Can I turn off Bio Filter 2 hours a day?/
 

I have a 300 gallon pond with a oversized filter and pump. (1800 gph)
While it keeps the water clear it also makes a lot of water movement. I
am going to waterfall it soon. I was told that shutting off the pump 1
hour twice a day would not kill the good bio bacteria. I need these 2
hours so I can feed my fish and turtles. I also was told by a petshop
that even 12 hours would not hurt the bio filter. What do you all think?
Thank you

"DD DDD" wrote in message
...
I have a 300 gallon pond with a oversized filter and pump. (1800 gph)
While it keeps the water clear it also makes a lot of water movement. I
am going to waterfall it soon. I was told that shutting off the pump 1
hour twice a day would not kill the good bio bacteria. I need these 2
hours so I can feed my fish and turtles. I also was told by a petshop
that even 12 hours would not hurt the bio filter. What do you all think?
Thank you


The consensus in this group seems to be 4hrs is the upper limit, but a lot
of factors come into play, such as the size and design of the filter. If the
bio filter is tightly packed with material, a stop in water flow would cause
the bacteria in the bio filter to quickly consume the available oxygen. A
loosely packed filter with plenty of water would survive longer. It
shouldn't take you an 2 hours to feed the fish, they're usually done feeding
in a few minutes, unless you toss 1 pellet in the water at a time.

I run my pump for 12hrs a day, on two hours, off two hours,

-S

On Mon, 16 May 2005 20:36:34 -0500, (DD DDD) wrote:

I have a 300 gallon pond with a oversized filter and pump. (1800 gph)
While it keeps the water clear it also makes a lot of water movement. I
am going to waterfall it soon. I was told that shutting off the pump 1
hour twice a day would not kill the good bio bacteria. I need these 2
hours so I can feed my fish and turtles. I also was told by a petshop
that even 12 hours would not hurt the bio filter. What do you all think?
Thank you

Bio-bacteria starts to die &/or go dormant after about 20 minutes, it needs
food an air that stagnant water can't provide, after about 45 minutes to an
hour, anaerobic bacteria will start to feed on the dying aerobic
bacteria.... all temperature dependent time wise. If my filter is off for
45 minutes or longer I always pump off to waste to rinse out the stagnant
water.

If you really want to know what's going on with your system. Test the water
quality just before you turn it off, and then just before you turn it on,
then an hour later and so on. That will give you more accurate information
on your system than our guessing. Personally I run my system 24/7 and
highly recommend that way of doing it. ~ jan


See my ponds and filter design:
www.jjspond.us

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

"DD DDD" wrote in message
...
I have a 300 gallon pond with a oversized filter and pump. (1800 gph)
While it keeps the water clear it also makes a lot of water movement. I
am going to waterfall it soon. I was told that shutting off the pump 1
hour twice a day would not kill the good bio bacteria. I need these 2
hours so I can feed my fish and turtles. I also was told by a petshop
that even 12 hours would not hurt the bio filter. What do you all think?
Thank you
=====================
My pumps and filters run 24/7 until the water temps drop in the fall. I
think you need a smaller pump.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

On Mon, 16 May 2005 20:36:34 -0500, (DD DDD) wrote:

I have a 300 gallon pond with a oversized filter and pump. (1800 gph)
While it keeps the water clear it also makes a lot of water movement. I
am going to waterfall it soon. I was told that shutting off the pump 1
hour twice a day would not kill the good bio bacteria. I need these 2
hours so I can feed my fish and turtles. I also was told by a petshop
that even 12 hours would not hurt the bio filter. What do you all think?
Thank you

An alternative is to install a flow control valve in the water line.
Then adjust the flow rate to what you want. That way there is no
interruption of water, O2 and nutrients to the bacteria.

JMHO

John

"John Bachman" wrote in message
...
An alternative is to install a flow control valve in the water line.
Then adjust the flow rate to what you want. That way there is no
interruption of water, O2 and nutrients to the bacteria.
================================
I read somewhere that back-pressure on a pump wears it out faster..... I
haven't a clue if that's true.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o