I have to tell you this is my favorite video on RU-vid I think. I have watched it many times in the last three years and ordered all the components to make my own filter.
If you reverse your Inlet and Outlet on that exact setup your filter will work much better. Because water will always take the route of least resistance once your pads start to get a little dirty the water will then start to go straight to your overflow. But if you're in that forces the water to the bottom of the filter which would then Force the water up through the pads this one this will make sure that you always have a much cleaner system
I completely disagree. If you bring the water in at the bottom the muck will be impossible to clean without draining out the filter and lifting all the media out. In at top, stop the dirt with a fine filter that is easy to access, then let the bacteria thirve in the bottom.
I do accept the water will go over the overflow, that's essential to prevent the filter overflowing. When this starts to happen the sponges must be cleaned.
Lee, I just want to thank you (and Wendy) for this and for selling the necessary to me. My pond is transformed and my fish have a new lease of life. They are just so lively now! Like most things, I just wish I had done it before… 👍👍👍
After watching this video I contacted Japanese Water Garden who supplied all the parts. If you have a problem Lee who is building the filter has a chat line when you log in Japanese WG and will talk you through it . I am 78 years old and lee sorted me... filter works great
A very helpful tutorial. It's given me ideas about how I might adapt the design for a small 260 litre pond and yes, I'd be interested to see a follow up video from your project.
Thanks Lee that was brilliant. I have just been given one of those barrels from a friend & will soon build a filter like this for not a great deal of money. Hopefully this will get rid of the dreaded string algae in my stream. I have watched your follow up vid but I don't think I will need any other filtration stuff because its a wildlife pond & stream. Your home pond looks amazing. Thanks again & all the best.....
I wish I could share my build I did of this with pictures... My friends 1200 gal pond was totally green... I built this filter for her to replace the 5 gallon pond filter... The pond cleared in literally 24 hours crystal clear!!! Ive never seen a diy filter do so amazing!!! Thank you!!!
I built 2 like this for my outdoor 200 gallon Koi pond, and my 110 gallon turtle tank. I used two 25 gallon drums. Instead of burying it with all that foam, I put all my filter media in a 5 gallon bucket filled 3/4 of the way. I drilled holes on the bottom. Now, I just pull out the 5 gallon bucket out for much easier cleaning. I placed 3 sets of 1 gallon buckets filled with lava rocks under the 5 gallon bucket. I put my pump on the bottom because it tends to leak. I just added the clean out valve like you show, and also put the overflow T fitting. Thank you for the tip.
Great video, I want to change the media in my filter from the packed square sponged to something easier to clean, even if It means more regular cleaning so this video helped me realise I can use alternatives. Thanks man
Hi lee, thanks for the advice on the phone yesterday. I’m thinking I may go with a Oase screenmatic for my new pond plus I believe the pump I already have is a oase aquamax 6000 and can be dry installed for my bottom drain as well as submerged
Made a rookie mistake with filter on a new pond Knowhere near good enough and built this in a rush to try and fix it. When I installed it I had bad ammonia, phosphate and water I couldn’t see an inch into. Made this filter with some alpha frog in the bottom and writhing 24 hours the ammonia was gone, by the end of the week water was absolutely crystal. Been running two months now and everything is perfect. Was only supposed to be a stop gap till I got a new filter but I’m honestly scared to change it now. Only thing I’d say is it’s a bit of a chore to clean out but well worth putting up with. Thanks lee
So this design is great! I actually made one for about 100$ just I had to increase the output to two 3" pvc due to running a submersible 1/3hp pump at about 2800/hr otherwise it would just overflow
Foam for roof gutters. Be sure no toxin applied. I filled a one hundred gallon livestock watering through for the cost of 25$ US. Lots of surface area.
Thanks lee. I have just completed my filter build following your steps. I’m into day 3 of service. Really excited to see how my new pond cleans up as it got very manky after just 6 weeks sitting with no filtration
Hi my pond is vey brownish come greenish I have added new bacteria, and put it into my filter. But my pond went brown I left it for a week and no change in the water it was so bad. I had to near empty the pond and put tap water into the pond also freatment for the chemicals from the tap. Now it has changed it green. I bought green water treetment so I am about to put that into the pond now my pond takes 1,200 gals. Could you inform me is that the right thing to do. Regards Michael Ogilvie
@@michaelogilvie7330 Hi just saw your comment. Adding bacteria or chemicals is just a waste of time and money. A suitable UV sterilizer might do the job. UV can remove green water permanently if installed thoroughly.
I did this design but instead put two 2 inch outakes to increase the flow with a 5,600 gph pump. I also added many different types of filtration that differ from yours. This filter setup has kept my 3,000 gallon pond spotless. I have a heavy fish load as well. If anyone is looking at this video for inspiration build it!
Yeah its super affordable as well. I currently work at San Diego Pond And Garden in California. I plan to do a bog and wetland filtration system on my next project.
@@HairyPatch1 A well designed bog filter is perfect for natural ponds. You just have to try and in corporate some mechanical pre filtration. Then they are outstanding.
I imagine I can find something similar but in my area we call them bear barrels. Locked and round so a bear has trouble getting into it. Cost a fortune when sold that way.
