From the outset, let's be clear on one thing (forgive the pun). Contrary to some belief, the main principle of Koi pond filters is not to provide clear water, however that is a wonderful by-product of filtration. The primary function of biological filters is to remove harmful pollutants from the water. The pollutants build up in the form of ammonia, nitrite and solid organic waste to name a few. Without adequate filtration these waste products would build to a lethal level in the pond with fatal results for your Koi. In a nutshell, pond filters save your Koi's life.

Maintaining good water quality on a consistent basis will aid in keeping your Koi healthy and long living. So when exploring the options of biological filtration and considering your needs and requirements, take into account what Koi pond filters actually do. In it's simplest explanation, pond filtration is the process of two stages, mechanical and biological.

The mechanical filtration process consists of trapping solid organic waste for manual removal. A note to be aware of here is that organic waste decomposes if it is left to sit long enough. This means in the pond water or in the filter. Decomposing waste leads to a build up of bacteria and other compounds that are also harmful to Koi. If this waste is not routinely emptied from the pond filter, the water flowing through the filter will carry these waste decomposed elements back into the pond water.

The biological process of Koi pond filters employs a natural conversion of dissolved compounds, such as ammonia and nitrite, into less dangerous compounds.

There are numerous filters on the market, all providing various features and functions, and all at varying costs. However, we must keep our heads about us and realize that this is about providing your Koi with toxic free, healthy clean water in which to live. So, taking your specific pond needs in hand, the ideal pond filter would be one that managed both the mechanical and the biological processes superbly with less maintenance but being cost effective at the same time.

One such filtration system to look into would be one that incorporates the industry proven Kaldnes Moving Bed technology found it such pond filter units like Nexus and Evolution Aqua. These Koi pond filters are state of the art with leading edge technology in pond filtration. They operate with high efficiency and ease of use and maintenance. Another popular filter system is one that incorporates bead filtration such as that in the Aquadyne bead filtration systems. It is also new technology in filtration using buoyant plastic beads to trap the solid organic waste in the mechanical process of filtration. Then beneficial bacteria colonize the beads reducing ammonia and nitrite, thus taking care of the biological filtration process. They are also offering a lifetime repair warranty. Check with your local pet store to see if one of these Koi pond filters would fulfil your pond requirements.

Any filtration system you use should remove not only toxic products such as ammonia and nitrite from the pond water, but should also work to remove other organic and inorganic waste as well. This, along with routine maintenance, will help in the continued process of keeping your Koi pond water clean as nature intended it to be.