Best Koi Pond Filter System For Excellent Water Quality & Healthy Fish | Product Reviews

Koi Pond Filtration System Buyer’s Guide

When you are looking at different filters, there are three primary considerations you will need to make to ensure you are getting the best for your setup.

1. The size of your pond, in gallons of water, and how many water features or fountains you have in the pond.
   
   
2. The number of fish that you’re keeping in the pond.
   
   
3. The type of filtration that works best for your pond type and water features.

The number of fish and the size of your pond are going to be the most significant factors to consider.

The filtration system you choose significantly depends on whether you intend to hide it within your pond or if you’re going to keep it outside of the pond. You will also want to consider whether you prefer water passing through the filter before it reaches the pump, or after.

If you have water features, such as a waterfall or fountain, you will need to purchase a pump and filter system that is capable of moving enough water to keep your features flowing.

What Size Filter System Do I Need For My Koi Pond?

This equation starts by figuring out how many gallons of water are in your pond. If you have a rectangular or square pond, the equation is relatively simple. Multiply the length by the width by the depth and then multiply that number by 7.5.

That will tell you (approximately) how many gallons of water you have.

For ponds that are round or circular, you’re going to need to use a different formula. You can multiply the radius by the radius and then by the depth. Multiply that figure by 3.14 and then 7.5.

The equation will tell you how many gallons of water are in your round pond.

If your pond doesn’t have any water features and you’re not keeping fish, but you have different levels of depth, you’re going to need to break the formula into sections, taking into account each different depth.

It does get a bit more complicated when you have an irregular shaped pond. You’ll want to break the formula down into sections and add the measurements together to determine how many gallons of water are inside the pond.

Your main goal is to purchase a pump that flows the same amount of gallons per hour that your pond contains. If your pond holds 500 gallons of water, a pump that is capable of flowing 500 gallons of water per hour is going to be required.

What If Your Pond Has Water Features?

Water features are going to require you to add to the equations you just figured out. If you have waterfalls or fountains, you will need to take the amount of tubing or pipes into consideration.

You also want to determine how much plumbing you have as well as the height of the waterfall, fountain, or water feature. This information is needed to determine how much flow your water features are going to require.

The amount of pressure that your fountain or water feature requires will come down to being provided by your pump. This is called the “head height” of your water feature.

The amount of water that is contained inside of your water feature will need to be added to your pump’s total gallon-per-hour rating to ensure you have enough power available.

What If Your Pond Contains Fish?

Your filtration system will need to take into account the extra load on the system. You will want to ensure that your pump can flow enough water to keep pressure moving through the added layers of filtration.

For Koi ponds, you are typically going to have three types of filters: mechanical, biological, and chemical. Each type of filter will put additional strain on your pump.

While the formulas above are usually enough for your Koi pond to stay healthy and vibrant, if you have more than the average number of fish, you will want a pump that is capable of flowing a higher amount of water.

Types Of Filtration For Koi Ponds

If there’s one thing you’re going to learn about your Koi fish is that they can be incredibly dirty fish. That means you’re going to need to layer your filtration system if you want to keep your water clean.

1. Biological filtration

Biological filtration refers to using helpful bacteria to break down the harmful bacteria inside of your pond. Useful bacteria can grow when you provide them with a large surface area.

You will want to look for a filtration system that comes optimized with biological filter media and provides excellent water flow through the rest of your system. As the media begins doing its job, you will have fewer issues with algae blooms and harmful bacteria.



2. mechanical filtration

Mechanical filtration refers to your system’s ability to remove large debris, such as fish waste, leaves, twigs, and other objects that make their way into your pond. Most mechanical filtration is layered foam or sponges of different coarseness and thickness.

The multi-step process starts by layering coarse media over medium-density medium and then backing it with a layer of fine-density media. This lets you capture large objects first, then medium-sized objects, and then the fine-density media usually acts as your biological filtration.

This process of layering helps ensure your pump can maintain proper flow while knocking out the waste in your water.



3. Chemical filtration

Chemical filtration is the third type of filtration that your system will require. You can use products such as water treatments and clarifiers to keep the chemicals in your water to a minimum.

Products, such as activated charcoal carbon filters, can help remove chemicals such as chlorine, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. These chemicals can cause your fish to become sick if you leave them unchecked.



4. water quality and clarity

When you have a quality filtration system in place, your water’s quality and clarity will be easy to maintain. The best way to maintain your water, though, is to maintain your filtration system.

The system that you put together should be easy to maintain and clean, while also ensuring that you are getting adequate water flow. If the system is hard to clean and maintain, you are going to be less likely to maintain it -- and your fish & pond will suffer.

Two Types Of Koi Pond Filters

There are two main types of pond filters and pumps you’re going to encounter. The type you choose depends mainly on your setup.

Do You Need A Pre-Filter In Your System?

In many cases, you’re going to benefit significantly from filtering the water before it enters into your pressurized filtration system.

When you have large numbers of fish in your pond, a pre-filter can dramatically reduce your maintenance schedule. Pre-filtering functions by putting a secondary filter in the front of your larger system.

This secondary filter collects debris and gives your helpful bacteria a chance to begin cleaning the water with ample amounts of water flowing over them. Most pre-filters are nothing more than a skimmer box or leaf basket.

Use Activated Carbon Charcoal

If you want to achieve optimal efficiency in your filtration system, you can add activated carbon charcoal along with a pre-filter. Activated carbon acts as a chemical filter and lets the helpful bacteria inside your system work even harder.

When you are monitoring the water in your pond, if you notice ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates rising, adding carbon charcoal can help reduce the numbers. This should be your first line of defense for most people.

Swapping out the charcoal every few months is significantly easier than battling the quality in your water weekly. Many people underestimate how powerful simply adding charcoal to their system can be, but the result proves itself time and time again.