'Veggie' Filter

I need some information on what a 'veggie filter' should be. Some say that
the surface area should be 10 - 20% of your pond. Others say that it should
be 10 - 20% of the pond volume. Which is correct.
Also some say not to use lava rocks, others say it's okay.
What about water flow? How many gph should it have?
Should the pond water enter from the top or the bottom?

Here is what I think I am going to do:
Pond size = 1600 gallons
'Veggie Filter' = 225 gallons (2x10x1.5)
GPH Flow = 400
Pond water will enter from the bottom and cascade out the top like a
waterfall.

Will this work?

Don't use lava rock.
The veggie filter will catch 'gunk' and the lava rock will be very hard to
clean.

My veggie filter is as simple as floating water hyacinths at the top of my
upflow mech/bio filter.
Things grow like crazy and I have to watch they don't plug the outlet.

Bonnie has a good veggie filter and pictures.
So does BV. Hope they catch this and post their
plans.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

Will this work?

yes, but I prefer mine coming in from the top on one end of the VF and flowing
out the top on the opposite end. Waste and solids will settle out Jerri

http://www.fringeweb.com/Ponds/JerrisPond

Dave Hahn wrote:
I need some information on what a 'veggie filter' should be. Some say that
the surface area should be 10 - 20% of your pond. Others say that it should
be 10 - 20% of the pond volume. Which is correct.
Also some say not to use lava rocks, others say it's okay.
What about water flow? How many gph should it have?
Should the pond water enter from the top or the bottom?

Here is what I think I am going to do:
Pond size = 1600 gallons
'Veggie Filter' = 225 gallons (2x10x1.5)
GPH Flow = 400
Pond water will enter from the bottom and cascade out the top like a
waterfall.

Will this work?



The set up you mention should work quite well if you have
enough plants. Adding rocks will make the veggie filter
very hard to clean. I did it for two seasons and then
removed all the rocks from mine.

--
Bonnie
NJ

The larger the veggie filter the better, both in volume in surface area.
When having to decide between surface area and volume, surface area is
better. Surface area is the limiting factor on how many plants you can use.

I use a 2 stage veg filter, made out of two 55 gal drums. Pond water comes
from the bottom of the pond, into the first drum, at the bottom of the drum.
This drum is filled with sunscreen netting to slow the water down and filter
out any particles. From here the water goes into the 2nd drum through a
venturi nozzle, so it's aerated.

The second drum is filed with milk crates and more sunscreen netting (others
have used window screen netting, and polishing pads to commercial floor
polishers) From here the water goes into the waterfall. In both drums I
plant water hyacinth, and in the area behind the waterfall I plant mint.

Netting is a lot easier to use and clean, then lava rocks. With lava rocks,
you have to scoop them all out, hose the off and replace them. A task which
rapidly becomes not fun, because lifting rocks out of a drum gets heavy
quickly. With netting you just pick it up, lay it down on the lawn, hose it
off, roll it back into a ball, and put it back. 10 minutes verses all day.

Sameer


"Dave Hahn" wrote in message
. ..
I need some information on what a 'veggie filter' should be. Some say that
the surface area should be 10 - 20% of your pond. Others say that it
should
be 10 - 20% of the pond volume. Which is correct.
Also some say not to use lava rocks, others say it's okay.
What about water flow? How many gph should it have?
Should the pond water enter from the top or the bottom?

Here is what I think I am going to do:
Pond size = 1600 gallons
'Veggie Filter' = 225 gallons (2x10x1.5)
GPH Flow = 400
Pond water will enter from the bottom and cascade out the top like a
waterfall.

Will this work?

Your proportions seem fine. Ours are visible on our pondsite. We have
three upflow barrels, five sequential ponds and a couple of water falls set
into a berm, The total is 93 sq ft. The pond has 290 sq ft of surface
area. The filters catch and hold the muck and the pond stays 'tea clear'.
In the spring, we run a UV to kill the early algae.

Good luck.

Jim

--
__________________________________________
Check out Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $140+ per jogger) at:
www.jogathon.net
See our pond at: http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-jameshurley
"Dave Hahn" wrote in message
. ..
I need some information on what a 'veggie filter' should be. Some say that
the surface area should be 10 - 20% of your pond. Others say that it
should
be 10 - 20% of the pond volume. Which is correct.
Also some say not to use lava rocks, others say it's okay.
What about water flow? How many gph should it have?
Should the pond water enter from the top or the bottom?

Here is what I think I am going to do:
Pond size = 1600 gallons
'Veggie Filter' = 225 gallons (2x10x1.5)
GPH Flow = 400
Pond water will enter from the bottom and cascade out the top like a
waterfall.

Will this work?

I use a 2 stage veg filter, made out of two 55 gal drums

aren't the drums ugly sitting next to the pond? Jerri

http://www.fringeweb.com/Ponds/JerrisPond

I use lava rock and love it but maybe not in the way that you are referring
to. I put my waterfall pump in a bucket (black 5 gallon) and then filled it
with lava rock. The water from the pump goes from my main pond into the
veggie tank (that overflows into the upper pond that then overflows into the
main pond. I never really clean the "filter" during the season. This
spring for other reasons I emptied the bucket out, rinse it out with pond
water, put the pump and rocks back in and start it up (I did rinse off the
really gunky rocks in pond water but not too much... that is where the good
stuff thrives I always thought). Really the only maintainence I do on my
pond is getting in to play (move rocks, plants, make asethic changes). I
hated the filter system that came with the kit that got me started and
almost gave up on ponding because of it. I had to rinse it at least twice a
week at the time to keep the water flowing (I didn't know about veggie
filters then). It was here that I heard about using lava rocks.

"K30a" wrote in message
...

Don't use lava rock.
The veggie filter will catch 'gunk' and the lava rock will be very hard to
clean.

My veggie filter is as simple as floating water hyacinths at the top of my
upflow mech/bio filter.
Things grow like crazy and I have to watch they don't plug the outlet.

Bonnie has a good veggie filter and pictures.
So does BV. Hope they catch this and post their
plans.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

They are relatively hidden behind a brickwork that makes the waterfall, so
you don't notice it too much.

Sameer

"Jerrispond" wrote in message
...
I use a 2 stage veg filter, made out of two 55 gal drums

aren't the drums ugly sitting next to the pond? Jerri


http://www.fringeweb.com/Ponds/JerrisPond

). It was here that I heard about using lava rocks.


I have been using lava rocks in my veggie filters for almost 10 years, and
still love them. I only clean the gunk off the bottom and the rock every 2
years, and the main ponds every 5 years.....this is my only sorce of filter
Jerri

http://www.fringeweb.com/Ponds/JerrisPond