Keep using it until you see a vast difference in the amount of "green stuff" trapped it the batting.
The "green stuff" is suspended algae and minute particles of mulm, soil etc.

I have polyester quilt batting in my filter all year long as a finishing cleaner. It continues to collect the finer particles that the other filter materials miss.
Horton"

So, can quilt batting be used as a media in the media bags?

It can be used as media although it will clog more quickly than other types. Bacteria will colonize it. Just remember that daily cleaning can hurt the bacteria so it is better to have other types in the filter that allow a more stable environment for the bacteria to grow. If you only need to clean once a week or less than the bacteria should be fine. It is also worth pointing out that many sites say that cleaning the filter media with tap water that has chlorine or chloramine will kill the bacteria, so rinsing the filter media in a bucket of water from the pond is suggested. hope this helps.

Yes, it does. I have two other filters in addition to the 2 media bags that I need to fill with something, hence the question of quilt batting which I just happen to already have on hand. What other things can I can to media bags, besides lava rocks? I love to get some Springflo but it isn't in the budget right now. Thanks.

IMO forget the lava rock as it plugs up too quickly and you cannot clean it thoroughly after it is plugged.
I use nylon pot scrubbies, the bun shaped type, they have lots of surface area for bacteria to colonise on.
Bird netting, scrunched up makes a good screening for the heavier dirt and bits of plants etc.
Blue, "cut-to-size", air-conditioning filter makes great filter medium
Horton"

I've always considered mechanical filter material as separate from the material used to colonize bacteria. I blast my mechanical filters with a high pressure hose when they get dirty. I know I'm killing good bacteria, but that's OK. I have a 30 gallon tank full of nylon straps that are perfect for colonizing bacteria. I also have a smaller tank full of plastic "bio" balls. The plastic and nylon doesn't get too dirty and provides excellent growing space for healthy bacteria.

I don't see how you can really clean polyester filters without harming the bacteria that grows on them. If you replace them, the bacteria is removed with the old filter.

Using the 2 together is pretty effective. Granted you will lose alot every time you clean the filter media but enough will remain to quickly reseed a colony, if you are simply rinsing out the material. If you take care to keep the bacteria in the filter system healthy then it reduces the need to introduce bacteria and stops cycle blooms throughout the growing season. The importance of it is more noticeable in small and low tech ponds, I notice the difference when I put in new media. But to each their own there is no universal right answer.

I also use the nylon scrubbies from the Dollar Store.I made
a pvc frame that goes in my skimmer.If you cut the string that
holds the scrub together you get a piece about 4ft. long.I
then wrap them around the frame. This filters a lot of algae
out of the water and the water stays clear.

In my tiny (200 gal) pond I use quilt batting as my primary floating organic waste remover. Beginning of the season I get a roll (few dollars at wal-mart) and cut it into 12" strips to fit my filter. I change it maybe once week or more as it fills quickly.

I keep two sets on hand, I replace one with another then use the hose to rinse out the dirty one so I can get a few uses out of it. Having two sets means I never put chlorine soaked batting back into my filter.

When it still looks nasty after I hose it off I chuck it and start another piece. Cut the whole roll when you get it so you don't have to always look for scissors later.

Johnkr, like you I blast out the mechanical filter materials, i.e. bird netting and AC filter pad with water every so often to clean out the sludge that accumulates.

The nylon scrubbies are contained in plastic baskets in a secondary filter. I rinse out one of these containers each time, leaving the others alone with their colony of bacteria.
The last material used in my filter, is the quilt batting and that is tucked in around and over the plastic containers to "fine tune" the water before it leaves the filters.
The quilt batting, I usually replace twice a season as it becomes pretty dirty.

In the Fall I take everything out from the filter boxes and clean it all thoroughly, with the exception of the batting, which is discarded or rinsed out and used, as winter bedding at the bottom of the pond, for the frogs.

The filters are then ready for the next year and are soon re-colonized by the bacteria that is still living in the ponds.
"Horton"

Thanks for all the suggestions of things that can be used for media. The more you ask, the more you know.

