only areating k1 media for 15 - 30 mins a day, your thoughts

[Russ Little Pond]

Ive been reading the link below about only areating k1 media for 15 - 30 mins a day "This way it seems to mature a lot quicker & Nitrite dissappears a lot quicker"

http://www.koimag.co.uk/forum/k1-and-air-t544635.html

As stated in the thread this is how the Eazypod works..
At this time im reading about flow rates, ammonia and nitrite, and looking over my water test records using areated K1 as the bio media my nitrite was always low.

As for how clean of mulm the chamber floor stays is down to alot of things.

Whats your thoughts on only areating k1 media for 15 - 30 mins a day.

[sam51]

yes this is a very interesting post,that is appering on another forum.i ask the members on here to have a look at it.this could be a very good disscusion on here.

[Jon W]

If this is true (and the argument looks pretty convincing) doesn't this raise the question about whether Nexus units are necessary at all? They are designed and prmoted as the optimum way to use K1 media; a key selling point has always been that agitating the K1 on a continuous basis promotes growth of new bacteria by "sloughing off". If this isn't the case what's the point of them? I'm not being anti Nexus (I've actually paid but not installed 2 x 301's), but want to spend my money on the best configuration of filter possible.

Cheers

Jon

[boogatee]

I'm not convinced ... call me a doubting thomas , but there's nothing empherical in the post ... just "I've installed this on a pond" and "I know x amount of ponds that do this". I've never heard about putting two static K1 chambers back to back as total filtration. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that it would work, but I'm not convinced it would work better than one fluid and one static.

[Russ Little Pond]

My thinking..

The beneficial bacteria in the nitrogen cycle live on pond walls, floor, media and pipe work that has 1000 plus gallons an hour passing through it, so the sloughing off of old bacteria still take place within the pipe without destroying new beneficial bacteria growth, the aerated K1 has the bang and bump as the K1 is aerated but would this cause a big reduction in bacterial growth ?

Wouldn`t an ammonia spike over the growth cycle (every 8 hours i think) of beneficial bacteria do more damage than the bang and bump of a aerated K1 chamber will ever do ?

[Russ Little Pond]

More thinking, its the root canal making my brain hurt..

What processes are performed by the new growth beneficial bacteria (if any) to remove the old stuff, or does the new growth become the top layer while the older layers become the ancher...?
Thats makes sence just like tartar on teeth its staying put.
So the flow throught the pipe and the bang and bump of a aerated K1 chamber may remove some beneficial bacteria, enough to alter water parameters ?
Stocking, filter size, media type, water flow rates, feeding and pond size have a great effect on beneficial bacteria than the bang and bump of a aerated K1 chamber, right ?

Lots of conditions need to be right, controlled and monitored in helping the growth of beneficial bacteria, do we have full controll of the pond system or part controll ?

More than not im wrong on most, all of this and await correction

[mark6465]

so if the bacteria is dislodged will it just die or relocate in another pat of the system as it is still in the water