The pond is not only a beautiful water feature, but with its own ecosystem supports fish, plants, and useful bacteria to thrive. The most important element in maintaining balance in ecosystem is to install an effective filtration system. Ponds can easily be filled by trash, algae, and deadly substances without filtering process, thus harming the survival of creatures inhabiting the water. However, to make sure that your pond becomes clear, clean and biologically healthy, you should be aware of the key methods of successful pond filtering.
When establishing a healthy pond environment, the right pond filter is the first decision you will have to make. There is a large range of filters, but each one is designed to resolve a specific set of problems, such as removing debris, bio-waste, and algae control. That Pond Guy offers professional pond service in Central London and nearby areas. They assist homeowners and property managers in selecting the most appropriate types of filtration systems that suit their respective pond systems.
Mechanical Filtration
Mechanical filtration is all about the removal of material debris in the water. Sponge, brushes or mesh screens trap leaves, fish waste, unconsumed food and other particles. It prevents clogging and causes a decrease in the organic load that would support algae growth.
Mechanical filters must be washed on a regular basis to ensure maximum effectiveness. Depending on the size of your pond and the population of fish, you may need to maintain it weekly or bi-weekly to ensure an unobstructed flow of the water.
Biological Filtration
The driver of long-term water quality is biological filtration. It is based on the presence of colonies of useful bacteria that transforms toxic compounds such as ammonia and nitrites (generated by fish waste) into other less toxic compounds such as nitrates. The bacteria normally reside on porous surfaces like bio balls or ceramic rings or lava rocks that are part of the filter system.
A good biological filter is not built quickly, particularly in new ponds. Do not over clean biological media, as this destroys the colonies of good bacteria. Rather, wash carefully with the pond water in order to maintain the ecosystem.
UV Clarifiers
Green water is caused due to the presence of free-floating algae in the ponds particularly in the warm seasons. In UV clarifiers, water is treated by algae cells which are killed in the ultraviolet light as the water moves through the equipment. This method does not have any negative impact on fish or plants and is very efficient in keeping the water clear.
UV clarifiers are best used in conjunction with mechanical and biological filtration to create a complete system that addresses and maintains pond health.
Flow Rate and Filter Sizing
Flow rate is another factor that is very easily ignored in the pond filtering. The pump and filter must be of correct size of your pond’s volume to ensure total water turnover. Your filter ought to treat the full amount of water in the pond within 1 or 2 hours.
Small filters can lead to low water quality, while large systems are either inefficient or unnecessary costly. You need to choose the right size of filtration system. If you are unsure consult experienced pond contractors.
Conclusion
Pond filtering is a combination of mechanical, bio and UV processes that works together effectively. They are all critical to the health of water, aquatic life, and prevention of typical problems such as algae blooms and toxic accumulation.
