I have a 2500 gallon pond and need a new filter. I have about 12 good sized
koi in the pond. I am thinking about getting a tetra pressurized filter. I
see they have a 2500 gallon and a 4,000 gallon filter. would I be better off
getting the 4000 gallon filter even though it is a 2500 gallon pond because
of the amount of fish in the pond?Any suggestions or advice is greatly
appreciated.I saw a filter called aquaciara that lights up when it needs
to be cleaned. Is anyone familiar with that brand or knows of another brand
that lights up when it needs to be cleaned , and if so, would you recommend
them. I would rather have one that lights up when they need to be cleaned.
Thanks in advance for any advise......

Mjl,

Others will have advice about the filters. Let me put in a word of
encouragement that you consider a veggie filter that would give you
plants and less maintenance hassle. The topic has been discussed
before, so you could search the group for information. Phyllis and I
have veggie filters and have to work with them only once a year. So
much easier, from our perspective.

Jim

I'll echo the veggie filter choice. I use a bio falls filter myself. jan's
web site has instructions on how to build one. I've never been a fan of the
pressurized filters.


"Phyllis and Jim" wrote in message
...
Mjl,

Others will have advice about the filters. Let me put in a word of
encouragement that you consider a veggie filter that would give you
plants and less maintenance hassle. The topic has been discussed
before, so you could search the group for information. Phyllis and I
have veggie filters and have to work with them only once a year. So
much easier, from our perspective.

Jim

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:11:02 EDT, "mjl" wrote:

I have a 2500 gallon pond and need a new filter. I have about 12 good sized
koi in the pond. I am thinking about getting a tetra pressurized filter. I
see they have a 2500 gallon and a 4,000 gallon filter. would I be better off
getting the 4000 gallon filter even though it is a 2500 gallon pond because
of the amount of fish in the pond?Any suggestions or advice is greatly
appreciated.I saw a filter called aquaciara that lights up when it needs
to be cleaned. Is anyone familiar with that brand or knows of another brand
that lights up when it needs to be cleaned , and if so, would you recommend
them. I would rather have one that lights up when they need to be cleaned.
Thanks in advance for any advise......

Always go bigger if you can afford it. Less cleaning that way.

A filter that lights up when it needs cleaning? Cool. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

JB wrote:

I'll echo the veggie filter choice. I use a bio falls filter myself. jan's
web site has instructions on how to build one.

I've never been a fan of the pressurized filters.

Just curious, but why?


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

My friend with big pond and really huge koi (she used to sell fancy GF and koi) had
two big hunker Big Sister filters. Despite that her husband had to do these big
water changes every week (koi were his). Then she needed an eye operation at the
same time her husband had knee replacement and she came to the sudden realization
that the ammonia had almost gone off chart, one koi died and the others were breaking
out in sores all over. She literally had the water running all day into the pond (her
own well) and it just wasnt bringing the ammonia down very well. She was desperate.

I sent her one BIG clump of water celery. She put that into a kiddy pool she had
rigged up in front of the output of one of the big sisters. In 10 days there was no
ammonia. And they dont need to change water.

Any other filter in the world will convert ammonia to nitrate, and nitrate is toxic
above 20 ppm and there are no aerobic bacteria that remove nitrates. So water
changes are inevitable.

OTOH, veggies will take the ammonia right out of the water and use it completely.
"About a year ago there was an article by Diana Walstad that said something
to the effect that aquatic plants preferred ammonium over nitrate.
She based her article on a peer-reviewed publication that cited
results from a study done with Spirodela (a kind of large duckweed).
This floating plant was grown in a mix of equal concentrations of
ammonium, nitrite and nitrate. Tests showed that the ammonium was
absorbed first, and nitrate last. Nitrate *was* used up, but only
after practically all the ammonium ions were gone."

