Pond filtration

with the weather warming up i decided to finish my pond. I have everything done except setting up the sump. I was think about running the sump through through a rubber container with some kinda of media. what kind of media should i use? I'm not looking for complete filtration, just something to keep water flowing and keep some of the waste out. I am going to put the green sunfish that are currently in my 50 gal in the pond when they get big enough. I think i am going to add plants to help keep the water clear. Hopefully tomorrow i will upload pictures of the pond now.

Two ideas:
1. http://www.runnerduck.com/pf1.htm This person uses sponges, see image: http://www.runnerduc...s/pf_filter.jpg
2. http://www.cichlid-f...les/diy_fbf.php This person uses sand, here's why: http://www.bioconlabs.com/abtqs.html

Either would work. In the pond at Dad's house we positioned the output of the filter to flow over a bunch of rocks to make a waterfall.

I like the idea of a waterfall. I have a lot of limestone I could make one out of.

Unless you plan to have a very high fish density, a filtered sump isn't really necessary. As long as there's flow the structure in the pond should provide adequate biofiltration capacity. You may want a sump to provide makeup to replace evaporation, and it can also skim junk from the surface. It can be as simple as a barrel with a pump in it though, really. Elaborate on that for aesthetic reasons, not imagined engineering requirements.

I always thought the waterfall was one of the main reasons to have a pond though.

using someone elses suggestion ,i used a cat litter pail filled with lava rocks, with a hose adapter improvised from pvc fittings mounted on the bottom in the back, and a 1/2 inch high ,5 inch wide slot cut in the topfront, and a little silicone on the corners to keep the sides from leaking, makes a nice little waterfall/filter