Developed by Professor Halvard Odergard at Trondheim University of Science & Technology, Norway, the Kaldnes K1 Moving Bed bio film process has been designed specifically to create the most effective environment for the nitrification process to take place.
The media is engineered in a wheel shape and is slightly positively buoyant. This allows a small amount of water flow to circulate the media throughout the vessel. This flow is created by pumping air through a
perforated plastic circular tube (which is provided), at the base of the Nexus.
How it Works:
Maturing the K1 Kaldnes bio-media is important because a delicate ecosystem is naturally developing for the bacteria involved in the nitrification process. Fish are required to generate the waste which bacteria survive on. The bacteria colonise the new media without the need for additional chemicals. When established, your Kaldnes should be brown in colour.
Nitrification Process:
Oxygen and food (fish waste) give the beneficial bacteria the means to grow, whilst the Kaldnes media provides 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. As the Kaldnes media chaotically circulates within the Nexus Koi Filter, it causes old dead bacteria on the outside to be removed, making space for new
younger heavier feeding bacteria to colonise. Within the wheel is a protected surface, which enables colonies of bacteria to naturally follow their life cycle, maturing and dying, in turn fuelling the latter stages of the nitrification process. It also assists in the breakdown of any small particles passing through from the mechanical stage. Therefore, the K1 Kaldnes media provides a correct mix of both young and mature beneficial colonies, providing a more consistent filter performance whilst improving water quality, encouraging healthier fish and aiding in the reduction of green water and blanket weed.
Maturing Process:
The maturing process needs monitoring closely to ensure that levels of pH, ammonia and nitrite are within acceptable parameters for your fish. Usually, after a period of between 6-20 weeks the beneficial bacteria will have colonised the media to a satisfactory level to deal with the waste produced by your fish. This period may extend depending on local water conditions, temperature and stocking density.
Self Cleaning:
Due to chaotic movement of the Kaldnes K1 media, the process is self-cleaning and requires no maintenance. This allows the filter to reach optimum effectiveness without the disturbance of periodic maintenance, avoiding unnecessary loss of bacteria within the filter. This prevents high levels of ammonia and nitrite within the water.
Levels of Kaldnes K1 within the Nexus:
Kaldnes K1 has been proven in fish farming with feed rates up to 0.75kgs of 40% protein food per 50 litres of media per day. Evolution Aqua is rating it at a maximum of 0.25kgs of food per 50 litres used, in order to ensure the best possible water parameters are achieved. If a higher feed rate is required, extra media can easily be added. Koi are typically fed at between 1% - 2% of body weight per day. Therefore, for every 5 grams of food fed, 1 1itre of K1 media is required. At Evolution Aqua, our filter designs are based on the higher rate of 2% per day. Below is a table you can use as a guide if you do not wish to weigh your
fish. It Illustrates an approximate relationship between average length and average weight of Koi. (NB: All Koi develop different body shapes according to breed, feed rate, pond design and water current).
Biochip Biological Super Media
Since the development of the Kaldnes Moving Bed process and its successful introduction into the waste water treatment industry in 1991, Kaldnes K1 media has become the industry standard throughout the world. However Kaldnes have not been idle and they have continued their extensive Research and Development programme to further improve the efficiency of their process over the last 12 years.
The Bio Chip is the result of this programme and is much more than just a different shaped media. Although the total protected surface area is more than 2.4 times higher than K1 - this is only part of the story.
The main difference to K1/K3 is that the protected area or quiet zone in Bio Chip, is designed to be the perfect environment for micro animals, not just bacteria. The extremely quiet zones created by the hydrophilic layer protecting every cavity in the Bio Chip, is critical to allow these micro animals to flourish. With other types of media they will be flushed out.
These micro animals feed on small particles such as, fish waste, dead bacteria and algae. There are many different types of these micro animals as you can see from our illustrations. Consider that the Vortecilia as filtering 10,000 times their own volume per hour and are feeding on particles up to 5 microns in size. It is these small particles that are always difficult to remove by mechanical means and make our water cloudy !
Once fully colonised the bio chip contains an army of these micro animals, all filtering tens of thousands of times their own volume every hour, searching for these tiny particles. Gleaming healthy water, high in oxygen content with low BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) will follow!
Crystal Bio - Glass Koi Filter Shower Media
Crystal Bio is an extremely lightweight "shower" media, available at a fraction of the cost of existing "shower" media but offering improved results
Bacteria living on all submerged biological filter media will multiply and colonise the media at an improved and faster rate if oxygenated.
This is why shower filters are the best form of filtration for koi ponds, the shower media, in this case Crystal Bio is used in a Shower Filter and exposed to the air, and as air costs nothing to produce you do not need to run an expensive air pump, like you do with other media, to aerate your filter media and improve the size of the bacterial culture.
Every piece of Crystal Bio filter media has a protected area or static zone designed to be the perfect environment for micro animals, not just bacteria. Once colonised each piece of Crystal Bio will contain millons of these micro animals, all filtering many thousands of times their own volume every minute, searching for their food source. These micro animals will feed on small particles such as, fish waste, dead bacteria, algae and organic matter.
By using Crystal Bio filter media on your Koi pond today you will see the benefits of sparkling healthy water, high in oxygen content with low BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand).
The surface area of crystal Bio is massive, up to 10 times the surface area of most well know plastic media with 100 litres of Crystal Bio equalling up to 1000 litres of plastic media, imagine the cost and space of that filter.
Why Crystal Bio Is The Best Filter Media
-
Massive surface area due to the interconnecting cell structure of Crystal Bio
-
Lightweight, making Crystal Bio the best media for use in shower and trickle filters
-
Inexpensive, compared with other shower media's on the market of a poorer quality and much higher price
-
Every piece of Crystal Bio has a protected area or static zone designed to be the perfect environment for micro animals, not just bacteria.
-
Prevents pH levels from crashing on new and mature ponds or when altering filtration systems
-
Helps to reduce blanket weed by reducing nitrates
-
Your Koi Pond water will sparkle like you have never seen... this is why its called Crystal Bio
We seriously recommend you use Crystal Bio and the Roto Innovations Shower Filter today - you will not look back after using these amazing Koi filtration products
You can use Crystal Bio in the following ways:
-
The Roto™ Innovations Shower Tube™ and Concept Gravity Shower™ comes complete with Crystal Bio.
-
Use Crystal Bio in your existing or new Bakki Shower Filter or add it in with your Bacteria House media.
-
Use Crystal Bio in existing shower filters on the market and improve on their biological performance
-
Crystal Bio can be used submerged, but it is so light it will float, so use it in a filter media bag weighted down or cage the media with a grid.
The amazing Crystal Bio is the Shower Media of choice - the media every Koi Keeper is talking about and buying
Media Size
10-20mm size pieces are ideal for use in Aquariums and Koi Quarantine tanks.
30-50mm size pieces are ideal for use in Koi and Pond Filters.
