Aquadyne Koi Pond Filtration From Cascade
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Q: We have clear water, but the fish swimming around the bottom, keep sediment particles floating around in the pond which cloud the water and never seem to go away.
A: One of the wonderful benefits of the Aquadyne systems is that they will remove all of those micro-fine particles from your pond water. After your Aquadyne filter cycles (when the beneficial bacteria is established), the bacteria creates a thin bacterial colony on each and every one of the thousands of beads. This bacteria is Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter, which consumes the Ammonia and Nitrite waste that your fish produce, These bacteria also serve another purpose as well. If you have ever seen a Sea Anemone, they have small finger like fronds that extend out to grab particles of food from the ocean. In much the same way by comparison, the bacteria will trap the very fine particles that are floating around in your pond and cause the particles to stick to the bacteria coated beads, where it stays until you backwash it off..
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Aquadyne pressure bead filtration..The Koi Filter of the Future
Q: How often do you have to clean the Aquadyne system?
A: The Aquadyne system should typically be backwashed about once per week. If you have a heavy fish load in your pond, you may need to backwash twice weekly. Either way, the typical backwash cycle takes less than five minutes, and you never get your hands wet.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Aquadyne pressure bead filtration The Koi Filter of the Future
Q: Can you over backwash the Aquadyne system?
A: Yes you can. The aquadyne system needs to be backwashed as little as possible for it to function properly, yet you don't want to wait weeks between washings. If you backwash the system too often, you can cause excessive damage to the bacterial colonies that are growing on the beads. During a backwash the beads rub together as they release the dirt and debris that they have trapped on their surfaces. If you backwash too often, the dirt and debris will not have a chance to thicken on the beads surface for optimal filtering. Also, if the filter is left in the backwash position for longer than is necessary to discharge the waste products, the rolling of the beads that is going on inside the filter can actually kill or severely stunt the bacterias effectiveness to consume waste for a short time. If you need to drain your pond for any reason, do so with the control handle in the WASTE position. This will drain your pond to the intake level of your pump or foot valve, without passing the water through the filter media.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Aquadyne pressure bead filtration.....The Koi Filter of the Future
Q: What happens if you do not backwash the Aquadyne system for up to a month?
A: Due to the design and size of the Central Diffuser Column, it is virtually impossible for the filter to get so clogged that the water flow would stop. If the filter system did clog and the media was completely full of debris, the water would sideslip the central diffuser column and exit the filter, bypassing the clogged media and avoiding pump damage. All other bead systems on the market use small transfer and diffuser tubes inside their bodies, which number one, cause flow restrictions (whether they admit it or not), (remember the fuzzy logic of friction loss in small piping). The central diffuser column in the Aquadyne is a whopping 6 inches, with no restricting elbows of any kind in the filter chamber. And number two, many of the other systems have a maximum operating pressure of only 15 PSI. What good is that if your filter clogs. Even most weenie pumps that would operate a bead system can pump over 15 PSI. The result is that you will blow the spin welded fittings out of the ends of other polyethylene filters. All models of our Aquadyne systems have a whopping 50 PSI pressure rating from the factory and no "spin welded" fixtures. Even our Sludge Valve bulkhead is schedule 80 PVC (overkill!) By example of pressure, the flow restriction of the Aquadyne system is so low that you would have to use a pump of several horsepower to attain anything close to 50 PSI. If your filter runs for a month without a backwash, you can with every confidence, perform an advanced backwash to dislodge and discharge the debris. Only in the case of a severe clog would you have to spend 15 minutes to remove the control head, stir the beads through the generous 6" opening, reattach the control head, and backwash.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Aquadyne pressure bead filtration.....The Koi Filter of the Future
Q: Do you ever have to replace the bead media inside an Aquadyne system?
A: No, Under the normal use for which the Aquadyne system is intended, the beads will last a lifetime. They are made of a very strong polyethylene material which will not break down.
On occasion, you may notice that you loose a few beads through the sludge drain, but you would have to loose several pounds of beads before the systems performance even started to weaken. If for any reason you loose a significant amount of beads, they are quite cheap to replace.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Aquadyne pressure bead filtration.....The Koi Filter of the Future
Q: How much power does the system use?
A: None, the Aquadyne system is totally passive in its functions. The only power that you will use is the power that it takes to run your pump which you would have running regardless.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Q: We turn off our pump in the winter. Does this affect the Aquadyne system?
A: Yes and No. If you turn off your pump for the winter, you will need to winterize the filter and pump (if external). First you will give the filter a good backwashing. Then you will drain the filter body and control head by placing the control handle between any two functions and removing the winterize cap from the bottom of the filter tank, allowing all of the water to drain. If you leave the water in the filter, the filter may freeze solid and burst the tank.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Cascade & Aquadyne pressure bead filtration.....The Koi Filter of the Future
Q: Will the beneficial bacteria die in our filter if we turn the system off?
A: Some of the bacteria will die off if the filter is left to sit without circulation after a few weeks, because there is no food in the form of waste coming through the filter to make them thrive. But, even if drained, enough of the bacteria will survive to re-seed and jump start the filter the following season. Always perform a backwash and rinse cycle after the filter has been sitting idle, even for a few days. This will clear any septic waste that has formed while the filter was off.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Cascade & Aquadyne pressure bead filtration.....The Koi Filter of the Future
Q: If we medicate our pond, and use the RECIRCULATE mode to bypass the filter, will the medicine not kill the bacteria in the filter, once we return the filter to the regular filter position?
A: Most medications biodegrade or evaporate at different rates during and after treatments. Depending on the medication used, it is always advisable to make at least a 50% water change after a medical treatment. If it is not cost prohibitive, due to having to replace thousands of gallons of water, a 80% water change is ideal. A 50 to 80% water change will greatly reduce any hazardous effect that a medication might have on your filter, with few exceptions. Even if your filter is exposed to most medications, it will only suffer a temporary slump for a couple of days. Beneficial bacterias reproduce by the billions per day, and it doesn't take long to re-establish a healthy colony.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
Cascade & Aquadyne pressure bead filtration.....The Koi Filter of the Future
Q: It seems that it would take quite a bit of water to backwash the filter.
A: We love this question! Not that we are going to tell you that it only takes a tea cup full. But rather to illustrate the all important water change that most people never provide for their fish. By appropriate measure, each different size of Aquadyne filter requires different amounts of water to perform a cleaning cycle. We will first say that each system requires less water to backwash than you should already be draining to give your fish a fresh drink. To put it simply, you should always change at least 10% of your pond water each week, filter or no filter. Fresh water is loaded with minerals and elements that are critical for your fishes physical health. By comparison, we too need the minerals and elements that are in water, so that our bodies can remain healthy and nourished. If you do not perform periodic water changes the fish will absorb all of the available minerals and there will be none left to continue supplementing their health. Remember how our bodies need calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, etc. Fish are no different. Typically, you will only loose an inch or two of water from your during a backwash cycle. That will likely represent only a 5% water change, so it will not hurt to be a little generous and use a little extra water during a backwash, your fish will appreciate it.
AQUADYNE BEAD FILTERS FOR KOI PONDS
