# Couple of filtration opinions please



## mort (12 Apr 2018)

Hi, I've got a couple of questions I'd like some advice on please. The first is for my friend who basically doesn't believe anything I say so hoping you guys can add your thoughts so I can show him.
Basically he wants to build a new filter for his pond and he has an old water butt. He's seen on YouTube that people have the input near the bottom and the outlet at the top but he can't get his head around whether this puts more strain on the pump than adding the extra head and doing the reverse. I've spent ages giving my opinion but he's not convinced.

Second is for me and is a simple question but unusual situation. Last year my upper pond sprung a leak so I added a new pond on the other side and moved the filtration to it. So I have filtration going into upper pond then the main pond. Where the leaked old upper pond is I am going to turn this into a bigger wildlife pond and use it as a bog/vegetable filter flowing into the main pond. So since the filtration of the pond is already there for the system would you do anything with the input water into the wildlife pond? A certain amount of muck will make it in there but is it worth filtering it before or does it benefit more from crud input.

TIA


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## martin-green (12 Apr 2018)

By their nature, a wildlife pond has no filtration, so I would say its your call on that one.

When using a water butt as  filter I have yet to see the "input" directly at the bottom of the butt, what I have often seen is a pipe from the top that goes to the bottom (Through the chosen filter media) with either just a T piece or same with two 45 degree bends (to make the water circulate)
Seeing as the head height is now raised by that of the height of the water butt, yes it will add to the over all head height, but unless a small pump is being used..................
So long as big enough pipe is used it should be no problem.

In an ideal world you would do all the calculations first.............

I also think water butts should only be used as water butts, not pond filters, not only because they look ugly, but I wouldn't want to get all the media out of one to clean it.


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## mort (13 Apr 2018)

Thanks Martin. Your thoughts kinda echo mine. I have a blue food grade tub in my filtration as a vortex filter and I think my friend thought this does the filtration (mine is behind the she'd so can't really be seen unless you go looking for it). The input goes through the bottom but up a pipe inside so perhaps this is where the confusion lies for him. 

I think with the wildlife section I will try a little prefiltering to begin with just because it might have more nutrient input than a wildlife pond normally would. I can always take the filter off if need be.


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## frederick thompson (20 Apr 2018)

mort said:


> Thanks Martin. Your thoughts kinda echo mine. I have a blue food grade tub in my filtration as a vortex filter and I think my friend thought this does the filtration (mine is behind the she'd so can't really be seen unless you go looking for it). The input goes through the bottom but up a pipe inside so perhaps this is where the confusion lies for him.
> 
> I think with the wildlife section I will try a little prefiltering to begin with just because it might have more nutrient input than a wildlife pond normally would. I can always take the filter off if need be.


Here you go mort. Both fed from the top. I have a pre filter easy pod k1 plus these 2x 100lt water butts gravity fed  with pump after . 

In the butts
A grill tray in bottom with grog a quarter of the way up. Then jap matting. About 3 rows. Then a sheet of filter wool. A drain tap at bottom
They xo a good job mate
I have only cleaned them out once in a yeat with 10 koi in my qt grow on 500 gallon tank.
12 to 14 inch in size. And they get fed 4 times a day.
So yes i WOULD say water butts do a good job all in all.
Thats one of the fish
Hope this helps
Fred










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## mort (20 Apr 2018)

Very helpful, cheers Fred.


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## frederick thompson (20 Apr 2018)

mort said:


> Very helpful, cheers Fred.


Anytime mate

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