filter media

[iceman27030]

whar filter media would you use in a laguana power flo waterfall filter. and what is good to reduc water cloudiness?

[JasPR]

Quote: Originally Posted by iceman27030 whar filter media would you use in a laguana power flo waterfall filter. and what is good to reduc water cloudiness?

Ice, that is really a water garden type filter and not well suited for anything much past a collection of tosai. I tell you this not to insult your filter! But to say that things like cloudy water and green water are common outcomes, when you try and use a smaller filter like that with adult koi. I know the manufacturer says it is rated for up to 10,000 but that is a ridiculous statement! As a physical space, Ten thousand gallons could normally house 12 -18 adult koi . But with each one of those fish being twice as large as the bioilter chambers themselves, the possible becomes impossible ! 10,000 gallons, on the other hand , of water garden with 20-40 or so fancy comets, shubunkins ect would be a great environment with the aid of this filter.
The best media for you would be Japanese mat or matala and you could use ceramic rings or 'noodles' in one section. This would give massive surface and could cope with the water flow you are going to need.
Here is the problem with this filter besides the size- you need to have a certain amount of water passing thru this every hour to get good circulation and biological cleaning of the water. But because the surfaces are relatively small, they become mechanical in function very quickly as koi are quite dirty and produce secondary bacteria and algae growth! And as the media clog, and water flow slows, you are forced to rinse them. Brushes first and media sheets second. This can knock down and disrupt a biofilter for a bit. If you are forced to do this weekly or even more often, the biofilter bacteria has a difficult time settling in. As a result you see bacteria blooms in the water column in the form of cloudy water. Most beginners thing this is a mechanical issue or the water has 'dust in it' and try even harder to strain out the 'dust' or they try and clean the filters even better! This is not the approach as the 'dust' is bacteria making clouds as it reporduces out of control in the pond itself. In this case, the best thing to do is to stop feeding for three or four days, do NOT clean the filter and just let the biosection of the filter mature. Do very small , but frequent water changes with tap water ( treated beforehand with chlorine remover) . Trust me, one day you will go out and the water will have become clear.

For the long term, think about adding a second filter system, maybe a clarity unit like the one in the thread above yours, as a secondary biofilter and foam fractionator.
I hope you have a bottom drain? If not, do rethink that. Best of luck, JR

[Ethan25]

Hey,

I have one of these. I have the skimmer as well. I bought them before I knew a whole lot about filtration. I have used them to my advantage however. My setup is on a 3,000 gallon pond. My bottom drain goes to my 55 gallon barrel with an Answer 325 in it. I will then have a 55 gallon barrel filled with boiling kaldness, and then my pump will pump directly to the laguna filter falls. I leave the brushes in the filter, and then add the matting that is in it. You can either buy more from Laguna, which is actually pretty decent quality. You can get different thicknesses. I'd use it as a final polishing filter in a setup.

Any questions, let me know. I had a problem with bio balls or other media becuase of channeling.

[Ethan25]

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR For the long term, think about adding a second filter system, maybe a clarity unit like the one in the thread above yours, as a secondary biofilter and foam fractionator. I hope you have a bottom drain? If not, do rethink that. Best of luck, JR

If he had something to get rid of the solids first, and then something for bio, this could become a decent polishing filter, right?

[MCA]

If you want a polishing filter to get rid of the smallest fines, go with a bead filter. When they have a biofilm, they can trap solids down to the 5 micron level. But indeed you want solids seperaiton before the pump. Don't run solids through a pump and them push them into a bead pack.

Of course this would only be part of an overall pond filtraition system. Who was that masked many who used to say...."It is a system."

[JasPR]

If he had something to get rid of the solids first, and then something for bio, this could become a decent polishing filter, right? - E

I'm afraid not. You did find a better use for the laguna for sure. But in your current design, the laguna is at the end of the process. So fines and organics are first hitting several processing systems before getting to the waterfall.
In addition, it is always better to have two separate circuits than one long one. This is because you want frequent turn over of the water the fish are living in.

I agree, bioballs would be a terrible choice for this filter as a media.

To make this less personal I'd like you to compare this:

1) a ten gallon aquarium with a corner filter as the sole filtration. The plastic box is filled with activated carbon and a sponge. The water is driven/pulled thru the corner filter via rising air that comes from a vibrator pump. The aquarium is stocked with six fancy guppies.

2) now place the plastic corner filter into a 90 gallon aquarium and add three adult oscars. The water seems to never clear and the one of the oscars has cloudy eyes? Feces can be seen on the aquarium bottom . That was never the case with the guppies in the ten gallon aquarium when the very same filter was used there?

Light bulb gone on yet? JR