EMF wrote:
Hi

After succesfully keeping a reef tank for several years i have now moved
into pond keeping or should i say blanket weed growing. The answer to algae
elimination in a reef tank is to install a plenum filter to reduce nitrates
and phosphates to virtually undetectable levels, hence starving them of
their food. I understand the design of plenum filters as they apply to reef
keeping and i intend to use silver sand in place of coral sand as the local
water supply is very hard. Has anyone here used such a filter in a pond and
if so what where the results. I understand that water temperature plays a
big part in the efficiency of the bacteria in the filter and its ability to
breakdown the nitrates and phosphates. In the north of England, where i
live, a water temperature of 18-20c is quite high and about as good as it
gets in the summer. Any help please.

I don't think plenums work as well in FW. Anaerobic patches in FW can
break down nitrate, but they also go over to dangerous sulfide
production very easily. I've not tried a plenum in a pond, but my
attempt at using a Nitrex box in a fish tank led to a lot of sick fish.
I'm not aware of any mechanism for phosphate removal by a FW plenum.

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