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Posted by Steve Childers
on 10/28/2009, 4:02 pm
70.167.10.194
Recently a good friend of mine and I were talking and he stated his perception that I only posted in agreement to JR. I had to chuckle since he obviously was not around back in the early days of NI! Back then, even my wife thought that JR and I were the worst of enenies. Nothing could be further from the truth of course and I had to explain that JR and I simply enjoyed "debating" which is in actuality a far cry from "arguing."
It has been these debates that have brought both of our viewpoints closer together since we have both learned through the process. But I see we are in disagreement on a few points brought up in thebead filter thread before it was turned south.
Anyone that knows me knows that I am in agreement with JR as it relates to "trapping crap". On the surface, this is what a bead filter does (verses solids separation). But like most things in life there are the laws of diminishing returns and simple "trade-offs."
It is no doubt that if one has an endless suplly of free or cheap, GOOD, water would be the preferred method of handling waste through simple flow through. But, the nature of the beast in back yard ponds makes that almost an impossibility for the over welming majority within the hobby. Thus we have adopted the recirculating system....and as som eone nce said, "It's a System," and all parts should work together for the overall benefit of the system.
There are two major drawbacks to the typical bead filter, the first is kinda obvious in that it traps crap and instead of going into the detail that JR provided previously, we'll leave it at that....for now. The second is the high head pressures and thus larger pumps necessary for the same give flow (verses a gravity fed system with much lower head pressures).
The new Aquabeads (LH) have addressed one of these issues by bypassing the multiport head in the standard running condition. If memory serves correctly, the multiport valve in and of itself adds about 4.5 ft of head to its pump's system. This is a tremendous loss, or gain now that GCTEK has modified its bead filters for this capacity. There would still be some head loss assocated with the bead filter as it traps crap and as the lateral lines clog with beads over time, but even with this, the reduction in head pressures verses earlier models is dramatic.
Although I am not a fan of bead filters as stand alone systems due to the fluctuating and somewhat instability of the biofilm due to back washing, bead filters are still an excellent way to pollish the water and remove fines....this is not to say that JR's methodology is wroing either since dillution through water changes/flowthrough are good and Foam fractionators are also an outstanding method to deal with fines as well.
A bead filter coupled with a prefilter that seperates the larger solids prior to the bead filter is still a very good way of handling solids. A Vortex w/ microscreen or even a Sieve installed prior to the bead filter allows for the overwelming majority of crap to be seperated out prior to the bead filter. As for the solids left to be trapped in the bead filter that JR would still take exception to? If properly sized for the circulation rate through it/pond volume, and maintained accordingly, this type of installation will yield an equally acceptable ORP in the pond as a design that JR prefers in my best estimation and experiencing in measuring such. Mid to upper 300 ranges (350-375) are common in the designs I mentioned with bead filters running.
The other exception I had to a statement of JR's concerned currents. I am a HUGE believer in supplying currents in a pond, and for a wide variety of reasons. First and foremost would be to directionalize such so that the crap can be removed to filtration faster. Even when left in the filter, but seperated from the water column,the faster it is removed from the pond, the better the water Q itself will be since it is not decaying in the pond itself and adversely affecting the water Q at the point of where the koi themselves are. Yes there is decay in the bottom of a vortex as an example but in typical designs, the added amonia as an example is immediately handled by the follow on bio filter(s) instead of the water within the actual pond that would have to be transfered to the filters still. One mutual friend got mad at me over this since I finally convinced him to add airstones to his bottom drain dome to add currents that wuld expedite the solids removal (sporadic amounts of feces) from the bottom of his pond. He got mad since after doing so his water was clearer than it had ever been before...go figure. 
Currents also help to offset the fact that our back yard ponds typically do not have the depth nor volume of a mud pond where muscle mass is more easily grown. In short, not enough exercise for the food volumes fed. When I talked about cyclonic currents, many picture a toilet bowl. Whle the pattern may be similaer (but not the same in actuality), the velocities are not. We are simply talking about 9-11 in/sec which in actuality is not very fast and koi can lazily drift in this current and thus do have the ability to rest. That being said though, the currents eleswhere can be much higher and thus allow for the exercising of the koi on a more consistent basis. Alth0ouh I am perfectly happy with my own results, I think the best examples of this methodology are Henry C along with Dan and Gene. Both of these ponds have higher currents than what others may consider typical.
Steve
The views presented are those of mine alone unless otherwise specified.
Any complaints to any content of my posts should be directed to me at: schildkoi@aol.com
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