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Selecting a Filter for Pond or Water Garden

Filtration Systems for Ponds & Water Gardens

Selecting a Filter System

All ponds with fish will benefit from having a biological filter system installed. Filters generally have a maximum and minimum flow rate requirement. Goldfish ponds do fine when pumping the entire volume of the pond once every two hours and Koi ponds do better when turning the pond volume over once each hour. Greater flow is fine as long as it does not exceed your filter requirements. The following recommendations will work well for most ponds. When choosing a system for a large fish population or a pond for Koi you may want to look at the next size up or something even more elaborate. Also to ensure clear water year-round an ultraviolet sterilizer is highly recommended. Also of note is that keeping more plants tends to reduce the filter needs. This can be done in the pond or by adding a separate bog filter. A lot of plant life can also mean less need for the ultraviolet sterilizer

The following are rough suggestions. Every pond is different and may benefit from considering other options. Koi ponds in particular may need a more advanced system. Our pond experts are more than happy to assist with a more customized approach. Please reach out at info@aquanooga.com

Filter options for Ponds up to 500 gallons using a submersible pump.

  1. If you want an all in one system that provides a fountain for the water return then the Oase Filtral 800 or 1600 can be an excellent choice. This filter includes the pump and UV light.
  2. This option uses your submersible pump inside the Matala Pump Defender AND run the plumbing from the pond to a Waterscapes BF1250 FilterFalls, OR the Oase FiltoClear 3000, OR the Matala BioSteps.
  3. To get the pump and plumbing out of the pond, improve the filtration, and reduce the amount of maintenance install a skimmer instead of using the Matala Pump Defender. This will be in addition to the filter options above.

Filter options for Ponds up to 1000 gallons using a submersible pump.

  1. This option uses your submersible pump inside the Matala Pump Defender AND run the plumbing from the pond to either the Atlantic Filterfall BF1600 OR the Matala BioSteps , OR the Oase FiltoClear 3000, OR the Ultima II 1000 filter
  2. To get the plumbing out of the pond thereby improving appearance, increasing filtration, and decreasing maintenance install the Atlantic PS3900 skimmer or other appropriate skimmer instead of using the Matala Pump Defender. You will still want one of the filters from option (1).

Filter options for Ponds up to 1800 gallons using a submersible pump.

  1. This option uses your submersible pump inside the Matala Pump Defender AND run the plumbing from the pond to either the Atlantic BF1900, OR the Matala BioStep, OR the Oase FiltoClear 4000, OR an Ultima II 2000 filter OR the Oase BioSmart 5000.
  2. To get the plumbing out of the pond thereby improving appearance, increasing filtration, and decreasing maintenance install a skimmer instead of using the Matala Pump Defender. You will still want one of the filters from option (1).

Filter options for Ponds up to 3600 gallons.

  1. When using a submersible pump, an option is to use the Matala Pump Defender AND to move the water to an Atlantic BF2600 filter, an Oase FiltoClear 8000, OR an Ultima II 4000 Filter OR a K+ 4800.
  2. To get the plumbing out of the pond thereby improving appearance, increasing filtration, and decreasing maintenance install a skimmer instead of using the Matala Pump Defender. An external pump can be used instead of a submersible pump if you choose to use a skimmer. You will still need to use one of the filters from option (1).

Filter options for Ponds up to 5,000 gallons.

  1. When using a submersible pump, an option is to use the Matala Pump Defender or a solids handling pump to move the water to a Savio LivingPonds Filter OR an Ultima II 6000 filter OR a K+ 9600  OR an Oase BioSmart 10000.
  2. To get the plumbing out of the pond thereby improving appearance, increasing filtration, and decreasing maintenance install a skimmer instead of using the Matala Pump Defender. An external pump can be used instead of a submersible pump if you choose to use a skimmer. You will still need to use one of the filters from option (1).

Filter options for Ponds up to 10,000 gallons.

  1. When using a submersible pump, an option is to use the Matala Pump Defender or a solids handling pump to move the water to an Ultima II 10000 filter OR a K+ 14000 OR an Oase Screenmatic 24000.
  2. To get the plumbing out of the pond thereby improving appearance, increasing filtration, and decreasing maintenance install a skimmer instead of using the Matala Pump Defender. An external pump can be used instead of a submersible pump if you choose to use a skimmer. You will still need to use one of the filters from option (1).

Again, these are just guideline suggestions. It is not possible to have too much filtration, more is better.  We encourage you to reach out to our team with details of your application for a more personalized filter system.