Hozelock Easyclear 3000

Product Information

As a pressurised pond filter, this AllPond Solutions model can handle more water than more conventional gravity-fed filters. It sits on the side of your pond where the filters work alongside the UV steriliser/clarifier to clean your pond water. The hinged lid on the filter box makes it easy to open to clean the filters, this is something I have found to be not that simple with some filters I have used in the past. I like the safety feature of the micro switch that turns off the UV light if the lid is opened or removed, even if the power is still on. This prevents anyone from looking directly into the UV light and harming their eyes.

This filter comes without a pump. And a downside, though not a deal breaker, is that it also comes without hoses. This is fine as you can choose your own pump or you might already have one anyway. Just make sure it’s the right size pump. The key to successful biological filtering is to allow the beneficial bacteria to grow upon the bio-balls or K2 media that’s in your filter. You need as many of these good bacteria as possible so look for filters that have a large surface area of biological filter media for the bacteria to grow on. If you’re just setting up a pond filtration system in a small pond, especially as a beginner, the AllPondSolutions Small Fish Pond Filter Box Kit gives you everything you need to start out. There’s a pump, a filter box and a UV steriliser. All three of these components together keep your water clean. And even the hoses are included. One thing that sets this Blagdon series of filters apart is that each model in the range had six stages of filtration. The UV clarifier light (as shown in the picture below) kills green algae, the spray bar oxygenates the water, graded foam traps debris and waste, the Pro bio media creates healthy water, the polymer wool polishes the water andlastly, the chemical foam reduces chemical pollutants. All six filters work one after the other in sequence to produce the cleanest water at the outlet. In the filter you will have filter foam, Kaldnes K1 filter media and gravel ballast too which will all work together to break down waste leading to a clean pond, the UV unit which is built in will eradicate green water suspended algae meaning you’ve got a clear pond throughout the year.The UV clarifier light is 5W so a little on the weak side. That being said, it will still kill the green algae and causes it to clump up. The foam filters then trap the clumps, or the clumps fall to the bottom of the pond, out of the way. As the pump and filter are all contained in one unit it means that there will be no need for pipes coming out of the water unless you want to feed a waterfall instead of using your fountain-head which is very simple to set up.

And speaking of cleaning, you can do this automatically which is what I like about a lot of these canister filters. That’s the Powerclenz part of this Fish Mate filter’s name. Just turn a knob on the top of the filter canister from Run to Clean and it runs water through the foam filters to clean them. I especially like that there’s a separate outlet pipe for the sludge generated by this action so that you don’t have to disconnect the water outlet pipe to empty the dirty water. Personally, I would direct this onto flowerbeds or collect it if you have raised beds as it’s great for the soil. Pros The high performance pump is super efficient and has designed to last for years to come. It can be used to create a decorative fountain or waterfall in the pond. You know when it’s time to clean the filters as there’s a float mechanism that raises up when the filters are dirty. And the cleaning task is easy as you just turn a handle on the top of the box. This lets water in to rinse the sponges inside; you don’t have to open the box to do the cleaning. However, some online reviewers report that this cleaning operation has been hit or miss for them. The dirty water from this process exits the filter via a separate outlet to the clean water. ProsSomething else I like about a lot of these pond filters is that most (not all) now come with a UV clarifier, as shown in the picture above, which helps prevent and remove green water caused by algae. Something that is probably one of the most common issues I see in ponds. Now, I’ve discussed UV clarifiers here where I talk about why I sometimes recommend having separate UV clarifiers. You can use a more powerful model as the ones built into the filter are sometimes a little underpowered, that being said, most are generally good enough. Two gauges are in the lid of the filter box. One tells you the temperature with the box and the other is an indicator that the filters are dirty and need cleaning or changing so this is a nice feature that not all filters have. There’s also a viewing window so you can see that the UVC light is working properly. The pump has a 2,300L flow rate and you know that it works perfectly with the other two pond cleaning appliances. The UV clarifier is a must and this one comes with a 9W bulb. All three pond cleaning units are designed for small ponds, that’s those up to 6,000L with no fish but the unit will be suitable for smaller ponds with fish. ( See the Buyer’s Guide for an explanation of how this volume changes with fish or sun). Some pond filters come with a built-in pond clarifier. This is a UV light that kills the green algae in the water. The algae then drop down to the bottom of the pond and remain in the water and are caught by the filters as waste the next time through the filtration system.