Biological Filters For Ponds | The Best Biological Filters For Koi Ponds
Take a look at the biological pond filter market and you will be totally amazed at the number and variety of different models available; all claiming to be the best for a given sized pond, with x amount of fish etc.
In reality the real secret to the effectiveness of a pond filtration system is the biological media used in connection with whether the design principle encourages large quantities of oxygen, agitated water, ammonia, nitrite and nitrifying bacteria to be in constant contact.
The pond filter market is an extremely competitive one and worth a lot of money to those clever marketers out there, who are capable of "bigging up" what is in reality a fairly basic filter system, in many cases.
They say that knowledge is power and when it comes to saving yourself money and choosing a good value for money biofilter a bit of knowledge will certainly go a long way.
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Biological Filters For Koi Ponds - Kaldnes K1 Filter Systems
Over the last few years there has been a shift by many manufacturers to producing products that utilize what has been learned from the experience gained around Kaldnes systems.
In essence the design principles of biofilters based around this technology are excellent for purifying contaminated pond water containing toxins (ammonia and nitrites) very quickly. They are without a doubt one of the best biological filters for koi ponds.
At the heart of this system is the Kaldnes K1 plastic filter media. Whilst this plastic biomedia is not truly spectacular in any way on its own merits, being slightly better than normal cylindrical plastic media in terms of surface area per volume, it is when used in collaboration with the superior biofiltration principles used in these filter systems.
Let me explain ... Within Kaldnes systems the K1 pond filter bio media is suspended above agitated turbulent water. Beneficial nitrifying bacteria (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter) cling to the surface of the K1 pond filter bio media; in reality these bacteria can be found clinging to many surfaces within your pond, providing there is a food source (ammonia and nitrite) along with oxygen rich pond water.
When it comes to biological filters for ponds the principles applied within Kaldness K1 vortex filters are second to none.
In the USA Bead Filters such as GC Tek Biotek Bead Filters and Aqua Ultima 2 Bead Filtration Systems from Aqua Ultraviolet are extremely popular biological filters for koi ponds and are amongst the best biological filters for large ponds. These systems apply similar principles to vortex pond filters in that there is a large mix of nitrifying bacteria, oxygen, ammonia and nitrite for optimum performance.
This Is What Makes Kaldness Systems So Good
The constantly thrashing (agitated) pond water containing the food source (ammonia and nitrite) coming into close contact with the nitrifying bacteria colonizing the filter media and oxygen rich water makes for perfect biofiltration conditions.
Toxic ammonia and nitrite are broken down by the hungry bacteria, almost instantly making the Kaldness system an excellent pond filter design, particularly when it comes to biological filters for large ponds.
You can think of this as working in a similar way to a dishwashing machine. If you simply placed the dishes inside of the machine in a static pool of water without constant agitation, it would take an eternity for the dishes to become clean, if at all. However dishwashers attack the dishes with water from all angles; the food particles are soon removed.
Whilst this is a mechanical rather than biological process it is good enough to try to explain the principles involved.
All you really need to remember and be aware of is that no matter what shape biofilter you have, its performance will be greatly improved by ensuring there is a constant state of agitation taking place in the filter chamber; this applies even to systems without the benefits of extra aeration from a waterfall, fountain or air pump.
Your filter performance can also be greatly improved by using a biofilter media with a large specific surface area (SSA), as this means that there are more bacteria present to remove the impurities (ammonia and nitrite).
Even biological pond filters for small ponds can have their performance significantly improved by changing the pond filter media to one with a larger specific surface area.
For those of you with box type filters, currently using plastic coils or a similar biomedia add Fishmate Supra Pond Filter Media. This extremely low cost biomedia will significantly improve the biofiltration performance for a very low cost.
The Secrets Of Really Effective Biological Filters For Ponds
The best biological filters for ponds are those that utilize a design that accounts for the addition of extra air to ensure that the pond water is saturated with oxygen. This allows the nitrifying bacteria to work away in optimum conditions.
This combined with ammonia and nitrites and the Flush" from agitation allows the bacteria to start all over again with fresh oxygen, fresh food and clean water.
Look for a garden pond biofilter design (system) that utilizes a venturi system as this adds oxygen and creates agitation simultaneously.
If you are looking for reliable, industry leading pond filters including uv and biological filters for small fish ponds then check out my Biological Pond Filter Reviews here ...