Pond Filters Biofiltration & Fish Pond Water Quality

In a pond toxic chemicals build up naturally ... the fish secrete these toxic chemicals like ammonia and unless they are removed by continuous bio filtration the fish will eventually poison themselves to death. Sand filters as used in swimming pools are not good in ensuring a high level of water quality for fish ponds.

Consider what happens in a fish pond where obviously no chlorine can be used because it would immediately kill any life in the pond.

Food is thrown into the water, some of which is eaten and the rest remains behind. That which is eaten by the fish is partly digested and partly expressed as a waste product, which sinks to the bottom of the pond. The fish needs to urinate and this passes into the water also. Fish also express impurities (nitrogen based chemicals) from their system out of their gills. In addition other animals enter into and out of the water and on windy days anything can find its way into a pond.

Here is an ideal opportunity for pathogenic bacteria to develop and toxic chemicals to build up. This is exactly what happens in a fish pond, all day every day! The result is poor water quality unless a means of removing these toxins can be found.

If there were no means of purifying the water the fish would quickly poison themselves. Every kid has had a goldfish bowl and cried when a week or two later the goldfish suddenly died. The poor fish poisoned itself to death because the water quality deteriorated slowly no doubt helped by the overfeeding of the fish.

UV + Bio Pond Filter Selection Table ...  By clicking the link below you can review a wide range of biofilters both with and without UV sterilizers.
Fish-Mate Includes UV Sterilizer (see below ... if you're looking for a low cost well tested UV + filter combo for a small to medium fish pond this would be my recommendation)
UV + Biofilter for ponds to 1,000 gallons	UV + Biofilter for ponds to 2,000 gallons	UV + Biofilter for ponds to 3,000 gallons
Combo UV + Biofilter for ponds to 4,000 gallons	UV + Biofilter for ponds to 5,000 gallons	UV + Biofilter for ponds to 6,000 gallons

In nature all sorts of factors combine to keep water quality in natural waterways at desired levels.

In a pond however things are different and water quality has to be managed. In most fish ponds there are too many fish for the volume of water, the fish are overfed, there are few natural surfaces and plants to help clarify and purify the water.

To overcome these disadvantages BIOFILTERS are used to maintain high water quality standards.

At their simplest these biofilters are literally black or green boxes square or round, fat and thin or whatever. Often they hold sponges, brushes or other means of trapping solid particles. The boxes also contain plastic tubing often called Flocor, plastic balls, other weird plastic shapes, lava rock, special tape, string bags and coke bottle tops. If you are lucky the boxes contain Alfagrog. The collective name for these objects is biomedia ie a medium (better still surface) on which biological activity can take place. It is this biological activity that keeps the water quality at the right level for the fish to grow and prosper.

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Buy low cost combo biofilters and UV units containing the best biomedia, Alfagrog, by clicking this image Combo filter & UV

"The Complete Pond Solver" by Tony Roocroft

2005 Edition. Essential reading for anybody who wants or has a garden pond. Get 12 Excel pond calculators free as well as "Water Lilies and Pond Aquatics" ebook also free

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Important Fish Pond & Water Garden Articles to View...

Learn how to choose a fish pond pump ... pond pumps circulate oxygen enriched water to keep fish and pond filter bacteria alive. Fish pond filters make sure water gardens remain clean and healthy for you and the pond fish. Learn how to choose a UV light for your fish pond... UV sterilizers make sure backyard ponds remain crystal clear and green algae free. Water garden plants help to keep garden ponds in balance by removing nutrients on which pond algae feed. Most fish ponds and water gardens are built from flexible pond liner. If your fish pond ever suffers from blanketweed this is the page to view.

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