Great video with helpful information! I have a pond which holds about 3100 liters. Will this size filter be adequate enough to keep the water clean and from getting green? Thanks!
Have you done an update yet? I want to build my filter like this but I want to go with a 2 inch discharge and maybe move it down so its more towards the center of the barrel , would that be a good idea?
Great video, 1 question though,if the water is GJ oing in through the top, and being pulled from the bottom to go back to the pond, does that not pull all the waste that would typically settle at the top back into the pond?
Go to your local garage/car-service place... They probably have dozens of barrels used for "adblue" wich they go through and have to recycle. Downside: no removable lid but two allready cut holes in the top. Adblue is the chem used for dieselcars and is 32% PEE and the rest is clean water.
@@leecalladine nice, I am also building like your filter bro since the pond that I have is just and old pig pen it was not built as a I koi pond so there is no filtration chamber just square since its an old pig pen
Very nice work, one of the easiest and fastest filter builds I've seen. Looks to be a great idea for the filter media as well. I'm gonna give this a try today. My pond is about 1200 gal, so this should do the trick for sure. I'm just concerned about circulation of the water to insure all the "crud" is removed. Presently I have a stiff bristle brush that I use to disturb the bottom junk to keep stuff suspended in the water.
Interestingly enough I found my barrels locally on a county wide "buy sell trade" on Facebook Marketplace. Don't get inpatient, these barrels can be a bugger to get your hands on, I paid $25 each.
Wonderful and informative video! Thank you for taking the time and producing this video. Quick question, l have a pump that pumps 4235 gallons per hour. What size PVC pipe would you recommend me using?
Grab a bucket your everyday white buckets then put some bath sponges and normal dish sponges basically anything that is absorb at and durable layer them with plastics that let water through between each layer and make a hole are the bottom on the side put some pvc pipe and seal it with silicon then simply put your hose from your pump inside the filter and done
Thanks for sharing, could you write out the names of everything you used for the making of this filter, I would like to try and make one but as an older female, cannot even remember the names of the parts I would have to buy. Thanks again for doing this video. Gods blessings and stay safe!
Hi Lee thank you so much for this video, I hope all is well with you. I will definitely copy it for my pond, one question though, from the barrel the pipe that goes out to the pond can I connect that to a small skimmer to make some kind of waterfall effect down to the pond? Thank you so much
What is difference between filtration pump and circulation pump system? Suppose I want to build a natural koi fish pond in my backyard so how many pumps and systems I need?
Here in Sunny Florida. I've got a giant sandy hole in the ground and I want to drop in a 300 gallon tank. I'd like to build a pond and keep it clear enough with only solar, no batteries and minimal maintenance (at most once a month). Possible?
Like the idea of this. I’m already looking at making a diy Bakki shower to supplement a main filter which was going to be an easy pod but wondered if this would work instead? What size pond would this work for with a shower filter? Could it be adapted for gravity fed?
This design is not suitable gravity fed. It would need complete redesign. It is a good filter for people who like making things and it has worked well for many people.
Thank you so much for the great tutorial. How to get water siphon out of the outlet? I build a smaller tank of 25 gallons and used 1" pipe. Water doesn't siphon out when I tested out only with water. Do I need to put all media before doing test? Does media create pressure for water to siphon out? What can be incoming water flow rate?
Hi there, Thank you for the great how too much appreciated, I have now made one of these and I am wondering how I would go about cleaning the filter . Is is a case of emptying it and the running pond ready water through it or would I need to take the media out and clean it by hand. Cheers
Nice design, Lee. Wondering if you have any recent observations or advice on cleaning this system. How often do you drain the unit from the bottom? How often do you remove and clean or replace the upper foam pads and cloth material? Would it be worth adding a compressed air bubble system at the bottom (or at least under the foam pads) to back flush and discard that dirty water every few days? (In that case, I would add a secondary outlet & valve at the top that would Tee into your existing waste line at the bottom. We get a buildup of diatoms (micro-algae) every few days that plugs the microfiber cloth (and pumice stone) in our present trickle filter, and it's very labor intensive to hose off and wring out those cloths. Back flushing would seem much easier.
I have found it necessary to clean the sponges out fairly regular. Perhaps twice weekly. The tank has been drained down several time by opening the valve. But there wasn't much muck in there because the sponges take it all out.
Hello, a quick question; can I switch the placements between the mechanical filter and the biological filter? does it affect the filtration effectivity?
Nice and simple filter but I have a question. Does the outlet pipe going to the bottom of the filter pick up muck from the bottom and does the water syphon back to the pond when the pump is turned off?
Hey top video, just wondering I've seen people who have the water come in at the bottom then overflow out top,rather than come in at the top then get pulled to the bottom before returning to overflow at top. Is there any difference? cheers also I have to big of a pump can I just put another standpipe in and have two outlets thank you 😊
The method described in the video allows you run the fine filter and access it easier. The pump size with 2in outlet should not exceed aprx 1000 gallons per hour. A lot less if using 1.5in pipes.
What is the maximum sized pond ( litres ) could a single 220l barrel filter be used for ? And could I link several together for using on a larger pond size ?
These is no maximum. The size of the pond is only one small factor when deciding on a pond filter. Stocking rate and how much maintenance you are prepared for is equally important. I would recommend using multiple filters as separate systems instead of linking them.
