After the last issue I thought it only fitting that we address Swirl Filter Tanks. So we need to look at what they are, what they do and how they do it...
As usual I will let the net do the talking for us all...
Before we continue lets recap on what were trying to achieve;
Biological Filtration
and the Nitrification CycleA biological filter
is quite simply the heart of a pond or tank. It is not essential in small fish ponds, but the more fish you stock, the larger they get and the more they eat, so the need for a bio-filter becomes greater. The pond gets to a point where it needs a "sewage farm". Its purpose is to convert the waste matter produced by the koi from harmful ammonia into less toxic waste.It is less important to remove solids particles from water than it is to process nitrogen, so if there is to be a compromise between mechanical and biological, err on the side of biological.
In other words, it is much better to allow particles below a certain size to escape back into the pond, while converting a great deal of ammonia to nitrate, than it is to catch every little thing down to a micron or less which in the process would slow the water down to the point where the bacteria have a hard time living (because theyre not getting enough oxygen).
The bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrate for us are among a class of bacteria that you may have heard of before. They are the so-called, “nitrogen fixing” bacteria. This means that they take nitrogen that is unavailable to plants in its ammoniacal form, and make it available to plants in an oxidized form.
These are the same bacteria that live among the roots of leguminous plants
. Without these beneficial bacteria
, life as we know it would cease. So be kind to your bacteria. What they need to survive is a large surface area, chemically inert medium and a ready supply of fresh water. They depend upon dissolved oxygen in the water to live and to do their job. As soon as the water flow is stopped, the oxygen in the filter becomes finite, and eventually gets used up. The ultimate result is that the bacteria die, and you have to start over.
Now is this acceptable Information? If it is, Here it is in FULL Its from a Koi keeper but he has described it all in a way that I feel comfortable with.
Now lets take a look from the pure swirl point of view
And now we can hit the subject from a few different angles
Going back a bit to 2007
And finally Afnan touches on filtering (if you can find it down near the bottom) but the search is so worth while.
Just a tip to finish off. If you have trouble in the winter months keeping the fish tank temperatures up, shut down the pump through the night but dont forget to turn it back on in the morning.
REASON: The growbeds act as/like an evaporative air conditioner (in reverse) and release the warmth to the air so you can lose several degrees of temperature every night.OK. Im done. Hope you are getting something out of all this.
Be Back SOON
O Z Z I E
