Biofilter in a drum or in a stream?

" ..." wrote in message
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My questions are these:
Is a stream, which I have room for, as good as a crushed gravel 40-gal
drum for a biofilter?
Will the stream require draining and flushing periodically like I had
planned for my drum filter?
If so what is the typical interval and process?

I put a bio filter (made from a Rubbermaid stock tank) at the top of my
cascading series of falls only to find that it was probably not necessary. I
temporarily bypassed the tank and found that the stream/falls served the
purpose nicely.

As for flushing the stream, I clean mine annually in the fall. In the last
pool before the water topples into my pond I placed a bottom drain with a
screw-top cover. All I have to do is shut off my pump, open the stream drain
and wash the stream down with a hose just as you would a driveway. It works
great!

Good Luck!
~ Gary