[schildkoi]

To answer your question regarding, ""Often times people will get caught up in taking...." ?

Just as a simple example, most hobbyists will agree that a bottom drain is the single most important aspect of "The System". One design style may not incorporate an air diffuser on the drain and opt for venturis instead. Without knowing all of the design parameters of both styles, one could easily fall into the trap of utilizing the diffuser style design, without the diffuser itself and use the venturis. If one does not understand the fact that the diffuser component in that design helps to expedite the solid waste removal to filtration ( thrugh specific current patterns) and that in fact lowers ambient nutrient levels further and instead decides to opt for the venturis (whos turnover rate in that design may be totally different) effects not only the abient levels of nutrients, the venturis also add head pressure to the system and thus lower turnover rates beyond the diffuser style design criteria. Thus, the venturis in one design that starts out with a different set of criteria are now incorporated into a totally different system design that in turn may yield more cost effective O2 but in turn adversly effects other multiple areas.

So, understanding all of the dynamics and treating the pond as a total system with matched components and design criteria verses what may otherwise appear as individually better sub compenents can often yield those undesireable results.

Steve