Darby's Tropicals Pond Supplies and Information

My name is Robert, and I am responsible for what is written on this website. I have been keeping fish for 30 years, as a store owner and hobbyist. I was lucky enough to have very good mentors. I talk to people daily and exchange ideas on fish stuff. I learn from the novice and the ole salts alike. I try to take the attitude, there are no dumb questions. Sometimes when I answer that dumb question I have trouble finding the answer, and have to research to figure it out. The longer I do this the more questions I have! It has not stopped me enjoying the beauty, and wonder of an aquarium or water garden. I first got interested in keeping an aquarium, and learned about the nitrogen cycle, and water quality. I feel this was lucky for me, because I did not have to deal with the environmental factors, of the sun and wildlife like birds, and other critters that show up to our ponds. To me understanding the nitrogen cycle, and water quality are the most important factors. My point is if you never kept an aquarium and are new to the pond hobby to research these two subjects, and it will make your experience much more enjoyable. There is a popular author whose books I read and reread, who states more biology less technology. I think this is a good approach. I will attempt to explain the nitrogen cycle as simple as I can. The cycle is like magic it just happens. You do not have to think that hard about it. We are talking about a couple genuses of bacteria that appear out of nowhere and do all the work for you. You know like having the pond elves show up while you sleep. In a new body of water without life we have a fairly sterile environment until we add some starter fish . