filtration

[innsy]

hello everyone,i built a new pond last year 2500 gallons which is run by a nexus 200,i live in a hard water area and was wondering what else i could use to filter my pond and make the water as best it can be for my koi? ive heard and read all about ozone, bakki showers,clarity protein skimmers etc etc can anyone shed some light pls? also my whole pond is exposed to the sun would it be better for part of it to be shaded when the warmer weather eventually gets here.regards steve

[Gazza]

Hi and welcome to Koi Quest

I have moved this post to here as you will hopefully get a few more people viewing it (thanks Chris for the heads up)

Firstly it may be an idea on what you pond set up is pumps flow,skimmer and other filtration so we can see the full picture.You say you live in a hard water are do you know how hard it is and have you tested your PH,KH,GH

There are many ways to make our ponds better for our fish and some better than others its just finding the right one for your type of set up but keep posting the answers and questions and i am sure we can work our way through it and give you some good ideas as there are plenty of people he with the knowledge to help.

By the way where abouts are you as you may be able to pop over to one of us

[innsy]

hi i have tested the water for ph, nitrite and amonia and they are all fine,not sure what you mean by " kh and gh" i live near dunstable. i have a 4" bottom drain which gravity feeds the nexus 200 which is then pumped back in to the pond via a 55w uv by a 5000 litre pump, i do have a skimmer built in to the corner of the pond but dont have it working at the moment.i have 2 air pumps one on the nexus the other straight in to the pond, if any help can be given i would greatly apreciate it, regards steve

[benyiii]

I will try and explain what the following do:

Ozone: injects water with O3 thereby sterilising it and increases ORP. Results are sterile water with high oxygen. Argument against this is a completely sterile enviroment is unecessary and ussues arise if koi leave the pond to a non ozone one. Also it is very expensive and some say dangerous, not sure on last point.

Protein Skimmer/Foam Fractioner: Seperates through various means foam which is mainly made up of proteins and removes them from pond to waste.

Bakki Shower: Becoming more widely accepted as the best filtration possible for the koi, and should not bne seen as an add-on in the same sense as the previous two. It provides incredibly good filtration, and ultimate aeration, with most noticing an increase in appetite of their koi almost immediately once fitted. My own view is it replaces the need for the previous two in that it creates very good, clean and high oxygenated water. The downside is the inital purchase cost, the extra head on the pump and the fact it needs a decent flow rate. Also if not enclosed in winter it will chill the water adding to heating costs.

All the options can be incorporated onto your skimmer line very easily. If you were to choose the shower you do have the option of turning of during the winter to avoid chilling as they are comparibly quick to mature come spring again at around 4 weeks or so.

The top two options are not filtration in the common sense.

If you wish to soften your water this is perhaps something to look at further down the line when the pond is functioning well and you are more comfortable with the interactions of GH/KH/pH and TDS. But to soften water is done to your incoming tap water rather than as part of your pond filtration.

Best,

Ben

[Gazza]

Well done Ben a good explanation

Here is a bit on Hardness GH & KH) to help explain:

http://www.koiquest.co.uk/water%20hardness.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;