I got acouple questions on bio media

[new2koi]

I am a new koi enthusiast. Haven't even built my pond yet and like many i spend sleepless nights thinking about it. I have almost every thing planned out. I even started building filters (55gal barrels). One barrel was going to be just bio material. My questions were this: Just to get more air saturation can I have air going through the media? And on the bacteria, do you have to introduce it ( i've seen photos of a bacteria product ) or will it establish itself.
I'm waiting on the camera so I can post a shot of what I wanted to use for the media. I have barrels and barrels full of plastic shavings from a cnc machine. Alot finer than pvc shavings on a lathe. As long as I block it from getting back to the pond can I use that?

Sorry for the long post any help will be appreciated. thanx

[s2chang]

Media from shaved PCV pipe works but tents to become brittle and flow off in small piece to potentially clog your pipe. Some claimed that the chemicals on PCV retard initial bacteria growth until either wash off or biofilm establishment. So this media is not the very best, but why not using it while you have it?

Bacteria products are a complete waste of money. Mother nature give you good bacteria why pay? If you in a hurry, import some clean media from an established pond. stevec

[Rich L]

Actually store bought bacteria won't permanently establish your filter. It's not acclimatized to suceed in your local conditions as well as the bacteria in a local filter.

[dick benbow]

k-1 and related discs seem to be the wave of the future in filtration. Why don't you try something successful in one barrel and try your shavings in the second?

[Erns]

Take a look at this link. This guy did some intresting stuff with barrels and there is even a diagram! I prefere K1 as bio media since there is lots of air, it's self cleaning and keeps my parameters in great shape. I recently posted a filter I made myself, works on the Bakki shower and Easy principle. It might fancy your intrest and it's pretty low maintaince. The key to good bio filtration is low maintance. You don't want to desturb the bio bed to clean it each time. Good luck!

The Koi Network

[dubtaco]

I agree with what others have said, go with a moving bed. Very easy to build, self cleaning and proven to work.

Best media choices would be Kaldnes or Bioflow 9

Important note you need to have adequant mechanical filtration before your moving bed.

Here is a simple upflow mechanical filter I built for my QT using a piece of rolled matala:





From the mechanical filter water flows to a moving bed. Moving bed consists of an inlet and outlet screen so media stays in the chamber, a drain (not pictured), some air stones and media.

[new2koi]

Thanx everyone for their input.... I do have a mechanical filter first, well the idea of a filter. Havent got to dig yet
I have two BD's feeding a mechanical filter leeding to bio then to another barrel that my pump is going to suck from.... should that last barrel be mech or bio? and another question was I want air through the two BD's and in any bio barrel, right? How much air?

background: roughly a 1600 - 1800 gal pond, homemade vortex & nexus filter, 2 air BD's that are 5 ft deep

thanx again for everyones help
another sleepless night as my mind wonders...... and stays with the pond