I made this filter about 3-4 years ago and it's amazing!! I'm watching again now to refresh my memory as I'm about to make another one. I want to add that I used lava rocks instead of the bio balls which required running water over them for a few minutes to get rid of all that red dust just in case anyone doesn't want to buy all the bio balls. Happy crafting!

A massive thank you Trevor, I've built this today, took me 30 mins and cost me less than £15 all together (that said, I do have a trade card for supplies, but would still be cheap without), I instantly saw the water coming out of the filter was cleaner, I can't wait till it settles in and works its magic. I was literally about to spend another £400 on another rubbish filter promising the earth and delivering pants, but then I stumbled upon your video, so glad I did.. To anyone thinking of doing this... DO IT. You're a legend, thank you

superb explanation of what is actually going within the filter system! Just what I needed to see!

Thank you for taking the time to help someone that doesn't know anything about filters. Your gift has given me the ability to make my own because of your amazing step by step video. More than that you explained and then you demonstrated. From the Schachel Family, we sincerely say Thank's.

Hi Trevor, your tutorial is so simple and easy to follow , not sure why some other people make it so complex but yours is straight forward, as a newbie knew nothing about filter and a small budget to play with , I watched many other samples but I chose your method as the best one so far . Thanks for sharing the idea. Cheers

This is the best diy pond filter video I found! Six months ago I used this video to help build my own filter and it has worked perfectly! Thank you for sharing this info, it was so helpful!! ☺️

Thank you so much for explaining how this works and why you made all of your design choices in such great detail. This was an excellent video.

Excellent video! I'm getting ready to build my own pond in the back yard and was wondering how to set up a filtering system. I just happened to stumble across your video. It answered just about every question I had. Great job Trevor!

I am enthused with your teaching techniques. On my way, as a novice, to construct one thanks to you, Trevor. Thank you, sir

wow! i have been watching videos on DIY filters and this is by far one of the best. you explained everything in detail. Hopefully I can pull this off for my soon to be patio pond. Thank you!

Great idea for sure! There is one thing I noticed that may improve even water flow across the top filter layers; I would think if the holes in the inlet pipe were to be smaller and fewer closer to the inlet and slightly larger and more plentiful further from the inlet, it will even out the pressure in the pipe thus dispersing the water more evenly. As with anything, you may have to experiment with various configurations of hole size and placement to achieve perfect flow.

Dear Mr. Trevor, thanks for a very complete and informative vid on pond filters. I shall make the one you've shown. Blessings, - pierre from New Mexico

Love your video!! Having a hard time deciding which I like better your filter or your workshop!!

Hi, Trevor, used your directions to build a filter last year, and it's not only made it through the winter, the water is clearer than it's ever been! I am seeing some "string algae" that I've not had before, but all in all, it's been a great installation! Thanks for taking the time to share! Kathi In Va

Loooove your video! You had all the elements to help the most non mechanically inclined person (like myself) understand! Thank you!

Very skilled with hand work and tools. Pleasure to watch. Thanks

Very thorough and concise. thanks for a very complete and informative video on pond filters!

after watching this i made my own similar version based on this version.it works a treat,your video was extremely helpful and easy to understand .i have 2/3rds of my filter media under water and a baffle plate situated vertically in front of the outlet .it has holes drilled through it at the bottom which forces the water down through the media before passing through the baffle then up through more media and the exiting through the outlet .thanks !

@gomewex- you can put this filter at the top of your waterfall, you just need to ensure that your pump can deliver water to the filter (I am assuming it can because it is probably doing that now). With respect to cleaning, in the beginning my pond was very dirty so I had to clean the filter material several times during the first 4 weeks. Since then I rinse the filter material around 2-3 times a year (mostly during summer) to clear the debris out. Good luck with your filter if you decide to build one.

Home made filter is best filter, the best video you upload I think now anyone can make a filter , I use hand made filter in my pond & it's working perfect

straight forward and direct...love this setup!

I purchased an all in one filter uv pump and realized that my pond was too filthy for the filter to handle. Used your design to create one similar using the pump I purchased... Great idea.... Thank you..

Thanks for the tutorial on the Bio-Filter. My Koi Pond was previously filtered with a sand filter, a .75 kw pump and UV Light. This worked great. Recently the filter cracked and rather than buy a new filter I used your design. Due to the high flow rate, 20000 lit per hour, the tote would not cope with this volume of water. I therefore made the inflow pipe, 50 mm pvc pipe, to the tote go straight through the tote and drilled holes in the pipe for water to flow through the filter. Most of the inlet water flowed straight through so to have more water flow through the filter I cut a slot, about 5 mm depth, into the inflow pipe just before it exited the tote. I inserted a small plastic disk into the slot which restricted the flow of water and allowed more water to be filtered. By adjusting the depth of the slot I was able to achieve a perfect flow rate through the tote without it flooding. The slot also acted like a Venturi drawing in air so the pond is being aerated more than before..After a week my pond was absolutely clear. Thanks again for an informative tutorial.

