Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Bio-filter for pond clarity

I'm looking into adding a bio-filter to improve water quailty and help clarify of my pond. Working on building a waterfall that has about a 6 foot drop into the .1 acre pond. I'm thinking about a bio-filter prior to the out flow at the top of the waterfall.

Would a 2 cubic foot filter box have any impact on a pond of my size to improve quality and clarity of the water?

I hope Mr. Lusk chimes in on this one. I was wanting to ask about this during his RFD live show but I was rejected by the operator. He touched on this subject in the last issue of the magazine. I already have a small waterfall & stream feature that I circulate water from the pond with but I did not put in any type of bio filter. I was wanting more info on plants etc that make up a good natural bio filter when placed in a settling pool. I know that aerators are good products but I prefer a natural looking pond rather than the city park look. So I am very interested in learning more about the use of waterfalls for aeration purposes.

rocky,
34 hits and no one has a oppion on bio filters? :-(

Did Lusk have a mini-pond article on biofilters maybe 3 PBMag isues ago?

For what it's worth some fish producers in more mild climates-- although they raise fish in tanks -- flow water through the tanks using a natural pond as a biological filter. After the water flows through the tank it goes back out to the pond.

Why not build another pond or wetland to run the water through that does not have a fish or anything producing waste? No filters to clean or mechanical parts.

How about flowing the water throught a big tank of cattails? I've been contemplating this idea for a while now. I was thinking something like this:

What if you already have a 2 airstation aeration system? I wonder if this would work?

Nice concept, but can you keep the cattails out of the main pond? There are several ponds in my area that are choked out with cattails, would water lilies be better.

Unfortunitly I don't have the room for a second pond, so I'm looking at a contained bio-filter to increase good bacteria. Would have to clean it, but how big would it have to be to make an inpact on my pond?

Cattails are the only plant other than grass I can legibly draw. I thought that placing it downwind would help a little with seeds and the container would help with rhizomes. Maybe the mini-cattails would work and their are some other less invasive types than the common cattail. I think Bill Cody mentioned some in the "types of plants to choose" section.

There's a 1 acre pond near my work that isn't maintained, completely surrounded with cattails. It's crystal clear and no other plants are visible. They seem to suck up a lot of nutrients.

Ryan,
Your drawings were great.
Funny you should mention your pond at work, and the cattails. I also have a pond at work and the water is crystal clear and not a cattail. There are cattails in another pond on the property near by and I don't know why they haven't invaded.

The cattail pond with the wind from the clear pond also. The other things about the clear pond are it is shallow (about 4 feet deep) gently sloping and loaded with leaves. No maintance except for mowing at the front edge when they cut the lawns.

It obiviously has a great bio system going because I inquired about it, and the building super said it was a dug pond with a clay bottom when they constructed the building.

That's why I'm interested in starting a bio-filter system.

You guys need to do a search for "Natural Swimming pools" on the internet. They're bigger in Europe then over here, but they use plants as a filtration system and get great crystal clear swimming pool results.

IMO Face72 is on the right track. However many do not like to swim with weeds. It is difficult to get a good balance of weeds and keep them that way. Clear water is also tied closely to the species composition of the fishery.

....Yeah the way the natural swimming pool is set up, they section off and seperate the aquatic plant weed area with the lined swimming area. The one thing they do say about natural swimming pools is you cant have fish. They're too messy.

You guys must have heard about these floating islands by now right? They are essentially floating wetlands with wetland and riparian plant species that consume nutrients thus reducing algae. They are used in lakes, ponds, wastewater, canals and even modular water reclamation. The best part is that they have a very nice aesthetic and are very energy efficient (that is they don't require any besides sunlight to grow the plants). I believe the company name is Floating Islands International. There is also a company called John Todd Ecological Designs who has used these in several of the applications that I just mentioned.