Alfagrog Pond Filter Media Known as Supra Pond Bio Media In The USA
Supra Low Cost High Performance Biological Pond Filter Media
It is important to understand surface area in terms of biomedia choice because you will save yourself lots of money by doing so. In simple terms biological filters are only really as good as the bio media used. The more beneficial bacteria living on the bio medium in your bio-filter the purer your pond water will be. These microscopic bacteria convert toxic ammonia from fish metabolic waste, rotting vegetation and excess fish food in to nitrites. A different set of micro bacteria then converts the nitrites into nitrates (fertilizer for pond plants).
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Choosing the correct biomedia has a major impact upon your pond filter's performance and for the majority of garden fish ponds using gravity discharge filters, Supra is by far the best pond filter media to use. Alfagrog (known as Supra in the USA) is a porous ceramic filter media that is made under controlled conditions in Staffordshire, England. It has been specifically engineered for pond filters in the fish farming industries.
Please note that Alfagrog is known as Supra in the USA.
The image above shows the SSA (specific surface area) of different bio filter media, commonly used in small to medium sized gravity return filters and pressurized pond filters. The higher the SSA the better, as this means that there is a larger surface area available for nitrifying bacteria to colonize. You will notice that Supra (Alfagrog 40) has a SSA of 45. Compare this with plastic coils, which have a SSA of 1.
In simple terms this means that Supra has 45 times more surface area than plastic coils. From a practical perspective your pond filter would need 45 times more space to accommodate the plastic coils than it would to hold the Supra biomedia.
Structure
& Performance of Supra filter media
Supra pond filtration media looks like cinders, has a very high surface area making it an ideal material on which beneficial bacteria (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter) can colonize, making for increase biological filter performance and increase rates of ammonia and nitrite decomposition. The product is porous you can literally blow through it.
The manufacturing process responsible for producing Alfagrog bio filter media ensures that no substances are present to adversely affect the health of fish or plants. Supra is available in several grain sizes and is perfectly suited for use in bio filters, as aquatic gravel or aquarium landscaping and is supplied as standard in both the Fishmate Gravity Filter and Fish Mate Pressurized UV Pond filter ranges.
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