Koi Filters – Life on the Inside By Michael C. Harris At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Give your Koi the best life possible by installing Koi filters dedicated to providing optimum pond water health and cleanliness. You have to keep in mind that even though your pond water may be clear, it is not an indication that the water is necessarily clean. Harmful toxic chemicals, produced mainly by Koi waste, are colourless pollutants that can build up in the pond water to devastating levels. These toxins include ammonia and nitrite, which are by-products of Koi waste material. Dissolved ammonia waste is excreted through the Koi gills. This along with urine, and solid organic waste (faeces) add a constant supply of pollution to the pond water. In nature the sheer volume of water present, and any water current available, manages these toxic pollutants. In our Koi ponds we have to provide this system artificially using biological filters.

Koi filters generally have two stages of filtration. The first stage is mechanical and involves collecting solid organic waste in the water through settlement chambers. These chambers slow the flow of water moving through them, and with the assistance of gravity, pull solid waste out of the pond water. Baffle plates, brushes or matting are generally used within the filter unit to slow and strain the pond water. It is worth mentioning here that solid waste decomposes in the pond water as well as in the filter if it is left too long. The point here being that regular cleaning of the pond water and Koi filters are necessary in maintaining a clean healthy Koi environment.

The second stage of filtration involves the reliance on bacteria to break down toxic waste to less harmful compounds. This is the biological portion of filtering pollutants from the pond water. This process involves two stages within itself, as there are two types of bacteria working for us here. The more important of the first is called Nitrosomonas. This is a nitrifying bacterium, which breaks down ammonia into nitrite. Following this process is the conversion of nitrite to nitrate by bacteria called Nitrobacter. These bacteria are aerobic meaning they require oxygen to survive. This is important to understand because a build up of sediment in Koi filters exhausts the oxygen levels, again reiterating the point of regular routine cleaning of the pond water and filter to ensure the nitrifying bacteria are also healthy and doing their job well. But please do not use tap water when cleaning the filter. The reason is that most tap water supplies contain chlorine. Chlorine kills the nitrifying bacteria we need.

Within the filter, we need to provide surfaces for the bacteria to live on. There are a number of filtration media to choose from. Different materials include Canterbury spar, hair rollers, foam, matting, and gravel are all appropriate for putting in Koi filters. When setting up your filter, be aware that it takes several weeks or even months for nitrifying bacteria cultures to build up and mature. A popular work around to speed up the process is to buy cultures to add to your filtration system. Also to consider when buying or building your filter is the removal of sediment. A good idea would be to add a drain to the bottom of each filter chamber. This allows for the sediment to be let out and makes cleaning them easier. You can also opt to use net bags to put filter medium in as apposed to simply pouring it in directly. This little tip can make the removal of filter medium very easy. Just remove the bag all at once and you’re done.

Koi filters are a vital and integral part of keeping your Koi thriving and healthy. Providing a stable environment will help to maintain the longevity of growth and life of your happy fish.

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