I don't mean to sound like a pond snob, but there have been millions of dollars put into researching this stuff and no one in the industry sells quilt batting as a filter media.

If you are still having problems either you have a leak that is flowing fresh silt in every day or you have significant runoff issues from somewhere around the pond. Or you are way too worried about crystal clear water and there hasn't been a chance for any biological balance to be achieved.

Lava rock is often used, but not worth much. The standard white filter media is decent, but not very tough. As far as in skimmer, the best things is Matala filter media. And in a biofall use Savio's Spring flow or something like it.

If you are using batting you are fixing something with a band-aid that needs a tourniquet. It may help the appearance but there is something else that is causing the problem. Either significant silt/runoff/leak of some type or you don't have nearly enough plants/surface shade and the algae keeps blooming. I don't know if you have, but if those leaves are still in the bottom of the pond they MUST come out.

Go ahead and use the QB if you want, but there is something else that is wrong. Ignore it if you want, but something isn't right with your eco balance. Have you checked the pH or Kh? Is there a lot of limestone in your pond? How much surface coverage do you have? Do you have submerged plants or filtration plants? What type of treatment do you use? Have you ever thought of a UV? Are the filter pads you were using clogging up? Have you used any type of flocculent? These are the questions you need to look at, not using something that isn't intended for pond use in your water feature.

Sorry to everyone I offended, but I can't listen to this any longer and not ask the questions that need to be asked to get a healthy pond up and running. This is the second thread started on this question and the suggestions may work for some, but the fact remains that something else is wrong if QB is the answer. Sorry.

LOL! Watershaper, I can't believe I just defended you in an e-mail to a friend because I thought you were just venting about the trimmings used as stuffing, not the batting as filter.
To anyone who might have thought I am anti quilt batting, I am not. I use it in the Skippy filter and it works great at an affordable price. Now that the raccoons have stopped tossing potted plants into the pond the water is in proper bounds with all tests and I can see the bottom. I have no leaks, no limestone, no peat, no rocks on the bottom. The koi still love to try to empty the waterlily pots but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. The squirrels still dump their old nests from the red oaks into the pond and chew holes in the nets so I do have to scoop out some leaves once in a while. If I can't get them out in a timely fashion, I know I need some Activated Carbon to clear it up and I know it is my own fault. If there is a storm I know there is likely to be a PH crash unless the buffering capability is sufficient. I keep a POP in the water at all times to avoid that problem. I have been ponding for a while now and if I have learned anything, it is no two ponds are alike and there is always another way to do anything. My Skippy works fine even if it doesn't consume all the gunk as the original developer claimed. My pond is never going to look pretty because it is my laboratory and workshop. The pond at the Extension Gardens is pretty enough. I am perfectly content with that. Sandy

I don't believe any filter material is going to stop suspended algae until it dies. Once dead, a filter helps to remove it. String algae needs to be scrubbed off with a brush, or killed with peroxide. Most filter material can collect dead or dislodged string algae.

Filters also collect plant and dirt particles that enter the pond. I generally use other filter materials, but I have used quilt batting. It does a good job, but is harder to clean compared to other types of filters.

"there have been millions of dollars put into researching this stuff and no one in the industry sells quilt batting as a filter media"

Probably because the "industry" can't compete with the department store price of quilt batting. Some people also use the batting of items that are being discarded. There's nothing wrong with that.

I like my pond to be crystal clear. I'll use any type of filter material needed to keep it that way. Beneficial bacteria does a lot of good, but I believe mechanical filtration is needed to maintain a healthy pond. Quilt batting will work if that's what you want to use.

Tree pollen is blowing all over the place at this time of year. It definitely gets in your pond and makes it dirty. Plants and bacteria needs to grow back in the spring and that sometimes gives suspended algae the edge. I have never seen a pond that doesn't have some string algae.

I have used quilt batting before but some of it got wrapped around the shaft of my pump. Didn't know and the shaft actually got bent trying to turn with all the stuff wrapped around it. I use matala mats in my sc now. Yes they were pricey but so easy to clean. I just throw them down on the ground and if they are really full of stuff -usually only the blue "finer" one is I will hose down with garden hose. On the koi forum there's all kinds of posts about microscreens, kaldness....etc. Way too complicated and expensive for me. Every pond is different and what works for some might not for others. I do really love the koiclay for keeping my pond clear. I really love it when the plants finally grow and cover the pond. That helps alot with filtration.

I have used quilt batting for years without a problem.
My fish are fine and the water test results are good.
It has never got caught up in any of my pumps.

The batting is situated in the filter box and not wrapped around the pump or a pre-filter cage, where a loose piece breaking off, could possibly be sucked into the pump chamber .
I see no problem with the use of quilt batting, what-so ever.
Pond owners belonging to this forum have used it for years with great results.

Watershaper, is it because you sell other filter materials in your business, that you have a negative attitude toward quilt batting being used in pond filters?
Matala filter material is wonderful stuff,I agree on that, but the price is too expensive for many of us.
Many of the member of this forum are doing things on a small budget and cannot afford to put out the money, on costly [and IMO over priced] filter material.
Matala matting, may be the "Cadillac of filtering material", but few of us here can afford to buy Cadillacs!
"Horton"

This is the first spring with my pond. When the ice melted my pond looked like a sewer. I did all the wrong newbie things. I put compost on my waterfall sand hill and right after a driving rain dumped it into the pond. I didn't net it and had a total tree of leaves in the bottom. Marginal pots fell in. There is one white rock in the bottom that you couldn't even see. The pond was a mess!! My two filter mats couldn't keep up with the mess. I would of had to rinse the mats off 2-3 times a day to keep up. The pond is large (5000+ gal) and I don't have enough plant coverage yet. Plants are very expensive! I've been reading all the posts and decided to try the QB as one of MANY ideas. It worked great. Now that I am a little more knowledgeable (because of you guys) I won't have to use QB to much longer or only once in a while. QB really made a huge difference in the way the pond water looked.

WaterShaper... for the most part i agree until you start talking about UV and Flocculants. To my mind neither of those do anything to remedy any out of balance either, they are just alternatives to batting. If you feel those "solve the problem" then QB does as well.

That said, i use batting in mine since i don't care to use chemicals or use additional power for the UV when a simple mechanical filter does the job until i can get more plants into the system. I don't think batting is any different a componant in a system than a drum or geofabric filter. It's just a filter that happens to be cheap, easy and readily available.

Poppa

Watershaper while there are many excellent pond products that should not be replaced by a DIY the pond industry is an industry that is looking to make a profit, no blame, not a problem, but had I done things the way the industry told me to I would not have a pond. I could not afford the $25000. to $35000. that it would have cost to build it. DIY cost me maybe $1000. including plants and fish. I would not have been able to replace the filter material this spring because being unemployed I would not have spent the $50 to get new. The rocks and gravel around the pond collected, the labor free except for the back ache, a sump pump $50 a comparable pond pump over $250. If you can afford to pay the price that is wonderful and if you can find another way that you can afford if you can not pay the price good for you. We are all here to help each other and to learn from each other. As I said early on this thread there is no universal right answer, what works for one may not work for another. And yes we all pointed out that finding the cause of the suspended particulate was important. We all agreed that getting the particulate out was important. I run a low tech system no UV, no skimmer, no chemicals/additives and I have a healthy pond with healthy fish and plants. Yes I am waiting out the spring bloom, worse than usual because I redid the pond and no I am not going to add a flocculant because I know that patience will fix the problem. I won't tell you that your way is wrong so please do not critcize me if I do things differently. Sorry to rant, I know I can sound pretty bossy in my posts but I prefer to try being encouraging rather than disparaging and this rubbed me the wrong way.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't be ripping DIY methods on a forum like this. Its probably like going to a McDonald's share holder meeting and saying that the Big Mac is destroying our children's diet. I probably am just a pond snob.

