Pond Filter Instructions
- If you are trying to choose a filter for your pond, you must find out how large your pond is and the volume of water it holds. Different filters have different capabilities concerning much water they can effectively clean, so choosing the right one for the size of your pond is essential. You will also have to choose the correct filter according to the ratio of plants to fish in your pond. The more fish, the greater the filter cleaning ability needs to be. If you are in doubt, pick a filter with a greater cleaning ability, as fish will grow over time and the pond will get dirtier as plants decay and grow.
- Once you have installed your filter according to the manufacturer instructions, make sure you run the filter 24 hours a day from March to October. When the pump is running 24 hours a day, check the filter for good water flow regularly, removing any debris as needed. Even though your water may look clear and clean, check the water with a pH testing strip. Sometimes a filter is not cleaning properly even though the water looks healthy. If your fish begin to look sick, you may want to check that the filter is working well.
- To maintain your filter properly, make sure to clean it using water from the pond as opposed to tap water. Using a biological pond filter using tap water due to the chlorine added to it will kill beneficial bacteria in the filter. If you find that your filter is not working properly, you may wish to buy bacterial supplements that can be added to the filter to boost performance. You can use these bacterial supplements if you have just fitted a new filter, as filters become more effective as they age and collect bacteria.