How Does A Pond Filter Work? | best biological filter media
Today I am going to address the issue of biological pond filters and biological filter media. In fact in my newsletter series I am frequently asked questions regarding this subject matter, in particular how does a pond filter work? Just before I do please be aware of the following:
- Ensure that any of your biological fish pond filters are in continuous use and have a constant supply of oxygenated water running through them.
- If you have a waterfall or fountain and switch your pump off, due to noise at night time then make sure that you use another pump to supply the biofilter in the absence of the main pump. Click here to see the Fish Pond Pump reviews on this site ...
- Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter nitrifying bacteria that live on your pond filter media will start to die off after 5 hours if starved of oxygen. It is these bacteria that breakdown ammonia and nitrite from fish liquid and solid waste. Once they have died off it can take between 4 to 6 weeks for the colony to establish itself once again.
Why Is My Pond Water Dirty Even Though I Use A Biological filter?
The most common cause of this is the mechanical filtration part of your pond filter is not working properly. Check to make sure that the sponges don't have holes in them and that there aren't gaps around the sponges.
If everything seems okay with the above then chances are it is algae that is causing your pond to appear dirty. Pond algae is not always green and its microscopic size ensures that it is able to pass through the sponges.
The best way to control this is to use a UV light also known as a UV Clarifier or UV sterilizer ...
You may have a problem with too many insoluble organic compounds in the pond water due to sludge on the pond floor, dead leaves, excess fish food etc.
Clean the pond floor with a suitable fish pond cleaner and ensure that you do not over feed your pond fish. Click here to take a look at the Pond Vacuum Cleaners reviewed on this site ...
How Does A Pond Filter Work? Choose the best biological filter media
How to improve pond filter performance by over 30 times ... Many pond filters come with plastic balls, plastic tubes and other plastic media. These aren't ideal as a biological filter media because they only have a small surface area on which nitrifying bacteria can live.
These bacteria remove toxic ammonia and nitrite from fish liquid and solid body waste.
The
best biological filter media for the vast majority of
biological pond filters and a cheap and quick way to improve the effectiveness of your pond
filter by over 30 times is to replace the plastic media with
Fishmate Supra. This extremely low cost porous biological
filter media is excellent value for
money and is hard to beat for effectiveness.
1 litre (0.26 US gallon) of Fishmate Supra Biomedia is sufficient for a biofilter handling 1,500 liters (396 US gallon) of pond water. 1 litre of this great product has a huge surface area of between 40 and 100 square meters on which large colonies of nitrifying bacteria can colonize.
The larger the colony of bacteria the quicker ammonia and nitrite will be removed from the pond water.
Plastic bio-media in comparison per litre provides only 1 square meter of surface area.
Biological Filters For Ponds - Do I Need A Biological Pond Filter?
Yes you do! Here's why!
How does a pond filter work? A biofilter is responsible for removing both solids and chemicals from the pond water.
Depending upon the filter model it will be able to trap many of the larger particles found in pond water, such as leaves, twigs, fish food etc.
A biological filter's main purpose however is to remove toxic ammonia and nitrite from fish waste before it has a chance to poison them.
Without a biofilter your goldfish, Koi, orfe and other pond fish species are in essence living and eating in their own toilet.
How Long will it take My biological pond filter to start working?
On average new Fish Pond Filters will take between 4 - 6 weeks before they are at optimum effectiveness. During this time period only add a few fish and gradually, so as to not overload the filter's bio filtration abilities.
In order for a biofilter to work effectively it needs a constant supply of oxygen 24/7. Without this constant oxygen supply the nitrifying bacteria will not be able to break down ammonia and nitrite and the bacteria will die off.
After 5 hours they start to die and after 8 hours will be dead. Once this has happened be prepared to wait another 4 - 6 weeks once again.
If you are considering installing a pond, water garden or wildlife pool then check out the following article before you do ... It will give you some pointers and ideas ... What Do I Need To Know Before I Build A Backyard Fish Pond ...