On Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:56:06 EST, "JB" wrote:

I've priced some Matala pads but not ordered any yet.

What's the best price you've found and where? I can see these in my near
future.

Got a good supply of Sho Koi that'll get me into spring. Have we ever
discussed the benefits of feeding "premium" food over "catfish" food to our
fish?! ;-) JB

LOL! I think it is under the thread titled "Beating a Dead Horse". ;-)
~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

I've priced some Matala pads but not ordered any yet.

What's the best price you've found and where? I can see these in my near
future.

I think it was Aquamart. (It's been a while since I looked.) I recall having
some sticker shock and thinking that I might not need them after all. As the
weather warms, I start thinking about having to haul out all of those bags
of Lava rock and remember how my back hurt and start to reconsider them.
Then, I look at what my 403b account is doing and wonder if I'll have to end
up eating my fish to survive! ;-O sigh

"~ jan" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:56:06 EST, "JB" wrote:

I've priced some Matala pads but not ordered any yet.

What's the best price you've found and where? I can see these in my near
future.

Got a good supply of Sho Koi that'll get me into spring. Have we ever
discussed the benefits of feeding "premium" food over "catfish" food to
our
fish?! ;-) JB

LOL! I think it is under the thread titled "Beating a Dead Horse". ;-)
~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Any chance you could go to a veggie filter of some sort? We moved
away from lava rock because it got clogged so fast that it seemed
functionally to be just rocks! Screen has lots of surface and still
let water through. Mostly, however, we have gone to a veggie filter
because the roots are such good surfaces and pull nutrients as well.
The slow flow through and the roots pull out most of the solids as
well, providing mechanical filtration.

Jim

The top of my bio-falls filter is densely planted with mint, water iris,
poppy and about anything else I can throw in it. So, it does have a "veggie"
component to it. I'm pushing 3,000 gallons per hour through it. I've never
had a problem with it clogging up. My annual cleaning is just a rite of
spring I guess.


"Jim and Phyllis" wrote in message
...
Any chance you could go to a veggie filter of some sort? We moved
away from lava rock because it got clogged so fast that it seemed
functionally to be just rocks! Screen has lots of surface and still
let water through. Mostly, however, we have gone to a veggie filter
because the roots are such good surfaces and pull nutrients as well.
The slow flow through and the roots pull out most of the solids as
well, providing mechanical filtration.

Jim

Have fun with the rites of spring!

I was wondering how big your veggie filter is? The rule of thumb is
10% of the surface. We use water celery and hyacinth...lots of roots.
They provide good bacterial surface and mechanical filtration. We
have some iris in the top of an upflow barrel. It does not have loads
of root surface. Our mint was better, but still less than the
hyacinth and water celery (want some?).

Flow rate is pretty important for us. We have the flow down to be
slow enough to allow settling (about 45 minutes).

How fast doe yours go through your filter?

Jim

Jim,

I'm using a bio-falls filter, sized for ponds 4,000 gallons+. It serves dual
purposes by providing bio/mechanical filtration and as a water fall. It
doesn't provide enough surface area to meet the requirements for use as a
veggie filter.

JB


"Jim and Phyllis" wrote in message
...
Have fun with the rites of spring!

I was wondering how big your veggie filter is? The rule of thumb is
10% of the surface. We use water celery and hyacinth...lots of roots.
They provide good bacterial surface and mechanical filtration. We
have some iris in the top of an upflow barrel. It does not have loads
of root surface. Our mint was better, but still less than the
hyacinth and water celery (want some?).

Flow rate is pretty important for us. We have the flow down to be
slow enough to allow settling (about 45 minutes).

How fast doe yours go through your filter?

Jim

I haven't seen a biofalls. How does it work?

Jim

or build a really looooong filter. the "stuff" settles out. this year I have the
celery in an in the pond filter sitting on the shelf where the lily sat and under the
plastic and went great guns all winter even tho the plastic kept ripping and shifting
and stuff froze on it. that celery is tough stuff.
Ingrid

On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:10:21 EST, Jim and Phyllis wrote:
The rule of thumb is
10% of the surface. We use water celery and hyacinth...lots of roots.

Finally purchased my first pond related item:
Prazi. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us