Just getting started.

[Koine]

I've been doing a bit of thinking and wondered if I just got 2 containers filld both with K1 would this work as the only filtration?

[vippymini]

if the first one was static with a home made easy type thing and a second one that was static yes it probably would , theres a chappy on ebay that sells barrels ideal for this ,

heres a piccy of ours

[img]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/vippy ... C_0045.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/vippy ... C_0050.jpg[/img]

[Koine]

Cheers, vippy. Not sure what you mean by 'static' though?

[vippymini]

non moving, in the static one water just flows through the k1 in the fluidised one the k1 is kept moving

[Koine]

Thanks, I didn't know if it was some posh technincal name for filtration.

[Bob Hart]

Koine,

In an earlier post you mentioned building a 4500 gallon pond. A couple of barrels with some K1 in it is unlikely to be enough filtraion. If you had 2 sets of filters, each being 2 barrells, one each of static and aerated K1, then you are probably in business. But it will depend on the amount of K1 in the barrels and the turnover rate.

Dont underestimate filtration, it's the key to your whole system.

If you are going to use K1, see if you can swap some of your new K1 with someone who has some in use. This way your filtration is part seeded and will ease the new pond syndrome. This will be especially important if you are going to set the filters up in the winter period, which you are talking about. Without a decent water temperature, you'll never seed the filter properly.

[Koine]

Thanks, Bob. I'm definitely going to invest in a heater to maintain temperatures in the winter and to stop the pond icing over.I'll probably be filling one barrel full of static and one of areated (if this would be enough?). I know a guy who has kept Koi succesfuly for a number of years and has a pond about 20-30,000g so I'm going to try have a look round his pond, see his filtration and just try and pick up any info from him that I can.

[Koine]

Here's a design I worked up. Not sure if it would work but I thought I might aswell get some designs.

[img]http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p452/kar ... design.jpg[/img]

[Bob Hart]

Nice drawing, but unfortunatly you've got it the wrong way around.

First chamber - Pond water should come in low down and under the static K1 and flow up through the K1, exiting at the top
Second chamber - Inlet can be high up direct across from the top of the static, exit lower down, full of aerated K1.

You'll need to provide tranfer pipes and exit pipes which are protected yo stop the K1 from escaping. 8mm is a good sized hole.

[Koine]

That makes sense, Bob. But the transfer and exit pipes is a bit confusing, I'm not quite sure what they are.

Thanks

[Bob Hart]

The pipe taking the water from the static to the aerated cannot be just an open pipe, or all of the static K1 will also go with the water into the aerated K1. So the pipe has a closed end on it and is usually full of holes to allow the water through it and keep the static K1 in the first chanber.

Similarily the outlet pipe from the aerated K1 needs to retain the K1 in the chamber, an open pipe will mean the lose of all of the K1.

Hopefully that's what I meant, pictures would be better of course