which media and in what order??

[johnsage01]

Can any help me with what filter media to use? The choice seems endless...... I have a 3500 gallon koi pond currently maintained by a pump fed cloverleaf CL3 4 chamber filter, 55 watt uv and an air pump. I would like to increase my current filtration and have just got hold of a Vor-tex 3 pod filter to go before of the CL3. This will mean I have a 7 chamber filter in total. (I would not be able to run these as two seperate filters due to the nature of the return to the waterfall). Could you please advise me what media I should put in each chamber and in which order? As the system stands it has: Vor-tec pod system, bay 1 Vortex, bay 2 Brushes, bay 3 flocor with foam mats on top, then the CL3 has: bay 1 vortex, bay 2 brushes, bay 3 Jap mat, and bay 4 alfagrog with foam mats on top.

Thank you for your help
john

[Jon W]

Hi John

I am no expert in these matters but broadly you want to have all your mechanical filtration media at the front of the chain followed by various biological media. Also it depends how much extra you want to spend on additional media.

If you want to only use your existing media;
Chamber Media

1 Empty - vortex for removal of debris
2 Brushes
3 Brushes
4 Japanese matting
5 Flocor
6 Alphagrog (tends to get clogged so keep at far end of with debris)
7 Water treatment (use cockled/oyster shells for pH buffering)

If you feel like spending a bit and doing a bit of DIY to adapt chambers for K1
Chamber Media

1 Empty - vortex for removal of debris
2 Either brushes or static K1 chamber for finer particles (K1 will require less maintenance)
3 Fluid K1
4 Fluid K1/Japanese matting
5 Japanese Matting
6 Alphagrog (tends to get clogged with debris so keep at the far end of the chain)
7 Water treatment (use cockled/oyster shells for pH buffering)

Hope this helps. Hopefully someone more expert than me will come along with some better ideas but this should work fairly well.

Cheers

Jon

[johnsage01]

Thanks for this - very help and detailed. If I couild ask a couple of further questions: 1) why did you put the jap mat beforee flocur (I though Jap matt was a better medium for bacterial chambers). 2) Would you advise adding any extra air to any of the chambers?

Thank you for this - I will probably re adjust my current set up using what I have and then when money allows change over to the more superior set up with K1.

Thanks
john

[Jon W]

Hi John

To be honest I don't know how much difference it will make whether the Jap matting or Flocor comes first (although those more knowledgeable than me might have a better insight). There is a theory that Jap matting works by bacteria colonising the mulm collected in the matting fibres rather than directly on the fibres itself. Therefore it is likely to be more efficient if it has more mulm (up to a point of course, too much and it becomes clogged and just becomes dirty) which is more likely to occur if ti is in front of the Flocor. Given the choice I would use just Jap matting and forget the Flocor; Jap matting is probably the best static bio media available.

I would definitely aerate the bio media chambers - this will significantly increase the colonisation by bacteria and improve the efficiency of conversion of ammonia and nitrite.

Cheers

Jon

[r3driot72]

Hi,
I am very new to all this so please please please excuse my lack of knowledge.
I am looking for some idea or plan of how to convert a holding tank (65 glns) into a multi chamber filter. Budget it tight (set by the wife, sorry ladies) so i have purchased 2 tanks for £40. I now have to convert them !!!

Hope someone can help