"San Diego Joe" wrote in message
...

Hi Rich,

I've been looking for a bead filter and have been trying to sift thru the
claims of the various manufacturers. They all 'seem' to be the best. Could
you tell me what it is about this bead filter that you like above the
others?


Thanks,

San Diego Joe
4,000 - 5,000 Gallons.
Koi, Goldfish, and RES named Colombo.

I have the original BBF bubblebead filter which relies on air entering under
gravity draining of the filter to do the cleaning. I have it plumbed in
such a way as to allow the water to be fed backward through the beads to do
the cleaning. It is a fair bead filter.

I also have an Aquadyne. This brand of filter was given away by Dr. Roddy
Conrad a couple of years ago because snails clogged the internals so often.
I haven't had that problem with mine, but due to its design, it does have a
higher head pressure loss, slowing the flow somewhat more than other
filters. It has a bottom drain, (sand filter winter drain) that can be
opened periodically to remove settled solids. When I open mine I get snail
shells mostly.

I have the Advantage 15. The internal design is very clog resistant,
doesn't require the bottom drain, and has less backpressure against the
pump, allowing higher flows. I have heard many others praise this filter
and the manufacturer.

The Aquabead appears to be a similar system, but I do not have one of these.
I have heard some good stuff about it and the manufacturer.

The AquaUV Ultima filters are not bead filters and as such do not provide
the dense packing that allows solids separation and water polishing. They
may provide good bio filtration.