Lightweight fibrous media (LFM) filter

A filtration system using lightweight fibrous media (LFM) that are pre-compressed either 1) manually; or 2) in-situ using hydraulic flow; and where the LFM are forced to separate and relax for cleaning either: 1) manually, 2) in-situ in their filter housing, or 3) in an auto-clean system using separate devices in order to enact a particularly aggressive cleaning process. A plurality of lightweight fibrous media balls are pre-compressed and used to form a single mass that can filter water as the media are compressed by pre-compression before installation, or by water flow pushing on a pre-compression plate during filtration thereby forming a single mass providing multitudes of tortuous paths through which water can flow and the media can capture small particulate matter.