larz1
Koi Kichi
Oct 5, 2006, 8:41 PM
Post #17 of 25
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Re: [alex-san] Ideal pond readings
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This had turned into a pretty interesting thread
IMHO, the only bad fiter is one that CAN'T work.
There are several catch phrases about Koi, Water, and Filtration that all ring true. A few of my favorites are;
"You don't feed the fish, you feed the filter" and
"Take care of the Water and the Water will take care of your Koi".
Bottom line, if you don't have healthy water you can't keep healthy Koi.
Dodad's observations on Kh/Gh are true for any Koi pond, and how you maintain proper levels really does revolve around purpose. We add various nutrients to encourage aerobic bacterial growth, promote Koi health and development, and plant growth. The details depend upon each individual ponds volume, filter/pump capacity, fish load, feeding regime, plant load, sunlight, water temperatures, raw water supply... and all the specifics vary from one pond to another.
If each of us built identical ponds in terms of volume, stocked at identical levels, fed similar quantities of locally available feed, and had properly sized filtration, we would still have different needs in terms of water treatment for a healthy system.
Some people have to add B.S., Calcium Choride Flake, Epsom Salts, and Koi Clays regularly because their raw water supply is so soft it is barely capable of sustaining any type of life. Without proper mineral balance proper cellular function cannot take place and all types of life in the water suffer osmotic stress/failure as a result. The clays have the added benefit of not only polishing the water, but neutralizing phosphates that promote microalgae blooms.
Others, (like me) rarely add anything to their water because it comes out of the tap at Kh 150, Gh 250-300, Ph 7.5-8.0. The only thing I've added is Lithaqua, which is a calcified mediterranian algae (dead and oven baked) which is a ph buffer similar to coral only faster release.
If you have a good mineral balance, properly designed and maintained pump/filter, and still have water problems look at the feed. Too much or the wrong type for your water/weather makes a difference in waste production and overloads an otherwise good filter. Even high priced/high quality feeds can perform poorly if the conditions aren't right. Digestability is a function of feed composition, water temperature, and water mineralization. At lower temperatures a low protien/high carb feed is preferable because the metabolism of the Koi AND bacterial colony are both slowed down to a crawl. If your water is too soft you can experience similar problems even during warmer weather as the digestive enzymes function poorly if mineral levels are too low.
As to bead filters, TT's, Bakki Showers, they all function differently and with slightly different purposes.
Bead filters like alex-san described (minimal aeration) have different nutrient demands because the bacterial colonies are not the same as those found in heavily aerated filters. There are anaerobic denitrifiers that make up part of the biofiltration colony in these type filters that have different nutritional requirements than their aerobic cousins. That is an important part of the Kh demand equation, but I'm not going to pretend to know how to paint the entire picture.
Trickle towers are great for denitrification/degassing, but they demand excellent solids prefiltration or they will simply plug up with detrius.
Bakki Showers have their ups and downs.
Upside. They require little or no prefiltration (other than ordinary settlement) because they are designed to literally pulverize solid wastes into small, digestible particles. The media colonizes from the outside-in, with solids being digested/converted to ammonia and carbon compounds as well as liquid/gas wastes (nitrogen cycle wastes).
Downside. They require massive turnover rates (1.5-2 times total pond volume per hour vs. 1 time for most filters) and 5-10% daily fresh water exchange. That means bigger, more expensive pumps and higher utility costs. The B.H. media is also very cost prohibitive for many ponders, but many people I've spoken with use Lava Rock as a substitute with good results.
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Hope this helps. 
Re: [Dodad] Ideal pond readings
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How would you compare nitrifying bacteria in the bakki shower (BS) to the bead filter bacteria in terms of nitrogen cycle and using up the kH in the water? any idea? 
which one is better? is there a flow rate criteria for bead filter? 
Without going off the subject too much your explanation that anaerobic denitrifiers make up part of the biofiltration really hit the nail on the head for me. Many people don't realize that to achieve perfect water involves many processes not just concentrating on the aerobic autotrophic bacteria. 
It must cost you a bit in bicarbonate and clays though. At least you can adjust the water to how you want it. I agree that you should monitor the KH levels and keep them up to buffer pH changes but only a portion is used up by denitrification and the rest is to neutralize the acid produced. I have read that denitrification is only affected once the KH has dropped to 45mg/l. Whilst nobody would let the levels drop this low have you tried altering the KH at all? How often do you have to add bicarb? If you could reduce some of the causes of the acidity like CO2, carbolic acid and nitric acid then perhaps you could use less.