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How often should I clean my filters in my fish pond in Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg and Hershey PA

5/23/2016

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General Maintenance

​The Skimmer

The skimmer is designed to sweep the surface of the water so this it is free from debris. The debris basket inside the skimmer is the first filter stage of the skimmer. The basket will collect leaves, twigs, seeds, and other debris that falls or blows into the pond. It only takes a few minutes every other week to empty the debris basket. More frequent changes will be required during the fall in Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg and Hershey PA because of the quantity of leaves falling off the surrounding trees.
 
It is a good habit during your first season with the pond to periodically check the quantity of debris in the basket. This is especially true in the fall. Keep a mental note as to how often your basket has to be emptied. It's important that the debris basket is not allowed to become too full as too much debris can reduce the water flow to the pump.
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Features found on the Signature Series™ 6.0 & 8.0 Skimmers
  1. Natural Looking Faux-Rock Lid: Grooves designed into lid provide space for gravel or mulch
  2. Patented Adjustable Faceplate: Have you ever messed up your transit measurement when setting your pond's water level? Forget about it! Four inches of travel enable you to tweak out the perfect water level (Signature Series™ 6.0 & 8.0)
  3. Easy Maintenance: We are making it as easy as possible for the pond owner to maintain their filter with a large-volume, rigid debris basket (Signature Series™ 6.0 & 8.0)
  4. Injection Molded Fittings: Check valve threads into skimmer wall providing a professional watertight seal along the back of the filter
  5. Corrosion-resistant non-cross-threading hardware stands up to the elements
  6. Filter mat removes smaller sediment and debris
  7. Rounded shape provides maximum strength

 Filter Mat

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​The filter mat below the debris basket is the second stage of the skimmer. The mat is designed to handle any debris that finds its way past the basket. The mat will not need maintenance as frequently as the basket, since the basket will remove the majority of debris from the water.
 
The water reaching the pump should be relatively free of any large debris, thanks to the debris net and filter brushes on the skimmer, and, if you have a Pondless Waterfall, the fact that the water has to pass through layers of gravel in the basin.

Note: The filter mat may have a slot cut into it so that it fits around the discharge pipe. Install the filter mat correctly so the slot fits around the discharge pipe. Skimmer filter mats are designed to last for about two years. Filter mats may be discolored and appear dirty and old, but will work just fine in your skimmer and BIOFALLS filters, or MicroFalls. Replace old filter mats if they begin to tear or fall apart. ​

​The Pump

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​On occasion, you may see a reduction in the water flow over the waterfall in Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg and Hershey PA . This could be a sign that it is time to clean the filter screen on the bottom of the pump. This process should take no longer than five minutes. Simply unplug and remove the pump from the skimmer or Pondless Waterfall Vault and physically remove any debris found on the bottom of the pump. You may also want to physically remove any debris with your hands that may have found its way to the bottom of the skimmer or Pondless Waterfall Vault, where the pump sits.

BioFalls Filter

The BioFalls filter is the starting point of your waterfall. The filter mats and media provide a home for the beneficial bacteria that help clean the pond. It is designed for once-a-year cleaning when used in combination with a Signature Series Skimmer or Pondless Waterfall Vault prefilter, ensuring that large debris is filtered from the water before it reaches the Signature Series BioFalls filter.
 
Most ponds don't require the filter mats or filter media bag in the BioFalls Filter to be cleaned more than once a year. Cleaning them, especially with chlorinated tap water, more often will reduce or kill the beneficial bacteria growing on these filters. Replace old filter mats after several years, when they begin to tear or fall apart. The filter mats can be removed for annual cleaning through the wider opening at the front of the rack.
Need your filters cleaned
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Features found on the Signature Series 2500 & 6000 Biofalls Filter
  1. More advanced installers will love the reversible waterfall lip option, which provides the flexibility of using a natural stone spillway and large accent boulders along the front of the unit (for 2500 and 6000 model filters)
  2. Removable upper tray can hold rocks, plants, and gravel, helping to
    naturalize the BioFalls® Filter into the surrounding landscape
  3. Media net (BioBalls™ sold separately)
  4. Corrosion resistant non-cross-threading hardware stands up to the elements
  5. Two Poly-Flo ESA biological Filter Mats provide 50% more surface area than traditional filter mats
  6. Two bulkhead ports provide plumbing options
  7. Filter support rack ensures evenly distributed waterflow through filter mats
    and provides structural strength to the walls of the filter
  8. Circular shape provides maximum strength and makes it easy to
    camouflage into the landscape

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What filters should I use for my fish pond in Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg and Hershey?

