Don't bother with mass market pond filters that are under $1000...

[big ron]

For my 15,000 gallon pond I love my Aqua Ultraviolet Ultima filter. Does a great job and takes about five minutes to backflush and I don't even get my hands wet. But you're right. It wasn't under $1000. I think I paid around $1200 for it ten years ago. I bet they're a lot more now. Quality is worth every penny.

I have a 2500 gal koi pond with 13 large koi that I have had for 10 years . When I got the pond I was talked into a filter that would barely keep the water clear to my satisfaction. After talking to various pond owners , I came across the name of Aquadyne Filters. I talked to owners who were using them and they said you can not beat them. I found a used one ( 1 year old ) on line and bought it . It is a 4.4 C and I have been using this filter for 8 years. I use a UV sterilizer and it keeps my pond crystal clear. It is a bead filter and is extremely easy to back wash. The company is located in Georgia and you can talk directly to the owner Craig if needed. Yes they are a little pricey, but when your pond is crystal clear and all you have to do is backwash your filter every 2 weeks , it sure beats changing media. bio-balls etc. in other filters. Just my opinion.

 

[addy1]

I like my filter, crystal clear water, zero care, well except for yanking plants. Pea gravel and plants.

 

[poconojoe]

I gotta do the bog thing this spring! With our fish load and since some branches were cut allowing more sun in, I couldn't keep my water clear this past summer. It was healthy with all good readings, but a slight bit greenish.
I have two of those pressure filters servicing 1500 gallons. One is a Tetra that is only bio media and UV, no filter pads. The other has bio media and three different pads. A 3690 gph pump feeds these two filters. Oh, and I also have a bucket with a 550 gph pump covered with lava rocks.

 

[addy1]

I gotta do the bog thing this spring!

You won't regret it. I never need to mess with filters, cleaning, fixing etc. My bog keeps the ponds in perfect shape. It is big, full of plants and pea gravel.

The only time I have cloudy water is when I first turn it back on in the spring. Within 2 days the water is back to crystal clear, I never have green water. This is the 5 foot deep area, you can count the trap door snails on the bottom. Nothing but a bog running.

 

[poconojoe]

Addy, what do you do for filtration during the months when the bog is turned off?

 

[addy1]

Addy, what do you do for filtration during the months when the bog is turned off?

Nothing, the fish do fine. The water gets a tiny bit murky as spring comes around, i.e. the weather warms up. Once the bog is running the water turns clear.

My pump is external. I have to turn it off and remove it. Which I prefer, I love the down time in the winter. Don't need to worry about the pond at all. And honey loves to wander to Florida when it is cold.

One year I turned it off in September, we had to go to AZ to sale my house, turned it back towards the end of March. Not one fish was loss.
I do run a pond breather in the deep end and a tiny pump (low flow like 200 gph) in the shallow end for the birds to have water to drink.

There have been some that say the bog will turn anaerobic and will stink when you turn it back on. When I turn mine back on, there is only the smell of water / pondish water smell. No stink.

I LOVE it, being a lazy ponder.............. love the no / minimal care ponds. I have 11 ponds running now, all except one filtered by the one bog. From big to small.

 

[poconojoe]

Addy, thanks for the input.
I turn off my main pump/filters for the winter. I do keep a 550gph pump running all year. It's in a submerged bucket and the pump is covered with lava rock. I have a small pvc pipe exiting the pump and ending just below the surface of the water.
So, even if I did the bog, I'll still run this bucket filter. But from what you describe, I probably don't need it.

 

[sissy]

I will stay with my stock tank filters .They are inside the liner and if they leak it will all run back in the pond .less worry for me

 

[Wokfie212]

I used this:

It's been so long I don't even know what it is. I think I got it at Home Depot in the plumbing department. It's some kind of flange or seal expressly for sealing against curved surfaces and mine hasn't leaked. I don't have any sealant or silicone around it.

Called a uniseal

 

[don hollowell]

i never turn my bog off

 

[poconojoe]

i never turn my bog off

I added the bog in 2020 and I never shut it down, even during our harsh winters.

The bog filter was the best thing I've done for my pond and for me.
Almost zero maintenance and crystal clear water, even with my way overpopulated pond.