
patrick123
Koi Kichi

Apr 4, 2003, 10:44 PM
Post #58 of 73
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Re: [micky] Effective mechanical Pond Filter - ''The Answer'' system
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Micky, Sorry for the late reply. To tell you the truth, it was not a "wow" experience for me at the first place. However, the idea is great....just don't expect it to be something that you can install and forget about. You need to maintain it at least once every 2 weeks (and I'm talking about serious maintenance). Also, it is not so forgiving like Jap mat. If you have mech chamber with jap mat, it is virtually impossible to clog the mat no matter how infrequent you wash the mat. In the case of the Answer, it is not very forgiving.....since it blocks all solid that is larger than 100 micron. If you don't maintain or keep an eye on it, you may run into situation where your pump runs dry (gravity fed), or your mech overflow (pump fed). As to the point that many people are sceptical about pump fed system, they have their point. It is not as simple as you think...that the solid are being broken up into fine particle and can be flush out later. The action of pumping the solid has a mincing effect and will increase the chance of fine particle desolving into the water and increase the DOC (dissolved organic carbon). However, if you have a good foam fractionator, you can reduce this possibility. The idea of gravity fed system is actually to remove the solid waste before they get into the filter. The more you can do this, the better is your water quality. If you already have a pump fed system, you just have to live with it....it is not the end of the world. If you can install a foam fractionator to remove the DOC, it will be much better. You are right about my algae problem. I believe it is partly due to the 100% exposure of sunlight, and also mineral buildup from the sludge in the bio chamber. Since my bio chambers do not have a very effective bottom drain (not steep enough for the debris to be flushed out by normal flushing), I need to physically remove the bio mech and do a complete wash down once every 3-6 months. It is high time to do it now. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in Bangkok not able to go back to Singapore because of the SARS virus. Sorry for being so long-winded too. Thanks for your advise and concern about my system. Let's keep in touch and we can exchange more ideas. Thanks, Patrick
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