4/25/2016

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​There are two basic types of filtration. The frist one in Mechanical or all also referred to as skimmers. The second types is biological it absorb ammonia, and turn nitrites into nitrates, which are less dangerous (this mean it take all the bad stuff from the fish out).

Gordon's Pond Utopia Carlisle, PA  (717) 226-1614

The Mechanical Basics

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Mechanical filters, also referred to as skimmers, are a huge part of your pond’s ecosystem. Sure, they might not look as cool as your gushing waterfall or eat out of your hand like your favorite koi, but they do take care of a lot of the debris in your pond that could be harmful to your fish and make your waterfall look less than stellar. Mechanical filters house and protect the pump, ridding ponds of larger particles, waste, and sediment. There are many types of filters designed to perform this task, and that’s why it can be so difficult for people to distinguish between the good and the bad.
 
​Skimmers filter water by removing debris and waste before it has had a chance to fall to the bottom of the pond – much like a swimming pool filter. The box skimmer is the easiest to maintain.

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The Biological Filtration

Skimmer filters 

Skimmer filters take out all the large debris off the top of your pond before it can sink to the bottom. The skimmer also keep the pump off of the bottom of the pond and keep the pump from getting clogged.   

​The bottom line when it comes to choosing your skimmer is to keep things simple. A basic design is always the best way to go. When things start getting complicated, with two separate chambers or several different kinds of filtration, there are more opportunities for failure. Simplicity will make a big difference when you’re enjoying your low-maintenance, chemical-free water garden in the privacy of your own backyard. You’ll be glad you did the research now, so you don’t have to deal with the problems later!
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​The biological filter receives water that has already passed through the mechanical filter, or skimmer, typically placed on the opposite side of the pond.  The water enters the biological filter via flexible pipe located near the base of the unit.  The water then flows from the bottom to the top of the filter, traveling through filter media housed inside the unit.  The filter media helps with the removal of fine to medium-sized particles.  The larger debris was already removed by the skimmer.
As the biological filter fills, it will overflow and cascade over its waterfall lip, cascading down rocks that have been set to create a beautiful and preferably natural-looking waterfall.  The waterfall creates aeration for the pond, assisting in the circulation and health of the water.  If a slower, stream effect is preferred, the unit simply needs to be sunk lower into the ground.

​Biological filters on the market today range in size and can filter ponds up to 10,000 gallons.  For larger ponds, constructed wetland filters (Bog) can be incorporated into the design. The ones under 10,000 gallons are the most popular in Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg and Hershey.

​Biofalls Filter

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Aquascape offers an extensive line of BioFalls® biological waterfalls filters designed to help you create a beautiful, low maintenance water garden.  A biological style of filter provides a home for beneficial bacteria to grow.  These special strains of bacteria that are added to the water garden are highly effective at breaking down and removing wastes from the water, such as ammonia, nitrogen, decaying plant debris and fish waste.  All of this waste, if not properly filtered, can become harmful to fish and cause significant water quality issues.  One of the biggest challenges with most biological filters on the market is they are difficult to hide and are often an eyesore that takes away from the overall beauty of the pond.  The Aquascape Biofalls®, unlike traditional biological filters, are actually hidden into the landscape.  The Biofalls® can be buried into the ground to create the beginning of a stream or raised to create the start of a beautiful waterfall.  The top of the filter can be filled with aquatic plants and accent stones allowing the filter to be completely camouflaged into the landscape.  Once the Biofalls® is installed, you could be standing right next to it and not even know it is there.​The ones under 10,000 gallons are the most popular in Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg and Hershey.

Wetland Filtration

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A wetland works just like a biological filter, but instead of creating a waterfall; it creates an area in your pond thick with naturally-filtering plants, as well as rocks and gravel, which provide a surface for bacterial colonization … nature’s perfect filters. So a wetland, while naturally beautiful and pleasing to the eye, is a great filtration method, and will help keep your water looking crystal clear. The ones over 10,000 gallons are the most popular in Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg and Hershey.

​One of the greatest things about wetland filtration is that it can be used with almost any system. But will it fit in with your pond? Do you have to have a lot of space to construct a wetland?  There are no size limitations because it acts as your biological filtration. The plants, rocks, and gravel act as the filtration media, similar to what you see in nature.

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    Love to make custom water features.  I  am the owner of Gordon's Pond Utopia. Doing what I love building ponds and water features. 

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