Bead Filters

Bead Filters Help and Advice

Improve levels of filtration

For excellent water clarity, a bead filter creates an effective environment for the nitrification process to take place, harnessing water clarity.

What are bead filters?

Bead filters are closed (pressure) vessels filled with thousands of plastic beads. These beads are very close together and form a layer through which the water is forced by a pump. As a result, the dirt particles stick in the beads. If the filters are used for some time, the biofilm (the sticky layer) around the beads becomes thicker, so that finer and finer dirt is caught.

Why might I buy a bead filter?

Bead filters prevent levels of ammonia from causing harm to koi. Water is pushed through the beads under pressure from the pump and fine particles are sifted out and trapped amongst the beads. Beneficial bacteria, known as nitrifying bacteria, break down harmful toxins into less harmful chemicals. This process is essential to the health of your fish.

What are the main types of bead filters?

When considering what type of bead filter you need, it comes down to what size pond you have. The larger the pond the more media you will require. The Evolution Aqua K1 Micro Bead Filters are a range of pressurised filtration systems that deliver incredible levels of filtration for ponds. By using the new K1 Micro filter media instead of conventional beads, these filters offer better biological and mechanical filtration. This is due to the vast protected surface area of the K1 Micro filter media. All in all, the K1 Micro Bead filters offer unsurpassed mechanical filtration, tremendous biological performance, saves you money and can be installed on any type of installation.

What features should I look out for?

Bead filters accomplish two goals, one being water clarity and the other being biofiltration. Other filtration systems accomplish these goals but are much larger and more difficult to clean. The advantage of the bead filter is that it provides a home for beneficial bacteria with a high surface area for fine particulate straining all within the same unit. The other big feature that bead filters have over other types of filters is that they are much easier to clean. This makes the hobby of koi keeping much more enjoyable, with less work involved in maintaining a healthy environment for your fish.

What accessories should I buy with a bead filter?

Make sure you're buying the right amount of bead filter media for your pond. At Swell UK we have a range of bead filter media. From floating to sinking and micro media, there is something to suit all systems.