Vortex Koi Filters With Japanese Matting Are Great For Koi Ponds
Why Is A Vortex Koi filter and Japanese Matting A Great Pond Filtration System?
Without a doubt one of the best pond filter systems for Koi ponds is a vortex filter with Japanese matting as the pond filter media. The reason for the success is due to the large volumes of oxygen pumped into the vortex chamber.
This creates a lot of turbulence. The breakdown of ammonia in a biological pond filter relies on large amounts of oxygen, high specific surface area of the pond filter media and turbulence.
Turbulence allows for excellent mass transfer by maximizing the concentration differences, thereby allowing ammonia to be converted into nitrite and nitrate at an optimum rate ... read how does a pond filter work to gain a better understanding of how the chemical engineering principles of "Mass Transfer Processes" affect how successful your pond bio filter will be or not, as the case may be.
In the USA bead filters (fluidized bed filters) such as the Aqua Ultima II bead filter range are the preferred biological filtration system for large Koi ponds, containing lots of particulate waste matter (leaves, fish waste, twigs etc) and are an extremely efficient system.
In the UK vortex pond filters are the preferred method of providing biological pond filtration for Koi ponds. Vortex Koi filters also offer reliable, very low maintenance biological filtration.
Click here to buy the Oasis Vortec Vortex Koi Filter in the UK.
Vortex
Koi Pond Filter With Japanese Matting
Japanese matting allows for an extremely large surface area on which beneficial Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacteria can colonize. These nitrifying bacteria are responsible for performing the nitrogen cycle, in your garden pond. The nitrogen cycle as the name suggests is as a natural cycle where Nitrogen is metabolized into ammonia then into nitrite then into nitrate and then back into nitrogen again.
Vortex filters and Japanese matting work so well together because the vortex action allows solids to be removed by settling before they reach the pond filter media and because the Japanese matting, which is flat and rigid can be easily cut into smaller pieces that are easily slotted into place inside the vortex filter.
How Does A Vortex Koi Pond Filter Work?
Pond water containing ammonia, fish metabolic waste
and other organic matters such as leaves, grass, pollen and twigs is pumped
into the vortex filter (primary vortex chamber) where the swirling action of
the water (vortex) causes the organic matter to settle at the bottom of the
vortex chamber, where it can be easily flushed away by simply opening a
purge valve. The Japanese matting isn't situated in the primary vortex
chamber so there is no way for organic pollutants (fish faeces, leaves etc)
to contaminate the Japanese matting or block the openings.
Vortex Koi pond filters are an extremely effective biological and mechanical pond filter combination that are capable of removing up to 80% of the particulate matter that passes through it.
Using Japanese Matting In A Non Vortex Pond Filter
In the diagram on the left water flows into the pond filter system (blue arrows) where it passes through the Japanese matting (green matting). You will notice that the pond filter system has plenty of air pumped in to it; from the air pump and water pump. You will also notice that there is a lot of Japanese matting used. This biological pond filter system will be extremely efficient at converting ammonia due to the high levels of oxygen, large surface area on which nitrifying bacteria can colonize and the turbulent water that encourages excellent mass transfer.
For many pond keepers a vortex style pond filter with Japanese matting pond filter media is over kill, expensive and can be difficult to install properly.
If you have a small to medium sized garden pond then a viable option for you would be a Fishmate Powerclenz pressurized pond filter with Fishmate Supra pond filter media. The Oase Filtoclear is a great biological pond filter but it does not come as standard with Fishmate Supra Pond Filter Media.
Fishmate Supra pond filter media is a low cost, porous biomedia with a high surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize on. 1 liter of Supra biomedia is equivalent to 100 liters of plastic coil pond filter media.
Surely My Biological Pond Filter Should Be 1/3 Volume Of My Pond?
Not this old chestnut again! Who ever made this claim isn't familiar with the principles of how a biological pond filter works. They have been misinformed or simply do not understand the principles involved in the nitrogen cycle and the conversion of ammonia. It is not the size of the pond filter used that ultimately determines how much and the rate at which ammonia can be broken down in a garden pond. It is a combination of the surface area of the pond filter media used, the levels of oxygen in the water and the turbulence in the water.
Please read how a pond filter works to gain a better understanding of how the chemical engineering principles of "Mass Transfer Processes" affect how successful your pond bio filter will be.