Unique Koi Filter - Keeping Your Pond Water Clean

For a fish hobbyist, one of the most important pieces of equipment to have is a water filter. It's only natural that since your Koi will be living in your garden pond permanently (unless you sell them), you should go to all lengths to keep the water as clean and as debris-free as possible. In fact, it's even more important for a pond to have a properly-sized Koi filter because it's located outdoors.
 
Unfiltered Koi water will attain high concentrations of ammonia (excreted by the fish) and will turn green and foul-smelling before you know it. Toxic nitrates will build up and all sorts of foreign matter will find themselves on the pond surface over a short period of time - dead insects, sticks and leaves, uneaten fish food and other debris.
 
There are two components to Koi filters - mechanical filtration, which removes pollutants and debris physically, and the biological filter which converts ammonia and nitrates into less toxic substances. Both these stages help make life more comfortable and less stressful for your expensive pets. Remember that a happy Koi makes for a healthy Koi.
 
In mechanical filtration, dirt and other foreign matter is filtered with the use of pads, sand or beads which trap the pollutants so they can be taken out of the water easily. Water is sucked through the filters with the use of a pump. The pump's capacity to process water has a lot to do in how effective it will be. Experts say a water pump has to be able to handle at least 1/3 of the Koi pond's total capacity randomly. There are two kinds of pumps for Koi ponds, submersible pumps and re-circulating pumps. The latter are more effective for large ponds because of their durability and power although they can be quite noisy.
 
The cleaning process that happens in biological filtration is a bit more complicated. Noxious elements that have formed from pollutant and excretions from the fish like ammonia are acted on by bacteria which transform it into nitrates. Nitrates are still toxic to the fish, but anaerobic bacteria, again through the same process of biological filtration, convert them into nitrites which are not as dangerous to the Koi.
 
To make sure your fish are swimming in really safe waters, a drainage hole in should be built in the lowest part of the pond. Here, dirt can be sucked-out by the pump and trapped in the filter chambers. This along with an adequate aerator can be the perfect accompaniment to your Koi filter, making the water in your garden pond a clean and hazard-free habitat in which you can enjoy and take care of your fish for many years to come.

Keeping Your Koi Pond Clean

Keeping you Koi pond clean should be one of your number one priorities. A clean pond could mean the difference between you Koi living a beautiful stress free life, and potentially suffering until they ultimately die. The water in which your Koi live is not only where they eat, sleep, and feed, but it is also where they use the bathroom as well. If you do not properly clean your pond, it is almost as if your Koi are living in the bathroom toilet.

The water in your pond should almost be completely clear. Your pond should contain no floating or suspended debris, and the Koi should appear to be floating in air. If you are unable to see the bottom of your pond, then chances are your pond is not clean enough.

We know that you take great pride in your pond, especially when you were constructing the beautiful landscape around it, and picking out flowers that bloom in beautiful colors and have beautiful smell that are unmatched. However, no matter how beautiful the landscape around the pond is, a pond is not successful unless you can sustain beautiful fish within the water. While ponds are designed to resemble nature, you must remember that your Koi pond is actually just a really large outdoor fish tank, and that it needs to be treated as such.

Unlike natural water systems, fish tanks need a large amount of care. Filtration systems are needed to maintain water quality, and a pump system is needed to keep the water moving.

In nature, Koi would not nearly the amount of food that they do in controlled ponds. It is not unheard of for pond owners to feed many pounds of food to their Koi per week. This produces a larger amount of waste, whether it comes from the digestion process on the Kois part, or the amount of uneaten food that has settled to the bottom and spoiled. It is important to vacuum the bottom out as much as possible, and make sure all types of drainage systems are clear and in working order.

Another issue is the fact that your pond is indeed, outside. Being outdoors, your fish tank faces problems that a normal indoor fish tank would never have to deal with. Debris can easily find its way into your pond. It is important to skim your pond as much as possible.

No matter if your blame the Koi, yourself, or nature for the pond not being clean, it is important for you to clean it up. The health of your Koi is at stake if you do not. Even if your water quality is clear, a large amount of debris can cause your Koi stress. Stressed fish are more susceptible to disease and viruses.

Above cleaning your pond on a regular basis, adding preventative measures can also increase the cleanliness of your pond.

Keeping your pond moving is one way to help keep your water quality up Moving water adds more Oxygen to your water, as well as potentially keep floating debris for collecting in your pond. Moving water can be achieved several ways such as waterfalls, fountains, and pump filtration systems designed to move water.

Another way you can avoid cleanliness issues is by keeping your amount of fish down. Start by buying smaller amounts of fish as spawning will cause you to have babies in the near future. The less fish, the less waste is involved.