A Koi Pond Filtration System usually consists of two sets or separate units of individual system that work parallel to provide clean and crystal clear water supply. Two of the most common setup which you will normally come across that has become a standard in the koi pond industry, will have one part of the pond using a multichamber filter drawn from an aerated bottom drain system and another separate entity will be using an external pump combined with a surface skimmer to suck out water going to a UV sterilizer and then sent to a fluidized bed filter.
Overall, the system can be represented by the diagram shown below which depicts how each unit is positioned and installed in order to operate independently. As you can see multichamber filter system is usually positioned at one end of the pond while the external pump with UV sterilizer bed filter will directed with the inflow and discharge at another direction. Basically both setups are usually constructed on an underground compartment well-hidden so that the pond looks well organized without the pipes and filter housing visible.
Combination of those two different systems is normally enough and by calculation is able to treat and handle anywhere between 3000 gallons to 7000 gallons of pond capacity and may even go to the maximum of 10000 gallons if everything is well managed. Having two parallel systems also have it advantages because at any time, you can always shut off one unit for servicing and maintenance but still let the pond working normally without affecting the water quality or jeopardizing your pet koi fish’s health. Each individual setup also has it own advantages and basically what lacks in one unit will be compensated with the other system.
Let’s discuss each of them going into details. A multichamber filter system as the name implies, will have several chamber units that work together to treat the pond water. The whole idea and main purpose of this setup is to create ample surface area large enough for growth of bacteria. Usually the most effective system is by using the vortex technology whereby water which is diverted from the bottom drain will be first be channeled to the specially designed vortex chamber in order to create a strong centrifugal force to remove off the large particles. After that, only then the water will be diverted to the chambers for filtration and biological actions.
The other setup is the combination of UV sterilizer and fluidized bed filter or you can either replace it with trickle filter which are more common and mostly used in industrial and water treatment system whereby it will involve using external pump to transfer the water and create a moving flow. Generally compared to the multichamber unit, this setup can actually handle higher volume and capacity and it treats most of the pond water. However, managing it can be tough because unlike chamber filter system, overall this will involve higher maintenance cost as you will be dealing with pumps and changing of UV sterilizer lamps. A trickle filter although can be very efficient but however, it needs constant attention to clean it or else choking with debris and fish waste will eventually decrease its performance.
More about pond construction and design including also facts that you need to know on the aeration system
Overall, the system can be represented by the diagram shown below which depicts how each unit is positioned and installed in order to operate independently. As you can see multichamber filter system is usually positioned at one end of the pond while the external pump with UV sterilizer bed filter will directed with the inflow and discharge at another direction. Basically both setups are usually constructed on an underground compartment well-hidden so that the pond looks well organized without the pipes and filter housing visible.

Let’s discuss each of them going into details. A multichamber filter system as the name implies, will have several chamber units that work together to treat the pond water. The whole idea and main purpose of this setup is to create ample surface area large enough for growth of bacteria. Usually the most effective system is by using the vortex technology whereby water which is diverted from the bottom drain will be first be channeled to the specially designed vortex chamber in order to create a strong centrifugal force to remove off the large particles. After that, only then the water will be diverted to the chambers for filtration and biological actions.
The other setup is the combination of UV sterilizer and fluidized bed filter or you can either replace it with trickle filter which are more common and mostly used in industrial and water treatment system whereby it will involve using external pump to transfer the water and create a moving flow. Generally compared to the multichamber unit, this setup can actually handle higher volume and capacity and it treats most of the pond water. However, managing it can be tough because unlike chamber filter system, overall this will involve higher maintenance cost as you will be dealing with pumps and changing of UV sterilizer lamps. A trickle filter although can be very efficient but however, it needs constant attention to clean it or else choking with debris and fish waste will eventually decrease its performance.
More about pond construction and design including also facts that you need to know on the aeration system