Whats the Difference Between a Mechanical Filter and a Biological Filter?
A mechanical filter is a filter that primarily filters out debris in your pond. It usually consists of a variety of filter pads (course, fine, carbon-coated, etc.), beads, filter nets, etc. that will ‘catch’ the debris that’s in your pond so you can remove it. A biological filter is part of a filter where beneficial bacteria (which is a good type of bacteria to have), grows and multiplies. This beneficial bacteria requires a lot of surface area to grow on, so the more surface area, the more room you’re providing the beneficial bacteria to grow on. When you add beneficial bacteria on a regular basis, such as Microbe Lift for ponds and water gardens less than say, 50′ x 50′ in size, or PlanktoniX for ponds and lakes larger than 50′ x 50′ in size, you’re always increasing your pond’s biological filter. Sometimes, manufacturers make filters that provide both mechanical and biological filters. Beneficial bacteria can grow on the filter pads which can have a bit of surface area for them to g
