What really matters about ponds and your pond filter
What really matters about ponds and bio filters ... If people try to convince you vortex filters are not highly effective you can be sure they do NOT really understand what is supposed to happen in a pond filter.
If you cannot afford a vortex pond filter do not despair
On the assumption that second best has to do then all that has to be considered is
- how do you get more surface area into your pond filter
- how do you get more turbulence and
- how do you get more oxygen to the interface where the bacteria and the ammonia meet and importantly
- how do you get rid of solids accumulation, which is not good for your pond filter?
I believe strongly that Alfagrog (called Supra in USA) is the best low cost way to introduce more area into any conventional low cost ordinary box type pond filter or home made filter - throw away those hair curlers, plastic rings, onion bags and whatever else you might use.
This purpose built ceramic pond filter medium is coarse and full of interstices (small holes) allowing massive colonisation on large surface areas for all types of bacteria required in the biofiltration process.
Because of the high specific surface area (ie surface area per unit volume) which in the case of Alfagrog 40 amounts to a whopping 43 square metres per litre filters can be reduced in size which in turn allows higher levels of turbulence to be achieved or low residence times.
Best of all it is low cost and is easily cleaned using pond water.
For comparison purposes 1 litre of Alfagrog 40 has the same specific surface area as about 100 litres of plastic tubes. It seems hard to believe but it is true.
When people say that the pond filter must be a specific ratio of the pond size then they are not considering the facts of the situation and are simply repeating what they have been told and do not understand the principles of biofiltration.
Such advice is not based upon well-reasoned thought. On the other hand it is impossible to have too large a filter. It just costs more money.
Information on Alfagrog for Pond Filters
Without getting too technical this means that 1 litre of Alfagrog can hold the same amount of bacteria as 200 litres of plastic tubes. In other words a box using plastic tubes needs to be 200 times bigger in volume than one containing Alfagrog to get the same biological performance.
Alfagrog fantastic low cost biomedia ... buy here, search for SUPRA after clicking
Alfagrog looks a bit like cinders, it is lightweight, comes in different sizes and you can literally blow through it because it is so porous. See the image below:
| 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
Pond Filters Include 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)
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| 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 |
"The Complete Pond Solver" by Tony Roocroft
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.
Let me try hard to debunk this myth of Pond Filter size
Nitrification cycle koi gold fish ponds and pond filters
Pond Filters Biofiltration Pond Water Quality
Shape of a biofilter does not matter Make your own
Successful Fish Ponds Need A Filter & UVC (Ultra Violet Light)