Very thorough and concise. I very much appreciate this tutorial video. I will be making this exact same setup! Thank you.

Well done. You have inspired me to make one of these. Thanks for sharing!

Great tutorial thank you so much for taking the time to edit and put it together. Also...catchy tune!

I make filters like this but was able to pick up some great tips that I can add and will be doing today. Thanks for the video.

Up there with the best and finest expls., well done! I try all this! Richard in Australia

I am doing a diy 5 gal pond. This video helps me figure out how to setup filter on my own. Thank you so much for sharing,

Thanks that's a really nicely made filter that anyone could make well done

This is an excellent video. The diagram at the start made everything very simple to understand, and then watching you construct the filter made the whole project seem completely doable. Thank you. I do have one question--how often does the filter need to be disassembled and cleaned?

Thanks, I always empty part of my water each Spring, but it's still too cold here in Va. ( we had snow overnight) so I will plan on that next month! Once I float in some aquatic plants in May, and barley, it will help! Thanks again!

Very nice video. I really appreciate the real world drawing segment. I wish some of the other KZfaqrs would be so generous with their designs rather than running around their system with a shaky phone camera talking about this and that rather than slowing down as you have and actually providing excellent learning opportunities.

Awesome job....not only making filter, i learned to be detailed in giving information

This is an amazing video. For both the beginner and expert pond owners. This is also a priceless video. Thank you for sharing your ingeniuty with the world. I have both extreme large koi ponds and small ponds. I have watched the pond industry and being a numbers person, I am constantly calculating how much money the pond industry is stealing from the good hard working people that just want to set back at the end of the day and enjoy their ponds. It is a blessing to see these DYI projects. Perhaps someday the pond industry will wake up and start lowering prices. But of course I will have long passed and my great grand children will be standing on my bridges feeding my life long passion.

Thank you so much for this video and all your information., I built two of these filters for two differant Koi ponds and they are working great. I have tried several differant manufactored pond kits that did not work for me. Thanks again.

Mr. Trevor's Workshop: Great job...!, thank you very much for sharing this project. Greetings from Lima - Perú

That's exactly the DIY system that I was looking for!! We recently bought a house, with a big pond in the backyard (+6000L). The previous owner never filtered the water nor provided it properly with oxigen (the pond is, according to the neighbors, more than 10 years old), let alone ever cleaned it, with the result that a 30cm thick layer of all kinda crap settled on the bottom of the pond and filled with very dark green mucky and stinking water. We were barely able to see any fish that was surfacing for food. I was able to rescue about 20 fish, all sorts of them, 3 koi's included (I have no idea how they even survived in that stinking water!!) and pumped out most of the water out of the pond. Next step is getting rid of all the yuk and muck on the bottom with buckets, which is gonna be one hell of a backbreaking job of you ask me. ^^ And, because I'm a person who likes DIY, I was wondering how to make a proper working biological filter that would be easy to clean and working properly. And there you are! Tho my tub might have to be bigger, +6000L to clean, as well as maybe a stronger pump, the system stays the same. Thanks for sharing, buddy!! Cheers!

Thank you! An excellent instructional video. Really helpful for newbies to see and hear the principles of operation and construction clearly explained and delivered with excellent diction! Just one question; what size pump was delivering water from the pond to the filter?

this is the simplest filter I've been seen ever, thanks for your video (y)

Wonderful video and explanation!! I'm working on mine this weekend using a 30 gallon food grade barrel from craighslist

Thanks for sharing. You are absolutely right about cost of parts to build. I tried to build mine which came to almost $110 with all material.

Excellent filter. I'm going to use this design but add more holes on the spray bar to get a better even spread against the filter pads. thanks for build.

Thank you! This has been so helpful in so many ways!

An interesting video, my own home made pond filter was very successful but a very different layout. I used a plastic water butt and made the holes for fittings with a hole saw. I was trying to do it very cheaply but as you know the price of fittings and valves puts the price up!

Love the way this is filmed it makes it look like anyone can make this even me!!!!

Great job came out beautiful , my only ? You didn't mention anything about the pump used or did you .but still great advice

What a great video! thank you for sharing your experience. Is it possible to put plants on top of this system.. similar to aquaponics setup?

thank you for posting this I am so trying it this spring. as soon as I get to Lows.

Nice filter, I like how you combine the overflow with the bottom drain in one, great idea!

nice, clean design. some good info. one tip: it is a small filter so, (i think) you can make it even more efficient if you want by installing a couple of air stones at the bottom to aerate the bioballs

That was an excellent job. Thank you.

This was a lot of help! Thanks!

Very well done video! Nice pond as well.

i made one very similar to this and used it for years ,im about to make another one but it will have an openingwith a tap on the opposite side near the bottom so that when i give it an occasional hose out i can send it into a container rather than getting dirty . whenever i clean it out the garden gets the waste water and loves it .

Love it, I am so doing this for my pond. Thank you

Surprisingly similar to one I made about 40 years ago now. Great minds think alike!

