What To Use For Pond Filter Media

A filter is a critical part of a Koi pond. Why is it so important? Because for a koi, a pond without a filter is like living in a room with no toilet.

Table of Contents:

Why do y'all need a filter for your Koi pond?
Mechanical filtration vs. biological filtration
Types of filter systems
How to size your filter and more

Why do yous demand a filter for your Koi pond?

Koi spend the entirety of their lives in a pond; and they swallow, slumber, and poop in that location. Imagine if y'all spent your entire life in 1 room. You would apace have lots of trash and leftover food and—would need to go to bath.

If you put yourself in a Koi's position, it is easy to understand why a filter is critical for a pond. Withal, I often run across ponds with no filter. In many cases, hobbyists think they accept a good-sized filter for their pond; simply it turns out information technology is non large enough at all. Every Koi pond must have an appropriate filter organization then that the Koi tin alive healthy and comfortably.

Mechanical filtration vs. biological filtration

In daily conversation, nosotros just say "filter" or "filter system." In that location are two main categories of filtration—mechanical and biological. It is important to empathise the differences between the two.

In mechanical filtration, the filter physically separates and removes any wastes or solids. It is like a vacuum cleaner. If we go back to the case of living only in 1 room, once the room gets dirty with leftover nutrient and waste, you would make clean it with a vacuum cleaner. But the trouble is that while physically removing waste makes the room announced clean, the waste material still would get out backside polluted air in the room. In a Koi pond, the solids can be physically removed; and the h2o look crystal articulate. But toxic substances like ammonia dissolved in the h2o will remain. This is why it is often said that articulate water is not necessarily healthy h2o. Both solids and toxic substances must not only be visually removed, simply likewise decomposed and purified.

This brings us to the second type of filtration—biological filtration. In biological filtration, we use assist from bacteria. Beneficial (nitrifying) leaner detoxify and purify the water.

Types of filter systems

There are many types of mechanical filtration. Sieve and RDF (Rotating Drum Filter) are very popular nowadays. They both use 200–300 micron-sized screens to filter water. Any minor particles volition exist captured through this system, and yous get crystal clear water. If you adopt an automatic system, RDF is a way to go.

A bead filter system is another 1. This may be something yous see more frequently. It looks like a pool filter. Bead filters come with aftermath function so y'all can remove nerveless wastes from the system without getting your hands muddy. These filters besides use modest beads. They have a lot of surface areas for bacteria to abound on. Then the organization has some biological role, too. The Alpha One filter is one of the pop ones.

A biological filter system uses filter media materials to grow nitrifying bacteria. The master purpose of the media is not to filter particles, just to provide enough living infinite for bacteria to reside in. So it is of import that media have ample surface area and do not clog. There are many type of filter media like filter mats, bio balls, brushes, and more than.

EvenFlow Bio-mats are very well designed. Collaborating with Musashino-giken Co. Ltd (manufacturer of Japanese filter mats), Mr. Mamoru Kodama, author of Kokugyo books, designed the mat to maximize the growth of bacteria and minimize bottleneck.
Magnetic bio balls are also very effective. With patented applied science, magnets are injected into the bio balls. These not merely help bacteria growth, just also energizes the water.

In that location are many products that use these bio media.

BioStep 10 is popular for small ponds.
For minor to large ponds up to 5000 gallons, Bio Make clean and Bio Make clean Mini are recommended. They are simple, meaty, and very easy to manage.

Mechanical filters and biological filters both have their own purposes. If your swimming is large, adding both types of filters is recommended so you can savor crystal clear water while knowing your water is healthy. If you accept to choice just one for your Koi pond, please make sure to choose a biological filter arrangement.

How to size your filter and more

It is highly recommended to double the size of your filter for your pond. In other words, if your pond is g gallons, delight install a filter that handles 2000 gallons. The size of your filter should ideally be based on the Koi population and how much waste material they are expected to produce. Merely it is non easy to run across the waste material volume; so just become at least twice every bit big as your pond size. You lot can never oversize your filter.

