rest of the cavity with pieces of the furnace filter or fiber fill, pillow stuffing or whatever you like... first i used fiberfill. really no need so i cut some furnace filter pieces to fit...this also gives some rigidity to the outer filter matting. the filter mat i used is a NATURALAIRE... WASHABLE, CUT TO FIT, ITS 20" X 30" X 1" THICK....by FLANDERS...i will post a pic. these are the ones everybody keeps asking about for filters...the only ones i know that work and work well in filters.
****pics are pretty much self explainatory.*****

 

[j.w]

Thanks for the explicit directions koiguy and how often do you have to clean it?

 

[koiguy1969]

i made a bigger version on my first pond (450gals)....i cleaned it 3 or 4 times that pond season, i think. this one has yet to be cleaned. i took out the fiberfill and other filter mat, and remade it with this one piece method. it didnt need cleaning but i wanted to redo it the one piece way. and i wanted to share the idea...so i did it! the bigger the pump the more draw, so the more likely it will need more cleanings. this one is a 256gph pump...by the time it needs a cleaning hopefully the fry will be in the big pond.

 

[j.w]

Ok thanks!

 

[Mmathis]

KOIGUY -- I like your idea of cutting the filter to fit the 5 sides! I just cut one up into 5 pieces, and boy was it a pain to cut.

 

[j.w]

I like to use a box cutter knife to cut that media stuff:

 

[koiguy1969]

some good sharp scissors do just fine!

 

[toytika]

The really good landscaping fabric is awesome stuff but hard to find at home stores. I had patios put in last year and the leftovers went to the underlaymemt of my bog and addition and under the wall that separates the bog and I have saved even the tiniest scrap cause its great stuff for ponds, you can get it at any masonry place or stone store!

 

[pecan]

When cutting industrial floor scrubbie pads for my skippy tanks I got blisters even using good scissors. So then I switched to the jig saw. The jig saw actually worked really well. Cut right through them like butter in no time.

I did what Koiguy recommended for my two small pumps in my small bog and pond. It worked really well.

The big pump in the big pond is just sitting in an extra large plastic egg crate ordered online. The pump is too big to have room for the pads.