I think there are many cheap and effective ways to handle things without buying matala filters. Maybe I don't charge enough for it. I charge 42 dollars and it lasts so long that it actually is less expensive than the cheap white filter. Here's my problem. My job the past few years has been fixing screw ups as much as building new ponds. In my experience when people start doing home-made answers it rarely ends well. I suppose because I never hear from the ones when it works.

With all of that being said I apologize for my rant, I've just had some ridiculous things I've had to fix or replace recently. I've seen home-made bucket 'skimmers' that work as well as the 'high end' expensive hardware, it is just few and far between.

I apologize for getting upset, but I do strongly feel that most DIY things are not as good as the quality stuff you buy at a specialty store. Budget is always an issue, I'm running my own business in this economy, I understand budget constraints. In my experience many of the cheap or DIY answers cost more in the long run than the 'expensive' option.

Again I'm sorry for offending anyone, which I obviously did. But let me have my opinion also. I'll temper it better in the future, but I'm going on my own experience just like all of you are. I wouldn't spend my time on this forum if I didn't think there was a lot of quality information being traded. But I am concerned about some of the advice given on this forum, and I feel the "Professional" or "Retail" side of the equation needs to be told also.

I'll try and control my tone in the future, its been a hectic month. Sorry and I hope all of your batting issues are taken care of. I realize that there is a useful application of an 'ultra fine' filter media in certain situations. Good luck.

Watershaper, Very gallant and well received.
I'm sure I can speak for many of the members and say that we all would look forward to and be willing to read whatever critique or suggestions you may have, about some of the advice and ideas etc, we share on this forum.

I'm also sure that since you are involved in the pond business, you will have a lot to offer to this forum, as do the amateur pond keepers who have learned different techniques and methods, by trial and error, throughout many years.

Be careful not to advertise or promote your business on the forum or Ivillage will have you excommunicated very quickly. LOL
I, personally, look forward to your contributions to the forum.
"Horton"

What Horton said.
If I had to wait until I could afford the best pump and the best filters and skimmers, etc. I would still be waiting to start the first hole and I am too old to wait that long. Besides, I LIKE to do it myself and I know there is always more than one way to do anything. Sandy

I understand your frustration, people do strange things and pass it along as the only way to do things. I appreciate any kind of info that will help me to improve my pond whether it is DIY or industry standard. The best thing about this forum is that I get different ideas and friendly support. I do not know alot about ponds and most of what I do comes outside from my aquariums but if something works well long term I will pass it along and make sure that I say it is my experience. Ditto to Sleepless and Horton's words. Thanks

What Horton said.

Also, what Sleepless said.

PS- there are so many pond forums out there, but this is THE ONLY ONE where people can come and LITERALLY get a first-rate education on ponds while not having people beat up on them for not knowing about this wonderfully addictive hobby.

Thanks all...

What Horton said also....

I have to admit I felt almost apologetic posting my response after reading what watershaper said. I thought I was doing something terribly wrong using QB. I love my pond so much and I didn't want to harm it. I'm new to this and was trying out different suggestions to clear the water. I wasn't even aware of Matala filters or I would of bought one. I just read about the QB fix first!

Thanks for the acceptance of my apology. I can get a bit preachy at times. I appreciate the responses.

As far as promoting, I got warned on my very first post. Didn't read the "I agree" for businesses well enough. I've been extremely careful since. I actually sent in a question to I Village about why I can't mention my site for FAQ or Tips and people are promoting online sales sites. I am yet to get a response to that email. We'll see if I've ruffled the wrong feathers.

Thanks again and I'll try and behave.

SHALOM -This forum has taught me to "think of a way to do it" in the best economical manner - I cannot afford having to go to the local pond shop to get supplies - Being a commisioned sales persomn, I understand the need to make a profit to keep open a store. To me, part of the fun of ponding is being creative to get what you want/need at the
best cost and the "fun"of the hobby - that means battings is great for filtration and planting medium and now I have NO soil in my pond system; lillies, pickeral ruch, dragon plant, duck bill, the bamboo looking plant, Iris, impatiens, coleous, vancia, marigolds, hosta and a few other land plants are doing well and on a relatively samll budget - that's the fun of it all.