Filter media for use in pool filters

A filter for filtering a liquid comprising:

• a tank that has a hollow interior space;
• an inlet for allowing spent liquid to enter the tank and be distributed inside the tank;
• filter media formed as a bed of material on a bottom of the tank;
• and
• an outlet that is located under the filter media and allows filtered liquid to exit the tank;
• wherein the filter media includes a bed of first material that is disposed on the bottom of the tank and a layer of perlite material that is disposed on a top surface of the bed of the first material, the perlite material being a high flow rate, low density perlite material that only contains a trace amount of floaters.

A method of forming a perlite layered filter media in a filter component of a filter system that includes an inlet for introducing a liquid to be filtered into the filter system comprising the steps of:

• adding a first filter media to a bottom of a tank of the filter component to form a bed of the first filter media;
• operating the filter component so that liquid is drawn into the filter component and passes through the bed of the first filter media;
• and
• adding a predetermined amount of perlite material through the inlet that is in communication with and receives the liquid to be filtered, while the filter component is operating, resulting in the perlite material being added as a layer to a top surface of the bed of the first filter media.