a winter filter

Algae is used as a main exporter of nitrates in a sal****er
environement. Its pretty well the standard.....Algae is algae and the
principal is the same. Its just that some algaes are much prettier
than others ;-) and some are better behaved than others......

On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:51:36 -0500, "how"
wrote:

wrote in message
...

snip
so all I got is 1. moss and 2. algae that laugh at winter. but
how can I harness them to clean my water? I think all of us have noticed
that our clear hoses collect algae inside, so I am thinking how about if I
get 100 feet of clear vinyl fish safe hose, like 3/4 inch, and run water
thru it pretty slowly so the algae eats up the wastes? can anybody figure
out how much surface area 5/8 inside diameter x 100 feet would have?


I am thinking about putting a little stepped thing on the back wall of the
pond and seeding it with that nice moss and letting the water trickle down
the back onto the moss. the backing is cedar and non-toxic. the algae
already grows on there lower down.

anyway... any comments? why it wont work, will work. etc?

Hi,
I don't think the hose will work for any length of time as it will
eventually "fill" with algae. The idea of using algae though is valid. I
read somewhere about "algae filters" a closed box system with a grow light
and a matrix to colonize algae. Water passes over the algae and back to the
pond. Never tried it myself.
Another way might be to get a piece of concrete board or similar substance
and angle over the edge of the pond, in the sunlight of course and run a
soaker hose at the top edge. A pump from the surface would supply the
soaker. I think algae will form and the slow drip would allow nutrients to
be removed.
This might be similar to the "stepped thing" you mentioned.
Just a thought.
-_- how
no NEWS is good




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I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!