Materials

• The main structure of the pond filter can be fashioned from any plastic container that has a tight-fitting lid. This can be a large bucket with a snap-on lid, a plastic tote container or even a large food storage container. The size will depend upon the volume of your backyard pond.
  
  Hoses or PVC pipe that coincide with the size of the plastic container you choose for your filter are required to attach to the pond's pump, or any fountain mechanisms you have in your water garden. You will also need some type of sealant that is not harmful to aquatic life.
  
  You will also need a piece of plastic screen and filter media, such as small rocks, plastic Wiffle golf balls and quilt batting or mesh.
  
  The tools necessary for making pond filters at home can be easily found around the house. A sharp utility knife and a small hand saw will get the job done.
  
  

Put Together an Effective Pond Filter

• Putting together a homemade pond filter that will clean your water effectively requires only a few steps. Create a hole in the lead of the plastic container and another smaller hole about 1 or 2 inches up from the bottom. The smaller hole should match the diameter of the PVC pipe or tubing you plan to use.
  
  Use a hand saw to cut the pipe or tubing to the appropriate length. If your pond filter has a tube already attached, you only need a short length attached to the filter. Conversely, you could cut a length long enough to reach from the filter to the pond pump. Insert the tube or hose into the hole near the bottom of the filter container and seal up the outside edges with your sealant.
  
  Fill the pond filter with various layers of media designed to clean the water. Begin with a layer of small, oddly-shaped rocks or purchased filter media. Add a layer of bio balls or small Wiffle balls to give beneficial bacteria a place to colonize. Finish the homemade water garden filter with a layer of loose quilt batting or something similar. These layers provide both mechanical and eventually biological filtration of the water garden ecosystem.
  
  

Filter Use and Maintenance

• The last step before sinking the homemade pond filter into your pond is laying a piece of screen over the top opening and snapping on the lid with the hole in it. This is where the water will flow into the filter, so it must be submerged. Attach all necessary hoses from the pond pump or any fountain or waterfall mechanisms, then put the pond filter in the water.
  
  Wait several minutes until all the water works its way out of the filter container. Then, turn on the pond pump and the water will start to be filtered. If the top of screen of the filter becomes clogged with debris, simply take it off and use a garden hose to clean it. The same thing can be done to the top layer of filter media. The balls and rocks underneath should not be cleaned excessively, as it will destroy the beneficial bacteria colonies.