A biological filter is one of the key pieces of equipment in an ecosystem pond. Biological filtration is a general term referring to the process of using beneficial bacteria to clean the water on a molecular level. In a natural stream or river, bacteria colonize on the stones and pebbles at the bottom of the stream, which naturally breaks down toxins as the water flows around. It is this natural process that manufactured biological filters attempt to emulate. However, in addition to cultivating bacteria at the bottom of the pond like in nature, we will also need to colonize bacteria in a biological filter to give the pond some extra help. The pond water is forced to flow through the filter via the pumping system, and as it does so, the beneficial bacteria can work to break down toxins in the water. Why You Need Biological Filtration? One of the main uses for biological filtration is to convert harmful ammonia, which is toxic to fish and bad for a pond ecosystem, into nitrates. Ammonia is naturally produced from fish waste and other decaying matter in a pond. This is why a pond skimmer is so important—a skimmer will trap floating debris before it has a chance to sink to the bottom and decay. After ammonia is converted into nitrates, we have a much more manageable situation on our hands. Nitrates are harmless to fish in reasonable quantities and are actually a plant nutrient, acting as a source of food for plants in the pond. However, any time you introduce plant nutrients into a pond, it’s important to keep in mind that certain types of pesky algae like blanketweed can also benefit. Therefore, it's a good idea to try to manage the levels of nitrates in your pond. There are a couple ways of doing this. The easiest way is simply to plant aquatic plants in and around your pond that will naturally feed on the nitrates, leaving less nutrients to support algae growth. Another way is through scheduled partial water changes, which replace a portion of the pond water with new nitrate- free water. Since we’re building an self-contained ecosystem pond, we’ll focus more on using plants to eat up excess nitrates than on relying on partial water changes, as might be necessary in a dedicated koi pond. Biological Bio Ball / Filter Media Balls The bio ball provides a larger, multi-faceted biological filtration area to help support the growth of beneficial bacteria. Features: Great for fish tanks, to promote gas exchange and increase dissolved oxygen levels. Great for tropical fish farms, ponds, waste water systems, etc. For using with wet/dry filters (here is not included), to improve biological filtration. Aiding in the critical gas-exchange process that is needed for successful biological filtration. K1 media How it works? Maturing the K1 Media bio-media is important because a delicate eco-system is naturally developing for the bacteria involved in the nitrification process. K1 Media provides the maximum active surface area for the bacteria to colonise, more than other types of static media. It is this process which removes harmful ammonia and nitrite from the water. How it is different to other media? As the K1 Media moves within the filter, it causes the old dead bacteria on the outside to be displaced. This makes space for new younger heavier feeding bacteria to rapidly colonise. Within the wheel is a protected surface which enables colonies of bacteria to naturally follow their lifecycle, of maturing, dying and then fueling the latter stages of the nitrification cycle. K1 Media has been designed to provide the best possible habitat for both young and mature beneficial bacterial colonies. What is meant by 'self cleaning'? Unlike foam, matting, or other forms of static filtration media, the K1 Media is designed to move freely within your filter. The constant chaotic movement of the air from your pump, causes the media to self clean and thus requires no maintenance. This allows the filter to reach optimum effectiveness without the disturbance of periodic cleaning, avoiding unnecessary loss of bacteria within the filter. 50 Litres of K1 media will handle up to 250 grammes of food per day and for K3, 225 grammes of food per day. For retrofit of existing filters, K3 media is the most suitable due to its larger size and ease of control. Ceramic Rings: Affordable and Effective Bio Media Sometimes referred to as bio rings, ceramic rings are unglazed pieces of fired ceramic. Most commonly, they resemble small white beads. However, they can also be found in other colors like cream, gray or brown. Ceramic rings are designed to have an outer part that has lots of small holes, or pores, and a central hole that goes through the entire thing. This way, water not only runs over the ceramic rings but through them as well. If you think back to the nitrogen cycle, you will remember just how important nitrifying bacteria are. This beneficial bacteria removes ammonia and nitrites (harmful chemicals) from your aquarium. These chemicals naturally build up inside your aquarium, and if the bacteria in your tank don’t remove them, then your fish will eventually die. As you see, these beneficial bacteria are pretty important. Well, these bacteria need a place to live. Ceramic rings offer the perfect home for the beneficial bacteria in your aquarium. You see, beneficial bacteria need a surface to cling to. The more surface that is available, the more bacteria that your filter media can hold. Ceramic rings increase their surface area through tiny little pores. These pores are so small that you can hardly see them without a microscope It’s in these pores that the beneficial bacteria make their home. Important: Ceramic rings do not filter your water. It’s the beneficial bacteria that live in these rings that do the filtering. Any new ceramic rings you add to your tank will not have any bacteria on them. Properly cycling your tank will encourage beneficial bacteria to grow on your ceramic rings. However, ceramic rings have an additional advantage over other types of filter media… Ceramic rings can hold a second beneficial bacteria: Denitrifying bacteria. These bacteria eat nitrates and will only survive where there is no oxygen present. Denitrifying bacteria live deep inside rock, ceramic and other porous materials, where oxygen cannot reach them. You won’t find this bacteria in plastic or foam filter media.