Bakki Showers Question

[kimr]

Hi All

I know a lot of you run Bakki showers and I have a question, I have just been watching a video and there was a close up of Bakki shower and I noticed a lot of rust. So my question is :- Is there not a risk a metals being put into the water? I thought that Bakki showers were made from good quality stainless steel to stop them from rusting but after seeing the state of the Bakki shower it was quite shocking, we all try our hardest to get as many contaminants out of our water so what happens when a Bakki gets into the state that I have just seen. This shower was being run on a grown on pond with younger Koi in it and the whole point of the Bakki is to set it up and let it run !!!!!!!

[Gazza]

Hi Kim,

I think there is a bit of a misconception/mix up on Bakki Showers and i try not to get involved much now as it can all get a bit funny

A Bakki Shower is a stainless steel shower (containers that hold the media) which is made to the specifications of the Momotaro Koi Farm and uses BHM Bacteria House Media that is made by/for the Momotaro Koi Farm again as per there specifications.

Now this is where some get funny as unfortunately there are lots and lots of types of showers and media out all of which work in a similar way and i am sure will filters ponds but they are not Bakki Showers.

You are correct a Bakki Shower is made from high grade stainless steel and will not rust but they can get what looks like rust due to oxidation but you will see that it will wipe off and is just a brown colour. My Bakki Shower has sat there for years and i have never touched it and there is no rust or anything on it but like you i have seen others which do have some rust on.

This is the part where i get called a koi snob of something like that but as this is a proper site i know i should be OK here

[Manky Sanke]

Kim,

That koi snob is correct about the stainless steel used for Bakki Showers not rusting but you would be right to assume that, if a cheaply made copy that was made of low grade stainless did begin to rust, then the iron oxide would dissolve into the water.

Iron isn't a deadly toxin but if the level was to build up it can cause gut problems. I've also heard that it can cause gill problems and deterioration of beni (red) but I can't get confirmation of that.

[kimr]

Hi Gazza and Sid

Gazza you will never be a snob to me My thoughts are having had a bakki shower a few years ago it was placed in apossition where I would of been unable to do anything to it even I had wanted to, but being still on a learning curve in this "Hobby" of ours I am now in a possition to be able to finally have a new pond built and the filtration I would love to have is down the route of Profi drum and Bakki Showers but not being in the possition of being able to afford these things again I am trying to find an alternative system that will mean I dont have the heavy job of continual maintainence. But when the pond is built I want the very best I can get. My showers were stolen which is why I no longer have them. But what concerned me was seeing the state of the rust on a growing on pond having raised fry and knowing how easily it is to cause damage to young fish this did worry me, but what also concerned me was even if fully grown mature Koi were swimming in water contaminated by this rust damage would be surely done in some form or another, so thanks Sid for your answer. We strive so hard to make the water conditions as best we possibly can so to leave a system running with rust being put into the system is a concern.

Is it possible then to have a homemade shower system with BHM that will do as good a job, but not call it a Bakki shower, is it not the media that does the filtration and the flow rate not what holds the media (is this where the snob bit comes into it Gazza )

Thanks again guys for your answers

[Gazza]

Hi Kim,

Yes your last paragraph is 100% bang on

Yes the BHM does all the work and if you get the flow rate right it will work a treat

Although BHM can handle anything but if you can put cleaner water over it Kim then it will work a treat and you will never have to touch it so no maintenance fir you to do so more time looking at the fish

[kimr]

Hi Gazza
Ok I have got it now I can have a shower system with BHM ideally coming through a Profi drum (must do lottery more) but it will not be a Bakki After seeing the state of the Bakki shower on that grow on pond it has put me right off of having anything metal near my pond, because knowing my luck I would end up with one that has a fault so maybe I will look into either a homemade shower or a fibreglass system nearer my budget and no chance of rust