Just like filter systems themselves, there are many choices when it comes to the various types of filter media. The most common questions I hear asked are “what type of filter media is best” and “what is the best combination of media to use.”

There are two types of filtering to be accomplished - mechanical and biological. All media performs one or the other or both. They are both required for your Koi pond so what do they do? Well the mechanical filtration media removes large particulate waste material. Biological filtration fosters the growth of beneficial bacteria that breaks down pollutants in the water.

Japanese matting has become one of the most popular and widely used for biological filtering. It is made from thousands of fiber strands formed into a sheet or mat. Do not use this medium for mechanical filtration since it will easily clog and require repeated cleanings that will eventually lead to disintegration.

Another popular type of biological filtering medium is bacballs. They are easy to use and clean. But again, don’t use them in the early stages of filtration or they will clog as well. You can also use Bioflow and flocor for biological filtering. They are pieces of plastic that are light weight and easy to clean.

I highly recommend a vortex chamber as the first stage of your filtration system to remove the large waste particles. If you don’t have one then you will want to use brushes in the first stage to trap the large particles. They are easy to work with and clean and they will need cleaning often depending on the size of the Koi pond and the number of fish

So what is a good setup? Well the answer might be different depending on who you ask but here are some suggestions. If you have a pump-fed multi-chamber system without a vortex you would want to consider having brushes in chamber one, followed by flocor or bioflow in stage two, followed by Japanese matting in stage three. If you have additional chambers consider adding matting, foam or Aquarock.

Regardless of what your exact setup is, there are many options available. Do a little homework and see what is available. Alternatively the setup I have described will serve you well.

Tags: Fish

This entry was posted on Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 5:07 am and is filed under Fish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.