Veggie filters are simply easy and can be configured to be absolutely gorgeous.
http://weloveteaching.com/mypond/changes/changes2.htm
I have yet to see a really gorgous typical filter unless something is built to
entirely encase it.
Ingrid

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:11:02 EDT, "mjl" wrote:
I have a 2500 gallon pond and need a new filter. I have about 12 good sized
koi in the pond. I am thinking about getting a tetra pressurized filter

Joe,

My opinion on pressurized filters is one based on perception and not actual
experience. (Perhaps I should have added that as a qualifier.) I do have
over 10 years experience ponding. Have build and maintained two ponds; the
first 1,000 gallons and the current 3,000. I have built my own filters using
lava rock & those blue washable air filters made for home heating & air
systems, used foam pre filters and finally ended up using the bio falls
unit(s).

To me, the pressurized units don't provide the amount of surface area of
either my home made filter or the bio falls. I perceived them as needing
more frequent cleaning and I have a co-worker with one on her pond that
confirms this. Of course, when I first explored the pressurized units, the
automatic backwash feature was not available on the units in my price range.
I currently have three 2 inch filter pads, 150 pounds of lava rock, a
laundry bag full of bio balls, more mint than I can keep up with, pennywort
and a couple of Louisiana Irises in my bio falls filter. I only clean it out
once a year, in the spring.

JB


"Joe" wrote in message
...



JB wrote:

I'll echo the veggie filter choice. I use a bio falls filter myself.
jan's
web site has instructions on how to build one.

I've never been a fan of the pressurized filters.

Just curious, but why?


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

"mjl" wrote in message
. ..
I have a 2500 gallon pond and need a new filter. I have about 12 good sized
koi in the pond. I am thinking about getting a tetra pressurized filter. I
see they have a 2500 gallon and a 4,000 gallon filter. would I be better
off getting the 4000 gallon filter even though it is a 2500 gallon pond
because of the amount of fish in the pond?Any suggestions or advice is
greatly appreciated.I saw a filter called aquaciara that lights up when
it needs to be cleaned. Is anyone fimiliar with that brand or knows of
another brand that lights up when it needs to be cleaned , and if so, would
you recommend them. I would rather have one that lights up when they need
to be cleaned. Thanks in advance for any advise......
===================================
You can never have a too big filter I have heard again and again. I have a
regular Tetra filter plus a 40g plant filter on my 2000g pond. I have about
12 close-to-adult koi in there also, but two sides are loaded with plants
for more filtration and decoration.

Mine don't light up when the pad needs cleaning, the water starts going
through slower.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

I concur about the value of the plants and the value of a large veggie
filter setup (smaller ponds with plants). Our pond is about 12 x 22
for about 250 sq ft of surface. The 10% rule of thumb calls for 25 sq
ft of filter.. The veggie filters have 99 sq ft of surface (37% of
the pond), to which we have added significant waterfalls and two
streams. We simply never have ammonia. The plants thrive and so do
the fish. The people thrive because they have so little to do. Our
toilet valve regulates the water level, so we never have to top it
up. Think about the ease...go veggie if you can (IMHO).

Jim

And with plants that grow tall rather than low and wide, the veggie filter doesnt
even need to be that big. The waste from 22 fish in my pond is completely handled by
a couple plants. In Jo Ann's case, a single (altho rather large) water celery was
removing all the wastes from her very large pond (until it was hit by nutria). Ingrid

On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:55:24 EDT, Phyllis and Jim wrote:
Our pond is about 12 x 22for about 250 sq ft of surface. The 10% rule of thumb calls for 25 sqft of filter..
The veggie filters have 99 sq ft of surface (37% ofthe pond),

On Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:25:11 EDT, wrote:

And with plants that grow tall rather than low and wide, the veggie filter doesnt
even need to be that big. The waste from 22 fish in my pond is completely handled by
a couple plants. In Jo Ann's case, a single (altho rather large) water celery was
removing all the wastes from her very large pond (until it was hit by nutria). Ingrid


Jim & Ingrid,

But you'd still advocate for water change outs I assume? I would, here the
water change outs keep our buffering up. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us