Opinions about using plastic containers for filter...

[Mr.Fus]

Hello every one, After hurricane Michael I loose 3 big trees that used to provide good shade for the pond on the early hours of the day and that is generating a little bit of micro green algae (not terrible but noticeable)!

Until I found the best permanent solution to the problem reducing the level of exposure to sunlight I was thinking to assemble a small plastic container with some of that blue and white filter material that looks like the inside of a pillow, use my backup pump to push water in using a bulkhead and a PVC pipe to return the water to the pond...

I have a plastic heavy duty box that I could use and I know it's "food safe" grade, the question is if there is a problem using budget friendly plastic containers for building filters?

 

[Becky]

Sorry to hear about the trees Do you have much in the way of plants in your pond?

 

[Stephen Noble]

Hello every one, After hurricane Michael I loose 3 big trees that used to provide good shade for the pond on the early hours of the day and that is generating a little bit of micro green algae (not terrible but noticeable)!

Until I found the best permanent solution to the problem reducing the level of exposure to sunlight I was thinking to assemble a small plastic container with some of that blue and white filter material that looks like the inside of a pillow, use my backup pump to push water in using a bulkhead and a PVC pipe to return the water to the pond...

I have a plastic heavy duty box that I could use and I know it's "food safe" grade, the question is if there is a problem using budget friendly plastic containers for building filters?

No problem especially if it is food safe. Is the idea to add additional filtration to an existing system or as a temporary replacement filter? I am sorry about that hurricane damage. How large is your pond?

 

[sissy]

You will need t clean it often but it will work .The shade problem may be what you may have to address soon or it will continue to be this way .You could use a shade sail and that may be the easiest and fastest thing to do for now .I used totes for filters but since i have koi and produce a lot of waste I have changed to 2 stock tank filters .I use lava rock in them and furnace filters to catch the finer stuff and quilt batting under that .The filter had to be set up fast for the second filter and i had to build a spot for it temporary and then it finally got in the spot and used soda bottle holders in the bottom with bags of lava rock .

 

[j.w]

I made one similar but use the Matala media cut up in large circles in layers fitted to inside of pot now instead of the denser stuff. Mine does not catch the super tiny stuff but does a pretty darn good job of keeping it clear of muck that floats.

 

[Mr.Fus]

Thanks everyone for the answers, it's a small pond roughly 1200 gallons give or take, I used to have some plants but I only found after the hurricane a empty floating basket in the front yard of my neighbor...

It has a sunshade cover that take care of the direct exposure during the day but the current problem it's the sun hitting the pond between 6am and 10am, there use to be 2 trees on the east side of the house that provided nice shade to the building and the backyard in general on the morning but now they are gone.

The box will be just a temporal thing with a possibility of becoming a permanent part if it works as intended, my current filter is the OASE Biosnat 5000 and while it's a good filter unfortunately the design don't have room for something like add a bag of activated charcoal, zeolite or extra filtering material so I was thinking on some sort of multi-chamber filter design based on boxes interconnected...

This is the box that I'm planning to use, it's made by Monoflo and is listed under the food safe datasheet.

 

[sissy]

remember plastic does become brittle over time .My crates only lasted about 3 years in Virginia heat and started to crack .My new filters are tuff stuff stock tanks and they are made out of a heavy rubber type stuff that is recycled .They were easy to drill for the tank adapter compared to plastic totes .I paid 40 dollars and now rural king opened here I can get the 40 gallon ones for 30 dollars .I buy my bags that are for delicate laundry from the dollar store and I use them for zeolite also .I also grow plants in my filters as that is the first place to pick up all the waste from fish poo and then it goes to te waterfall pond to get cleaned more before it goes into the pond

 

[Mr.Fus]

I was looking to the stock tanks as a solution on the long run if the filter idea goes right... If I can get 3 years out of the boxes I will be pleased, then I can transfer the media to the new setup and tackle any problems with the design that I have in mind and do more and more research.

 

[sissy]

thing is winter freeze and then summer heat degrades them fast .I bought a really expensive heavy duty tote and was lucky when it cracked because my filters are inside the liner and any water runs right back into the pond .I did that with both filters so I would not have to worry if they ever got clogged and over flowed .It has saved me several times .Plants I had in the filters clogged the openings and I resolved that since also .Now that can't really happen unless I for get to trim the roots on the plants .Even had frogs clog the tank adapters .Even made home made spitters for the water fall pond .The plumbing parts resolve a lot of the problems

 

[Mr.Fus]

This year I'm concentrating on improving and completing my pond as should be, last year was terrible and while I got most of the parts like the matala filter pads (green, blue and grey), K1 media and other components to build a bigger filter after loosing my job just stopped working on that and then the hurricane hit and well it was a pain... but now i'm back again working and I'm retaking the backyard!!

I'm going to start building the filter using the boxes that I have after a good cleaning to be sure dust or chemicals from the warehouses are gone, and I will try to find who sells locally the small stock tanks.

 

[sissy]

Glad you are back on your feet .I love rural king now that they opened here ,so much cheaper than other stores .I bought all my galvinized bolts for the shed ramp there at a 1.79 a pound and lowes here charges a 1.49 each .Best and cheapest way to clean things is with peroxide .It does no harm and just adds oxygen even to pond water where fish are present .I use sump pump hose for my pumps also .Much cheaper than pond hose and lasts .I have mine since 2008 in my pond .I prefer to keep everything in the pond and liners under my filters ,if it leaks it goes right back in the pond