k1

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sam51
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k1

Post by sam51 »

hi all do you all believe the hype about how good this filter media is.
what has made you all use it.doesn't matter whether you brought a nexus,or converted a filter.or made your own.
was it because it is lightweight,it is easy to clean.
i have been using it for 2 years now,and not totally convinced about the amount of food the manufacturers state it can handle.
i may look at getting some other media,i would rather use a media that might be a bit more of a pain in the a.s.s to clean.but does the job.i getting a bit fed up with small persistent nitrite.
i understand that now with feeding rates on the rise,you will get a bit of nitrite,but this should be in peaks and troughs,not continually.
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Re: k1

Post by MikeWh »

Hi Sam, how much K1 are you running?? I think mine is about 4 years ish mature now & with normal feeding if there is such a thing I don't get a reading, but 500g of prawns on top of that can lift it a bit. Not imediatly, but about two days later & if I test once on that morning & once the same evening I get a definate drop back to pretty much zeroish.
I suppose you would get that sort of thing with all sorts of media, I just have never used anything else. That said I've used it in many different ways & the way I run it at the moment seems by far the best, however that could be false & it could just be the age of it & possibly because I (touch wood) have not had to treat the pond for anything for ages....What are you thinking of changing it to??
Mike
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Re: k1

Post by sam51 »

hi ive got about 40ltrs of k3 in a 220ltr blue barrel,which is a home made easy,this vorks very well.the next barrel has about 60ltrs of static k1.the last barrel has 70ltrs of k1, fluidised, the return back to the pond is over a shower.this is a slim line 110ltr rain water barrel.
with 20ltr of alpha grog.
what would i change too,thats a good question,its the ease of cleaning the kaldness,that i like.
ill try and get some photos up when i clean the filters out,
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Re: k1

Post by Gazza »

Hi Sam,

K1 is great stuff and has been used in the water industry for many many years and we have been using it in filters for a good while to and i think many will say it does work well as long as you have it set up correctly. I remember hearing a lot of people having a pop at the Nexus and some still do and in all the situations i had seen it was die to either people trying to turn the water over to fast through it or just not cleaning it enough and changing enough water.

I have four vortex units all coupled together and all they have in them is K1 the fist one is static K1 (mechanical) so this catches all the waste and all the others are fluidized and just bubble away and it works a treat. When i am feeding in the summer i feed fairly heavy and for the past couple of years this would mean a kilo of food a day and i don't have any water quality issues but i keep on top of the cleaning and water changes to make sure everything is nice and clean.

If you have your fist chamber as static for the waste why do you have another chamber static as well could this not be fluidized to help with the bio of the filters :?:
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Re: k1

Post by MikeWh »

Hi Sam. I think it's the fact that it floats that makes it so versatile, I'm not aware of anything else that can be used in so many ways that basically increases your surface area by so much.
You seem to be using plenty of the stuff, so if your tap water is ok, have you tried not changing water & just stopping feeding for a while to see if it drops down by itself?
Obviously if it does, it's only down to feed rates & if mine goes up it's entirly my fault :oops: & we all do that now & again.
I'm not entirly sure of some of the feed rates that are often claimed by K1 users & zero nitrite readings etc, but if I feed 1 mug full of HP food divided over a day I can't get a detectable reading but obviously there will be some & I'm only using a tetra test kit. But as soon as silkworm pupae start going in & prawn etc I get a rise & I find it better to let it come down by itself instead of dumping too much pond water..
I'm not trying to grow big fish, just keeping my ugly mutts as healthy as I can...It's a good media though imo :)
kilo of food a day
:shock: That would be me bankrupt then :D

Just to add Sam, it's worth a look at how Gazza has set his up, it might give you an idea or 2 http://www.koiquest.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... =3&t=11397
Mike
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Re: k1

Post by Gazza »

Hi Mike,
That would be me bankrupt then
Tell me about it luckily i have moved a few fish ob so i hope to be feeding less this year :D
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Re: k1

Post by sam51 »

