Pond filters are an important aspect of your pond, without one your pond water would get pretty darn mucky.

The kind of filter you have for your backyard pond depends on its size and whether or not you have any fish.

Pond filters come in different sizes and varieties. You can get external, submersible, bio and others.  They range in price from 40 or 50 dollars, all the way up to $1500.00 and more.

Having a pond filter is not the only thing you need to have nice clear water.  You also need a UV filter and plenty of pond plants, especially in the summer when it gets really warm.  The three components above, all work together to give you nice clear water.

An important aspect of having a pond filter is having an area in the filter that can capture and grow good bacteria to help maintain the waters proper balance.  This is where pond filter media comes into play.  The bigger the total area that can capture and grow this good bacterium, the better off you are.  Pond filters use different things in their filters to promote this bacteria, from sponge like material, to bio balls, and a polyester knit material, which I use, and also sell if your interested.  This should give you a better idea about the importance of a pond filter.

Three Basic Types Of Pond Filters

1. Submersible Pond Filters
The first kind I'd like to tell you about is a submersible pond filter.  This type of filter actually sits on the bottom of your pond where it draws the pond water through it and then pushes the water to a waterfall or fountain and re-circulates back into your pond.  The great thing about this kind of pond filter is you don't see it because it's underwater.  This type of filter is good if you have a small budget to work with.

Some name brands of these kind of filters include:
Pondmaster
Pentair
PowerFlo
EZ Bio Filters

2. Skimmer/Waterfall Pond Filter Systems
This filter system is very similar to a swimming pool skimmer system.  It skims the surface of your pond and drops it into a recessed basket.  The water is then pumped to the opposite side of your pond where it flows into a waterfall bio-filter.  This is a pretty expensive type filter system, and you have to worry about covering everything up because it sets on the edge of your pond.  They can be pretty expensive.

Some name brands of these kind of filters include:
Savio
Little Giant
Biotec
Oase

3. External Pond Filter
These pond filters basically take the water from your pond and has it flow through a chambered flow through which sets up and outside of your pond.  The flow out of the filter can be used for your waterfall or streambed.  Of course you'll probably want to cover it up somehow with some kind of landscaping around it.
Quite honestly, this was the type of pond filter I tried initially after building my pond.  Needless to say, I wasn't very happy and why I made my own homemade pond filter.  It was just too big and bulky and it leaked!

Some name brands of these kind of pond filters include:
Fishmate
Tetra
Tarpon
Laguna

A little Bit About My Homemade Pond Filter

Now I’d like to tell you about my homemade pond filter that I have used for the last 14 or 15 years.  I have a pond of about 3000-gallons.  I’ve tried an external pond filter, however it leaked and gave us a bunch of trouble.  That’s when I came up with my homemade pond filter.

This filter goes into the pond and sits on the bottom.  Connected to it is a UV filter, which is then connected to the water pump.  The pond water is drawn through the homemade pond filter, through the UV filter, and finally through the water pump.  I have a 1200-gallon per hour water pump.  You can see the results on my homemade pond filter page. It does a wonderful job, and we’re quite pleased with it. This would be considered a submersible pond filter.

By having a submersible pond filter keeps it out of site and helps your pond look more natural.

You want to draw the water through your pond filter. Be sure you hook it up correctly to your pond water pump..