Veggie Filters vs UV Filters ??

"Bette E" wrote in message
...
1. Does anyone have a site with detailed info, for making your own
veggie filter?
2. Would this work for a 8' x 19' by 30" deep pond? It's 1800 to 2000
gals, more or less.
How do you feel about using a UV fiter in comparison? Any info is
appreciated.


My pond is at rough guestimate 3000 gallons. I use nothing but a VF. A good
rule of thumb is to make the surface area of your VF 10% of the surface area
of your pond. Mine is probably closer to 30%, but I had the room, and wanted
to oversize to be safe. Next, use GOOD filter plants. You want plants with
dense root systems like water hyacinth, or water lettuce. I also use water
iris in my VF for two reasons. They look great with their tall slender
foliage extending above the leafy WH. Secondly, they grow well in baskets of
rocks and pebbles. So the baskets provide a lot of surface area for good bio
bugs, while still allowing the roots to get access to the water born goo.

The most important thing to realize with a VF is that there is no such thing
as immediate response. In colder climates where we lost the VF plants, we
have a period of algae bloom and green goo that is guranteed because in the
spring our filters are not yet revved up. You can stay this off a bit, with
cold tolerate plants like water celery and watercress.

UV? No comparison. UV is for techno mechanical filter weenies that want to
see their fishies. Their loonies. All of them.

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com