MikeWh wrote:Hi Sam. I think it's the fact that it floats that makes it so versatile, I'm not aware of anything else that can be used in so many ways that basically increases your surface area by so much.
You seem to be using plenty of the stuff, so if your tap water is ok, have you tried not changing water & just stopping feeding for a while to see if it drops down by itself?
Obviously if it does, it's only down to feed rates & if mine goes up it's entirly my fault :oops: & we all do that now & again.
I'm not entirly sure of some of the feed rates that are often claimed by K1 users & zero nitrite readings etc, but if I feed 1 mug full of HP food divided over a day I can't get a detectable reading but obviously there will be some & I'm only using a tetra test kit. But as soon as silkworm pupae start going in & prawn etc I get a rise & I find it better to let it come down by itself instead of dumping too much pond water..
I'm not trying to grow big fish, just keeping my ugly mutts as healthy as I can...It's a good media though imo :)
kilo of food a day
:shock: That would be me bankrupt then :D

Just to add Sam, it's worth a look at how Gazza has set his up, it might give you an idea or 2 http://www.koiquest.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... =3&t=11397

hi mike how big is your pond,and how many fish do you have.
mine is 2000gallons,11 fish from 12" to 20". i was feeding about 200grms a day,but after having a chat with paula reynalds.she suggested
it wasnt enough,so i up it to 400grams a day.this was ok,but this year i have up it to 500grams a day,i get a small nitrite reading on my api test kit,0.25,never any higher,if i stop feeding for two days it goes down to zero.will this reading bother my koi,as if we have zero nitrite constantly the nitrifying bacteria wont have nothing to feed on.i am hoping two put 2 more fish in this year,and that will be it.
i guess i strive for perfection,but sometimes chase my own a.s.s. cheers sam.
Mike
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Re: k1

Post by MikeWh »

Hi Sam, I think there is a lot to be said for what Gazza mentioned regarding flow rate. & also what works on one persons set up dosen't make it right for all...Like you said chasing your a.s.s :) ..
In answer to your question regarding stock, 22 fish from aprox 10-12" to 20-24"ish, in 2500gals thats not that accurate because I don't bowl them unless problems occure but close enough.
It may seem that I'm under feeding, I'm not really sure on that one, but I'm feeding what the fish eat without it getting near the skimmers & that my filter can cope with.
Also the fish are very active & go nuts when the food hits the water, I like it like that, but as I said I'm not going to be growing any record breakers :oops:
Mike
sam51
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Re: k1

Post by sam51 »

MikeWh wrote:Hi Sam, I think there is a lot to be said for what Gazza mentioned regarding flow rate. & also what works on one persons set up dosen't make it right for all...Like you said chasing your a.s.s :) ..
In answer to your question regarding stock, 22 fish from aprox 10-12" to 20-24"ish, in 2500gals thats not that accurate because I don't bowl them unless problems occure but close enough.
It may seem that I'm under feeding, I'm not really sure on that one, but I'm feeding what the fish eat without it getting near the skimmers & that my filter can cope with.
Also the fish are very active & go nuts when the food hits the water, I like it like that, but as I said I'm not going to be growing any record breakers :oops:
Mike
yes i think im like you,not going to get any record breakers.i will just cut the food down.like before.my koi have always been fit and healthy,so im not doing too much wrong.
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Re: k1

Post by MikeWh »

Not directed at anyone but the bloke in the story, but I can't help share this because I've been chuckleing about it ever since.

I remember about 6 weeks ago in my local dealers; there was a guy in with his wife. While his wife was still having a nosey round the shop he was standing waiting to pay for that very expensive fish food in a blue packet with Japanese writing on it, £70 something for a very small bag. He was saying how well his pond was running etc etc fair enough. I asked out of sheer interest how much of that stuff his fish get through, bearing in mind many people can afford that type of food excluding me.
He turned to me & said rather proudly “that it would last him 2-3 weeks & he’d be in for some more”
Just at the exact right moment his wife appeared at his side & said “No we don’t, it lasts about 3 months because we usually mix it with other cheaper foods.”
Obviously keeping a straight face I was cracking up inside at the same time feeling a bit sorry for him.
Anyway they paid for it & crossed the car park muttering at each other & I bet she got some grief later :o)
yes i think im like you,not going to get any record breakers.i will just cut the food down.like before.my koi have always been fit and healthy,so im not doing too much wrong.
Stick to it mate, run it as it works for you & your fish

Mike
Glenn
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Re: k1

Post by Glenn »

WTF is that all about, get him off

Glenn
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Re: k1

Post by Manky Sanke »

Glenn,

That post was machine generated spam. The user is banned and the post has been deleted.
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Re: k1

Post by Glenn »

Thanks Sid
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