POND FILTERING

Optimizing Koi pond bead filtering systems

Bringing clean water through to your pond....

Intermediate filtration design kicks it up notch with the added components. This increases the filtering systems ability to improve the filtering of the water and the ponds clarity. Review the following information and illustrated filtering and plumbing diagrams for a clearer understanding of added filtering components. 

• Intermediate filtering design, more serious pond filtering

Most pond keepers start out building a small pond (300 - 1500 gallons) and then expand it to a larger pond later. Once you build the larger pond, you have stepped into the more serious level of pond keeping. More water and more fish. Which usually means needing a better filtering system to maintain quality water. Few are ever happy having green water, while most want to see the bottom all the time. Proper filtering can deliver clear quality water and the Advantage Bead filters make it easier.

• Adding a 2nd Bottom Drain for larger ponds 

For most ponds larger then 2000 gallons, the bottom surface area requires having two bottom drains to adequately pull crud and debris from the bottom. With the proper flow, bottom drains draw crud about 5 feet in each direction (10 diameter). Bottoms normally don't have deep declining bottoms that would permit all the bottoms crud to slid down to just one centered bottom drain. This is why adding a second becomes necessary. Since there can be less oxygen close to the bottom, removing the crud from the bottom keeps it from going bad or anaerobic which is toxic and stressful to your Koi fish. It also keeps the bottom clean and free from getting stirred by fish.

2BDS-PFL (2 Bottom Drains, Skimmer - Pump, Filter, Light)

Reviewing the diagram above, it is easy to see how to connect the plumbing for the second bottom drain by adding in a 3-way valve. The 3 main components in 2BDS-PFL when figured for a 3-5000 gallon pond could retail around $2,800.00 - Artesian 1/4 hp pump, Advantage 5 Bead filter, Emperor Aquatics 40 watt U.V. Light. Minimum recommendations.

• How to achieve "polished" water!

Ever turn on a ponds underwater light at night and see suspended partials floating through the water? This can be removed! Perhaps you have seen a pond were the water was more then clear, it was incredibly crystal clear? This can be accomplished by adding in one more mechanical "Glass" bead filtering stage. By installing an Advantage "Glass Filter", the already filtered water can be polished. The Advantage Glass filter contains glass beads as opposed to the bio-media in the bead filters. Cleaning the Glass filter only requires a few minutes of simple backwashing for its weekly maintenance. This like the Advantage Bead filter is done through the use of valves and air blower. The diagram below shows it installed, yet will not be shown much in the remaining diagrams.

  2BDS-PFGL (2 Bottom Drains, Skimmer - Pump, Filter, Glass, Light)

Reviewing the diagram above, it is easy to see how to connect the plumbing for the second filter in series with the Advantage Bead filter. The additional Advantage "Glass Filter" adds another $1,100 for ponds 1,500 - 6000 gallons and $1,300 for ponds ranging 6,000 - 10,000 gallons. The two models are Advantage 10 Glass filter and Advantage 15 Glass filter.

• Take mechanical filtering up a notch!

Since having a bottom drain removes crud from the ponds bottom, an improvement would be to mechanically remove this crud and suspended material prior to letting it go into the pump to be pureed. Even fish waste can be settled out in a Vortex type settling tank.

Nitritech Vortex

BDS-VPFL (Bottom Drain, Skimmer - Vortex, Pump, Filter, Light)

Reviewing the diagram above, we see that a large pipe supplies the water from the ponds bottom drain. This water gravity feeds into the Vortex settling tank. In order for this to happen, the top of the vortex settling tank needs to be close to the same level as your pond. If your filtering equipment needs to be some distance from the pond, this greatly helps the pump by being able to draw the water from only a few feet away and not by drawing it through a long pipe that will add friction and reduce the pumps performance. Pumps are better at pushing water then they are at drawing up the water.

Vortex settling tanks tip: Since its primary purpose is to collect and trap most of the crud, it requires being able to remove this from the bottom of the vortex. This is performed weekly very easily by opening the bottom waste drain valve. If you add a vortex settling tank to your ponds filtering system, be sure to do what ever extra work may be required to have and use this waste drain. Expecting to be able and use a sump pump will be disappointing as the crud continues to plug up the pump.

• Pond supplies!

Looking for almost anything you need for your Koi and pond needs? Visit KoiPondCentral.com! There you will find articles and plenty of pictures to help understand pond design. 

Advantage Bead filters from SkagiTek Inc. built by Sacramento Koi offers the best warranty of any pond filter on the market! With zero risk, why wait? Click here.