| Just to digress from this intended thread, how many of you actually know or want to know how your media works at the molecular level?
I have been in this hobby long enough to know that even with the same filter design at the recommended size the same water quality may not be obtained for numerous reasons. Taking BH and FIR for example, what difference does it make whether it is or is not FIR that is the effect? If BH works with or without FIR it makes no difference to common hobbyists like me. I am sure most of us out there are "common" hobbyists. Put it the other way, if BH doesn't work huge amounts of FIR again is immaterial. It only matters to those who are doing a study on ceramics, and those who want to improve on the material and hence want to know what caused its' effect on water quality. And the few who just want to know.
I have tried so many materials as you can see with the materials I still am using. Those that was not effective or a hassle to use have been discarded. Those included my sand filter and bioballs. Some using sand filters swear by it. No matter what they say it just did not work in my pond. Similarly I started off with a filter design 30% of pond surface area with Izeki nets, mid-water source, bottom drain flushing twice a day, daily siphoning and 10% water change. I was almost given a written guarantee by the vendor as it worked great for many of my senior koi hobbyist friends. Theoretically at the molecular level it should work. It just never did for me. Hence I never take what is reported anywhere to be definitive proof that anything works the way it does in this hobby. BH included. This is one of the reasons why I am doing this experiment. I have gained enough personal experience to be more adaptive rather than adoptive. Again FIR or no FIR people like me would still need to try it to be convinced that it works. Not that I would want to teach anyone to do business, if I am selling this product I will concentrate on how good it is and mention on the sideline that perhaps the good effect on water quality is contributed by FIR which need to be further studied being a relatively new filter medium.
Again I have digressed..sorry to my thread.
Back to the present. I have stopped adding new water yesterday. Will see what the nitrates will be over the next few days. Meanwhile kois are doing great and other objective parameters are status quo.
Have a good day. Dtbh. |