Anyone who owns a garden or fish pond or operates aquaristics must clean the water of dirt. For this you need a filter that filters out all contaminants from the water. This works particularly easily with special filter mats, which consist of elaborately manufactured foam and mechanically remove the unwanted particles. Read which filter mats are recommended and what you should pay attention to when buying.
Filter mats help to keep the pond clean
Our recommendations
our recommendation
AQUARISTIK-PARADIES filter foam filter mat - blue 50 x 50 x 3 cm 'fine' (ppi 30)
9.69 EUR To the product| crowd | 1 |
|---|---|
| material | polyether foam |
| Pore | fine, PPI 30 |
| dimension | 50 x 50 x 3 centimeters |
| color | blue |
This blue-colored filter mat is particularly popular with Amazon customers and has very good ratings. The special filter foam consists of waterproof and food-safe polyether foam, which is suitable for both biological and mechanical cleaning. The product is also suitable for higher water temperatures of more than 28 degrees Celsius, which makes it interesting not only for the garden pond but also for aquaristics. The filter mat is available in three different porosities - PPI 10 (coarse), PPI 20 (medium) and PPI 30 (fine) - and in different sizes. You will receive a mat in the desired porosity and size.
our recommendation
Pondlife filter foam blue 100 x 100 x 5cm coarse 10 PPI
38.00 EUR To the product| crowd | 1 |
|---|---|
| material | polyurethane on polyether |
| Pore | coarse, PPI 10 |
| dimension | 100 x 100 x 5 centimeters |
| color | blue |
This filter foam mat from the brand manufacturer Pondlife also has many very good customer ratings on Amazon. The filter medium mentioned has a coarse pore (PPI 10), although you can also purchase fine (PPI 30) and medium (PPI 20) porous mats from the same manufacturer. The product presented here has a particularly large surface on which different bacteria, also known as filter bacteria, can settle. The Pondlife filter mat is therefore suitable for both mechanical and biological cleaning. It is ideal for various pond filters, especially flow-through, chamber or module filters. When you order, you will receive a mat of the desired size and pore size.
our recommendation
Original Japan mat filter mat 120 x 100 x 3.8 cm (29.08 EUR/m²)
EUR 34.90 To the product| crowd | 1 |
|---|---|
| material | polyester |
| Pore | k. A |
| dimension | 120 x 100 x 3.8 centimeters |
| color | blue |
Japanese mats are a widespread and proven filter medium for pond and aquarium filters. They have a particularly large surface on which pollutant-degrading bacteria can settle. This Japanese mat is made from pure polyester fibers with a diameter of 0.25 millimeters, which are firmly bonded together using water-insoluble adhesive. The adhesive does not contain any toxic components such as e.g. B. solvents or binders that could be released into the water and is therefore harmless. The material produced in this way is particularly durable, robust and does not clog so quickly. In addition, you only have to clean it once a year. Japanese mats can be trimmed as desired, which works best with a flex.
Purchase Criteria
purpose of use
When buying a filter mat, pay close attention to the intended use specified by the manufacturer or dealer, as there are very different models for different areas of application. In addition to pond filters, there are also air filters, washing machine and exhaust hood filters, etc. However, only specially approved filter media are suitable for the garden pond or aquarium, since the foam must be water-permeable, but must not dissolve in moisture.
material
Filter mats are usually made of plastic, for which different types of plastic can be used. It is only important that the material is absolutely non-toxic and excretion-free, i. This means that no toxic substances are released into the water. In addition, the foam should be open-pored, which is created by a special manufacturing process known as "reticulation". This is the only way to ensure good filter performance, since the cell partitions are no longer there and can no longer become clogged. When buying, also pay attention to bright colors, as faded materials are too old and brittle to be used again.
Pore
Filter mats are available in different filter levels between fine, medium and coarse. These filter levels are specified with the unit PPI, which means "pores per inch", i. H. "pores per inch" means. A filter mat with 10 PPI therefore has ten pores per inch of material length, with manufacturers allowing for a certain tolerance. The different pores represent different filter performances, whereby the coarser filters always go into the first and second filter chamber and the finer ones into all other filter chambers.
additives
Activated carbon is added to some filter mats, which is supposed to filter out and bind pollutants and any residues of medication from the water. Filtering pollutants is immensely important so that the fish in the garden pond or aquarium remain healthy and do not die from poisoning. However, this effect is also caused by the colonization of filter bacteria, which also draw ammonia and co. out of the water through their metabolic activity and thus render it harmless.
shape and dimensions
Filter mats are available in different sizes. You can not only purchase ready-made goods, but also rolled goods. You can cut the latter yourself as required. With the dimensions, make sure that the desired filter mat fits into the pond filter provided. The material cannot always be cut as desired, as the edges can fray and the mat becomes unusable. In addition to the flat mats, ready-made filter cubes are also available. our recommendation
SunSun Bio pond filter CBF-200T filter system complete with 9 W UVC and pond pump 2300 L/h 35 W
99.16 EUR To the productfrequently asked Questions
Why do you need filter mats?
You need filter mats to clean the pond or aquarium water, which is constantly being contaminated by dirt particles and other components (e.g. excretions from fish and other aquatic creatures) and therefore becomes cloudy over time. Pond filters clean the water mechanically and biologically, keeping it clean and clear.
How do filter mats work?
Filter mats are intended for use in so-called pond or aquarium filters, where you can ideally insert several different porous materials and thus improve the filter performance. The coarser the filter material, the further out it has to be placed. In this way, first the coarse dirt and finally finer particles are fished out. Pond mats should be thoroughly cleaned once or twice a year.
What exactly is meant by mechanical and biological cleaning?
Filter mats are suitable for both mechanical and biological filtration. Mechanical means that the special foam filters dirt particles out of the water. For biological cleaning, on the other hand, a wide variety of bacteria settle, which also absorb pollutants (e.g. ammonia, ammonium and algae) and thus render them harmless.
What is the difference between filter mats and Japanese mats?
Contrary to what the name suggests, the Japanese mats were not invented in Japan (the homeland of the koi), but in the Netherlands. There they were created as a by-product of the manufacture of nylon. In contrast to conventional filter mats, Japanese mats have very large pores, which is why you should always place at least two on top of each other. The advantage of these mats is that they are easier to clean, but they filter less effectively than fine-pored filter mats.
Can't you just use normal foam mats?
No, this is not possible for various reasons. On the one hand, normal foam mats are not water-resistant and would simply dissolve in water over time - with the result that plastic particles are now floating around in the garden pond or in the aquarium, which are difficult to remove. In addition, the desired filter effect is only given by the special manufacturing method in which the cell partitions are removed. Quite apart from the fact that material not intended for use in the pond is certainly not free of pollutants and is therefore harmful to water dwellers.
Which well-known companies produce high-quality filter mats?
Basically, every manufacturer of pond and aquaristic accessories offers special filter mats. Some filter systems only fit certain products offered by the same manufacturer. A well-known brand of pond mats (and other pond and aquarium accessories) is Pondlife, for example.