What You NEED To Know About Koi Pond Filtration One surefire method for having a Koi pond that fails is to spend all your hard earned money on installing a gorgeous pond and then trying to save money on your filter. The filter is the heart of your Koi pond and Koi pond filtration is the single mostimportant function performed in your pond! It is what keeps the water clear and healthy for your fish. One surefire method for having a Koi pond that fails is to spend all your hard earned money on installing a gorgeous pond and then trying to save money on your filter. A Koi pond filter serves two purposes. First, it serves as a mechanical filter that removes the organic waste produced by your fish along with anything else in the pond that would cloud the water. Secondly, it serves as a biological filter by converting the ammonia produced by the fish into nitrites and eventually into nitrates which are less harmful to your Koi. Some filters are very high maintenance and require constant attention while others are quite simple to maintain. The first thing you need to know when it comes to Koi pond filtration is that you can never have too huge a filter. When selecting a filter, choosing one that is slightly large for your pond can turn out to be a very wise investment! For any pond over 1000 gallons it is wise to use a pressurized biological sand or bead filter that can be back washed. There are pros and cons to each. During the backwash part of the operation, sand, since it is heavier than water, falls to the bottom of the tank instead of flowing out through the valve with the waste. Plasticbeads,since they are lighter than water, float to the top. As they are smaller than the valve-strainer’s holes, they get washed out through the valve into the waste stream. More and more beads are lost during each backwash operation. Bead filters also have limited efficiency. Smaller beads have more surface area for excellent bacteria colonization, but tend to get flushed out during the backwash procedure. This doesn’t happen to the larger sized beads, but they have less surface area and thus are unable to filter as efficiently. By under-loading the sand filters, and backwashing them more frequently with higher pressures and flow rates, you can take advantage of the greater food processing surface areas, while eliminating the chance of plugging. Many manufacturers recommendations for loading sand tend to be too high. This causes the sand to plug the filter which is the main drawback of sand as a filtration medium. Up-flow and gravity flow filters need to be cleaned regularly and it is a filthy job. The filter media is packed with rotting organic matter and foul odored fish waste. As you clean and handle all the various parts of these filters you will find small, white feces-eating worms crawling on your hands and arms. Add to this the ambience of the offensive odor described above and you don’t exactly have nirvana!The up-flow and gravity flow filters, though inexpensive to make, cost a fortune to buy. So, in addition to paying a premium price to buy one, you are also spending so much time and labor that you might as well have paid at least twice the price! If you use a pressurized filter, all it takes is the turn of a handle for 2 to 3 minutes and the filter is clean. Nearly like magic!This saves lots of time, inconvenience, labor, mess, and wear and tear on your Koi. It uses slightly more electricity to operate a pressurized pump, but the savings in labor more than make up for it in most pond owner’s eyes! You can also use the waste water for your plants. It is packed with nitrogen and works even better than many of the fertilizers made especially for this purpose !

Hello,
I have a very small pond, maybe 70 gallons. . . It is in the middle of our patio and has 3 large waterfalls going into it with a small stream with another 3 small waterfalls. . .
To help keep it clean, I am putting tube socks over the intake valves on the pumps. . . While we never plotted on any wild life, a frog went in, and we want to make sure he is healthy.
The water gets a small stinky because he eats a ton. . . I am considering putting in some plants. Will this make the water dirtier or cleaner? I have been changing the water weekly and adding some of the stuff from my aquarium to de-chlorinate it. .
Are Plants a excellent or terrible thought?

I need a solar powered pump for a garden fountain. There are many listed online but I’m worried of getting something of exceptionally poor quality. Does anyone have brand names or suppliers to suggest? I’d rather pay a small more and know that it will last a long time.