It is possible to construct a diy homemade pond filter that will work quite well.
One example can easily be built in a simple pond plant pot. The kind with the many small holes and slats throughout.
One method is to cut a piece of blue evaporative cooler pad to fit within, around, and on top of the pot. Place whatever submersible pump or intake line inside and pour some gravel over the top of it all. The padding acts as a simple debris diy pond filter and eventually becomes a medium for good
biological filtration.
Place this filter either at the top of a waterfall or at the bottom of the pond.
For maintenance clean regularly with a hose, being careful not to remove all of the "muck". The muck is actually the beneficial bacteria that is eating the available nutrients keeping
water quality
optimum. Of course, as always, I recommend a good supply of
aquatic plants
for the final stage of the
nutrient cycle.
Another type of homemade pond filter to consider would be a traditional gravel basin type filter. A good example of this can be seen on my
natural swimming pool conversion
page.
It is basically a basin filled with washed gravel or cinders equal to 5-10% of the pond volume. Water is pumped in and allowed to flow up through. The gravel acts as surface area for beneficial bacteria to do their thing.
