Quality Japanese Koi & Unique Affordable Pond Construction

You need filtration because...

The typical garden pond has an unacceptably high concentration of fish (producing ammonia and nitrite) when compared to lakes, rivers and other natural habitats. This is a far greater problem when the fish are Koi. Koi put an even greater strain on the system as they produce far more waste and prevent plant life being introduced, which help reduce some of the harmful chemicals. After all we would not like to live in a septic tank so why should your Koi.

A garden pond is a closed environment and there is no way for the Koi waste to leave the pond. If the waste is not filtered the Koi are left to swim in their own sewage. It is not always obvious when a pond has a dangerously high level of toxic waste. It is possible to have what appears to be clear water in your pond but one in which fish will not live. It may be so full of clear toxins that even algae are unable to live in the water. What chance do the fish have?! Bleach is clear and yet you would not expect your fish to live in it!

Your filter will need to run constantly, 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and 365 days, and your filter needs to be capable of filtering the entire volume of your pond approximately every two hours, that’s around 4400 times each year. Unless you filter can do this it is unlike you will have a healthy pond and healthy Koi.

When you first stock your pond the level of filtration needed will probably be much less than that required in later years. Koi grow! As they grow they require more food and therefore produce more waste! Unless you plan well ahead your filter may not give adequate performance in the future. If your filtration system has been running for a few years ask yourself.....

· How many additional fish have you added to the pond?
· If they have grown, how much larger have they grown, how much more are they eating and how much additional waste are they producing? This puts additional pressure on your system.
· If they have not grown, is it because your filtration system is no longer adequate (size DOES matter)?
· When did you last check the efficiency of your filter?

What are your nitrate and ammonia levels? See are large range of test kits (coming soon)

As some systems are installed under the pond and most are installed underground it is best to get it right the first time, however we can help with upgrading as well and have helped 1,000’s of people improve there current systems.

WHAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING YOUR POND

POND VOLUME

First we need to establish the size of the pond to calculate its volume. Unless we get this right everything else will be a waste of time. The size of the pond governs the amount of water to be filtered.
This is why Nishikigoi Centre have made this handy and user friendly Flash page to help you find the volume of your pond. Click Here

The Number of Koi

This also has to be a consideration because if you have one Koi you will not need as much filtration as if you had 100 Koi.

This is why you need to install a suitable filtration system.
But which one? We will now explain the different types and sizes of the filtration systems and hopefully help you choose the systems best suited to you, but remember it is better to be bigger than need, rather than smaller, as you can’t make a pond to clean.

Basic Filter Types

Typical Pump Fed Filter Systems

There are two main types of filtration systems. Pump fed and Gravity fed. The difference between the two is: In a pump fed system the water is sucked from the pond and pumped to the filter. After filtration it spills back into the pond (possibly via a waterfall) thereby completing the cycle. In the pump fed system a submersible pump with a pre-filter may be placed in the pond (near the bottom) to suck out water. Alternatively a surface mounted pump could be used by installing pipe work to its suction side, drawing water via a pre-filter in the pond and then pumping up to the filter.

One main advantage of a pump fed system is that the filter is mounted above ground and pond water level. If a waterfall is required the outlet from the filter can supply the waterfall. Installation is less labour intensive as they do not need to be sunk into the ground and the pipe work is simpler.



We offer the full Evolution Aqua Filtration Range
Click here for more info.