Selecting the correct filter is important for a successful pond with minimum pond maintenance. If you do not have the correct filter setup you will always be doing pond maintenance. The pond water will be dirty, pea green and full of gross string algae.

What is the key to minimal pond maintenance? There are some thing you can do to ensure you won't be doing pond maintenance all the time. We want to keep maintenance to once every couple weeks. It depends on the size of your pond and the quantity of koi. The more koi in your pond, the more the filter has to work, and the more pond maintenance you'll have to do if your filter can't handle it.

When selecting your filtration, you should have a mechanical filter, a bio-filter, and a UV filter. A skimmer filter is a good mechanical filter for removing floating debris, and you should use a bottom drain as well for the stuff that sinks. This will surely minimize the level of pond maintenance you have to do, especially early in the season when starting it up again.

The most important part of your filter is the bio filter. It contains beneficial bacteria which do your pond maintenance for you! Bacteria actually grows on everything, which is why its important to use a bio filter that is filled with something with plenty of surface area. You can use anything that has a lot of surface area including straws and sponges.

If you do not setup your filter correctly, the worst part of your pond maintenance will be removing string algae. This is a direct result of your bio filter being insufficient. If its early spring or summer, its possible your bio filter has not developed yet, it takes about a month to 6 weeks. You should add some bacteria in the beginning of the spring to start your biological filter early and avoid having to do so much pond maintenance.

UV is another important part of filtration. It's an ultra violet light that the water passes around and it kills the algae. It is only about $100 and will save you the cost of buying algae killing products every couple weeks.

These are important things to consider when constructing your pond. Remember the goal is to have a pond to look at, not to do pond maintenance all the time! Make sure to use the best materials so you don't have to worry.