Fluidized Bed Bead Filters For Koi Ponds
Fluidized bed bead filters in principle are excellent candidates for good biological filtration in koi ponds
Based upon chemical engineering principles this type of filter should be one of the best types of biofilter. However I have no personal practical experience. Despite this let me explain why they should be so good. First though bead filters are probably overkill in most small to medium garden ponds. This type of pond filter should be used for larger garden ponds and koi ponds requiring extra special filtration.
Click here for expert advice on bead filters for koi ponds
How a biofilter worksclick the link to understand principles of biofiltration.
If you refer back to my coffee cup description of biofiltration then the bead filter is a continuously stirred coffee cup. What could be better?
In a bead filter (shorter more descriptive name for fluidised bed filter) beads are actually suspended in a turbulent mass of water. The beads are being thrashed about and are always in contact with fresh water/oxygen/ammonia. The bacteria sitting on the bead surfaces thus convert ammonia to nitrite then to nitrate quickly.
In some bead filters there are up to 600,000 beads per cubic foot of space this is high surface area, just like we discussed earlier.
Rule of thumb sizing for a bead filter is as follows
1 cubic foot of beads can convert the ammonia released from 1 lb of 35% protein fish food daily. This can be translated as 1 cubic foot of beads will look after a pond containing 100 lbs of fish.
Solids accumulate on the bio film of the beads and are removed by backwashing the bead filter.
A word of warning about this type of bead filter . Very small or broken beads can actually block what are called laterals inside the filter. It must be possible to remove these laterals for cleaning out if necessary.
| 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 |
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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)