Water quality is vital to the overall health of your Koi fish.
Therefore selecting the appropriate filter for your pond is extremely important and should be carefully considered.
Pond filtration is the first step in the fight to keep your pond's water chemistry balanced properly.
The filter's main job is to remove waste that is produced by the Koi fish.
Keep in mind that in a natural pond, waste product is removed naturally through a combination of plants, water current, and the volume of water.
Since a man-made pond cannot re-produce this natural filtration process, a man-made pond filter is needed.
There are two main purposes that most commercially available filters have, to filter water mechanically and biologically.
Mechanical filters will pull solid waste from the pond and catch it in the filter.
The filter component will need to be checked and cleaned regularly in order for it to run smoothly.
Biological filtration is the other key component in the pond filtration process.
The biological filter uses bacteria to break down the harmful chemicals found in fish waste.
Koi fish waste is high in ammonia, and too much ammonia will burn your Koi fish.
The biological filter will break down the ammonia into nitrates, which are far less harmful to Koi fish.
The final component that is needed for a Koi pond filter is a strong pump.
The pump is needed to force water up into the filter and then back into the pond.
Please keep in mind that other devices such as a water fountain or waterfall are great for water aeration but are not strong enough to pump water into the pond filter.
Even though your Koi pond filter will help maintain healthy water chemistry, you should still regularly test the chemical levels of your pond water.
Catching a water chemistry imbalance early will help ensure your Koi fish will live a long and happy life.