Excellant job well done, i dont have a pound just a fish tank so ive made 1 of these for that and it works great many thanks

Thank you looks easy enough to do. I have a bio filtration system allready works fine but I purchased one thing They came this morning and within 4 hrs my pond was so clean. I put bio home ultimate filter media in amasing stuff . Thank you for making this video Happy fish to

Excellent tutorial and very nicely explained thank you sir for your post

I'll had to learn the same way you had! Great video!

Thank you for the video Trevor i be making this filter tomorrow :)

Very good video, thank you trevor. I just put one in service and it is working great.

I built my own filter for our pond, a somewhat different design, the perfect tool for cutting the plastic for the fittings is a hole saw...very cheap!

Very well done video. I'm going to try it soon.

Outstanding job. There is only one thing I would add. The tub container I would spray paint the outside with two coats of black. This will help prevent any algae from over taking the growth inside the tub! After drying buy some bamboo, split the bamboo, get a glue gun, glue the bamboo to the sides and top. To camouflage the bio filter.

Excellent video. Very helpful.

Thank you for sharing. Great idea.

Very nice design. Thanks - took less that two hours to build and install!

thank you for giving us an awesome idea!

I need mine shallower and submerged. Will redesign, thanks!

Excellent tutorial, thanks a lot!!!

Love the video. Wondering though, what kind of pump are you using?

Thanks Trevor. That’s a massive $$$$$ and just as good as a bought one!

fantastic video. I'm building a raised pond out of 4x4's that will be 8'x2x30" between two decks that are at different heights and I've been looking for a simple filter system that will sit at one end that I can hide and yours is the best I've seen so far. 1 question, what's the name of that song?

thank you very much for this video, it is explained very well I apologize for not mastering English as well thank you

Parabéns. Ficou muito bom. Quantos litros tem seu lago? congratulations. it was very good. How many liters does your lake have?

Well done.

Thank you!!!!!! I had an idea using a tote, and you put it all together for me!!!!!!!

Ah, a fellow South African! Great video. Thanks so much :)

Good job best one so far,Cheers

Awesome stuff!!! What makes the water crystal clear? Is it the bigger the pump? or the bigger the bucket? Thanks for the info...

Nice work. My respect.

Thanks for this excellent video and I have built a filter for my pond similar to this. Question : What is the best possible way to add a UV system for this filter as my pond is now becoming greener. Thanks again for this excellent video.

Perfect ! I'll try.

great video, BBQ lava rocks are the best bio media for the bottom

instead of the pricey pre-made bulkhead fittings you can use the just regular male and female pvc adapters and sandwich the plastic and cut your own rubber grommet out of soft thick rubber or just use silicone. A lot of useful info on here thanks :D

The Best work School and BestTechnology!

Great Video! Wanted to ask how the Biological Pond filter is doing? Is it still working fine and have you had to do any maintenance on it?

Awesome...Long forward to making this. I have a very tall waterfall...can I put this on the top of the waterfall and will it still work. Also, how often should I expect to change the filters (clean the filters)? Thank you very much for this wonderful idea!!! It will help me save a TON of money!!!

Very nice video sir. Now that's what I call explaining things. got a quick view of your pond your idea is very good but I would of stepped up the size filter box plus a little more power in the pump wouldn't go amiss BUT really like your idea well done sir.

You got yourself a new subscriber...

good job! how big of a pump did you use? too lazy to watch 2x thanks

I love this... can you make one like this and possibly put some plants in there? bamboo?

Hi Trevor excellent video and very helpful, I am looking to add something like this but the pond is 28000 litres do you think I will need several of these. I seen a similar implementation with the coarse, medium and fine split into 3 separate containers stacked on top of each other with holes in the bottom to flow through all 3 one after the other, do you think that would be worthwhile adding or would one container have enough effect on the pond? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me, Ray

How does the pump itself bring dirty water into the system without clogging in the first place? I have have a natural pond with trees around it and a bunch of algae/ muck. I've tried copper sulfate and muck-away, but it seems to have gotten worse ( I followed directions) I really need a filtration system, but I feel that the pump itself would get clogged. Btw, this is by far the best video I've seen on how pumps work. Thank you for that.

Nice job. About to build an above ground pond myself and I'll be using a combination of commercial and DIY filtration. I don't believe you can ever have too much filtration. 😁 Except of course if you do it to the point where the extra work achieves nothing. Basically I'm just adding more to the biological side of things.

Thanks for this.

Great video! Simple and a lot cheaper then buying one from a pond store! Sorry there not going like you showing everyone how simple and cheap is to have a pond system that works for you. $$$$

This was a great explanation for beginners, I applaud you for sharing. Not my cup of tea though as I would never be able to sit and enjoy a pond where the focal point is a giant rubbermaid tote, its like trying to host a dinner party with a giant tote i the middle of the table. I'd take it a step further and build a simple enclosure to encase the tote and pump, a small bench structure built out of pressure treated boards that you could lift off/over would do nicely or some loose laid masonry to match the surroundings with a simple removable wood top. But your concept and premise is great. Keep sharing.