Adding an air pump is likewise important. Nitrifying bacteria are aerobic bacteria. In other words, they need oxygen. And then a lot of aeration in a pond is essential. (This is besides why clogged media is bad. Information technology stops the air supply to bacteria, and they die.) Even if you have a waterfall, in many cases, it is non enough. Adding an air pump, like a Medo Air Pump, is highly recommended.

I hope this blog is helpful to sympathise the basics of Koi pond filtration.

Happy Koi

Our Recommended Pond Filtration Products

These items help keep your koi's environment clean and salubrious so you can enjoy your koi swimming for years to come. Thanks for reading.

AlphaONE Pond Filter

AlphaOne Filter

AlphaOne pond filter provides less maintenance, increased flow, and less back force per unit area. Nosotros've heard of Koi enthusiasts running this filter for over calendar month and still receiving crystal clear h2o. This is all possible because of it'southward unique design to cease debris evenly throughout the pond, resulting in less maintenance, increased menses, and less back pressure level.

Buy AlphaOne filter

EvenFlow Bio-Mat

EvenFlow Bio-Mat

We created the EvenFlow Bio-Mat to ensure the thousands of authentic Japanese Koi raised on our Kodama Koi Subcontract proceed to alive in perfect environments.

The EvenFlow system is developed to work perfectly within our custom Bio Clean Swimming Filter and Bio Make clean Mini.

Buy EvenFlow Bio-Mat

Magnetic Bio Balls

Magnet Bio Assurance

Adding Magnet Bio Balls to your filter system increases oxygen, encourages good bacteria activity, and lowers the nitrite concentration. The Bio Ball bore is 35mm and has 16 "wings" on its surface surface area, with a heart pigsty. This makes information technology very porous and doubles the desired result. Considering the magnetic textile is woven into the tempered plastic of the ball, you volition detect that this product can be used semi-permanently with no breakage or rust.

Purchase Magnet Bio Balls

BioStep 10

BioStep x

Matala Expandable gravity filter maximizes Matala® filter media functioning. The rugged Biostep 10 contains an amazing 200 sq. ft. of area for beneficial bacteria growth.

Combined with a cantankerous flow blueprint that traps and processes more droppings at high flow rates, you get unparalleled mechanical and biological filtration for superior water quality.

Buy Biosteps ten

Bio Clean Pond Filter

Bio Clean Pond Filter

Capacity: Up to 5000 gallons. This uncomplicated biological filtration process uses a gravity flow design that eliminates all moving parts from the filter and therefore removes common points of failure. There is less regular maintenance or cleaning required since the aerobic bacteria eats the waste product and cleanses the water through a natural biological filter.

Instead of throwing away nutrients for bacteria, invest in a Bio Make clean filter to promote the highly efficient growth of beneficial bacteria for healthy water and happy fish.

Buy Bio Clean Swimming Filter

Bio Clean Mini Pond Filter

Bio Clean Mini Swimming Filter

Capacity: Up to 1500 gallons. Similar to what is used in larger ponds, this simple biological filtration procedure uses a gravity flow pattern that eliminates all moving parts from the filter and therefore removes mutual points of failure. There is less regular maintenance or cleaning required since the aerobic leaner eats the waste and cleanses the water through a natural biological filter.

Instead of throwing away nutrients for bacteria, invest in a Bio Clean filter to promote the highly efficient growth of beneficial bacteria for healthy water and happy fish.

Purchase Bio Make clean Mini Swimming Filter

Medo Air Pump LA-45B

Medo Air Pump

Medo'southward unique and patent-awarded linear-motor driven complimentary piston system is the key feature of this pump. As the piston is the only moving part, they run quieter, eliminates the article of clothing components (which means "last longer") and consumes only fifty-60% of the typical diaphragm air pumps.

Buy Medo Air Pump

Further Reading About Koi