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Koi fish rank among the most prized pond fishes in the world. They are loved for their colorful appearances and their resilience to survive just about anything, and for this reason, they don’t come cheap, and having them in your pond comes with its own set of challenges. So how exactly do you set up a working filtration system for your koi pond? These are the questions we are going to answer today. We will be exploring the pond filtration methods one can use to ensure their koi pond is fresh and safe for the fish inside. So stick around to the end if you have been considering having one in your backyard.
Ponds come in varying sizes, big. Medium and small. However, where koi fish is in the picture, you may want to avid small ponds as they thrive well in huge ponds with enough space for movement. The following are the basic parts of a koi pond that make it functional.
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A bottom drain is a necessary feature of a koi fish pond that is usually positioned at the deepest point of the pond. This means that most debris naturally moves towards it courtesy of gravity, and this eventually creates problems. It has to be cleaned every chance youtube as it leads to the settlement tank. If the bottom drain is blocked, the water may quickly start changing color no matter what you do to stop that. The pipe that connects the bottom drain to the settlement tank has to have a flow water rate that matches up to the rate of water movement into the tank. The flow has to be slow enough to allow waste to sink to the bottom of the settlement taken for easy removal.
A skimmer is one of the essential tools you can have for a koi pond. Unlike an aquarium which can be drained completely if the worst comes to the worst, ponds are built into the ground; draining all the water is an expensive affair. Pond skimmers are mechanical filtration tools that are used to collect any debris that falls onto the surfaces of the water or those that sink to the shallow parts. Combining a skimmer with a bottom drain is the best move for any pond. The skimmer will prevent things that fall into the water from clogging the bottom drain as the skimmer has the ability to capture the debris by pulling the water in and releasing it from the other end without the debris.
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Just like aquariums, ponds can also take advantage of nature to self-clean, and this can be made possible by incorporating biological filtration agents into the pond. The introduction of beneficial bacteria will help break down the fish waste and any food particles that settle in the water, turning them into harmless compounds that can be removed easily. Toxic substances like Ammonia are broken down into nitrites which are then broken further into nitrates which are harmless to the fish. However, once they have accumulated to manageable levels, draining the water should be the option on the table.
UV sterilizers are among the most expensive filtration methods in the market, but they do get the job done in a very efficient way. What happens here is that a UV light source is placed inside the pond in various places, and as the water passes near it, it is blasted by UV rays that are able to eliminate any microbes in the water that may pose a danger to the fish. The biggest advantage of UV sterilizers is that they are harmless to the fish, so you have the flexibility to go all out. Some of the microbes that are handled by UV sterilizers include protozoa, algae, viruses, bacteria, and mold. The process doesn’t leave any residue in the water. Once the rays have done their job, they simply cease to exist.
Not to be confused with UV sterilization, this is a kind of filtration that uses electricity in controlled amounts to kill microbes in the water without affecting bigger animals. Ion filtration is done by inserting anodes into the water and passing a low voltage current through them constantly. The anodes are sully made using copper, zinc, or silver. Every time a charge is passed through them, the anodes release billions of positively charged ions into the water, which attacks the microbes destroying their negatively charged bodies in the process.
Having a Koi pond in your backyard is one of the most fulfilling things, but they take work. There are many other methods you can use to ensure the conditions are suitable for the fish, and you can research them online at any time. For more information on maintaining koi ponds, make sure you check out our website.
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