Pond pump filters: Breathing life into your watergarden

Every backyard watergarden with fish requires a good pond pump and filter system to function properly. The water pump and filter work hand in hand to maintain the environment of the pond's closed off artificial aquatic setting. The pumps main purpose is to constantly circulate water in the pond, while the filter not only screens out harmful particles of sediment in the water, it also contains microbes which assist in generating oxygen for the organisms in the aquarium.

There are several different types of water filters to choose from. These all have different features and specialties that make them different from the others, so when buying one, look into the various types available and select one that will suit the needs of your particular watergarden.

Submersible Pump Filter - these are small filters suited for small ponds. They are generally attached directly onto the intake and exhaust ports of submersible pumps, and rely on the pump-generated water pressure as a delivery system for supplying oxygen to the aquarium. These types of filters are generally very easy to install and replace, and have no complex mechanical parts. Because of the simplicity of their design, these filters usually have added features like bacteria filter layers which detoxify ammonia and nitrites.

UV Filter - the introduction of ultraviolet light into an aquatic environment helps to regulate the growth of bacteria, fungus, and most importantly algae, in a water supply. Algae are the primary cause of pond water taking on a green, scummy quality. Ultraviolet filters kill off harmful bacteria and algae which would otherwise clog up the entire pond system. UV filters are also designed with integral mechanical filters that clean up dead algae and other plant matter from the bottom of the pool, avoiding buildup. Because the aquatic life forms that grow in a watergarden live in a closed environment, this form of waste management is extremely important for maintaining sanitation.

Bog Filter - these are the most natural filtration system for a watergarden. Bog filters are basically rows of cultivated plants which possess high requirements for nutrients of a certain variety. These nutrients that these plants in a bog filter are designed to consume are drawn mostly from harmful bacteria sources and from algae. Because of this, they help to limit pond scum and green water buildup from algae much like a UV filter, but at the same time provide a natural environment for the fish to live in. The biggest disadvantage is that they are messier than UV filters, because they can also clog up the pond's environment with stray bits of additional plant matter when they are damaged.

Bead Filters - this is a mechanical filter best used for handling large ponds with high volumes of water and a large variety of aquatic plants and fish in it's ecosystem. These types of watergardens require filters capable of flushing out large quantities at a time. Bead filters basically have spherical chambers which contain beads made of biological agents designed to scrub water clean of pollutants and bacteria in a short amount of time. The filter chambers constantly rotate as water is passed through them, actively swirling the beads around in the water. This provides the most efficient and active-time filter system available for watergardens. It's only major drawbacks are that it is also the most expensive system and also involves the greatest amount of active mechanical parts.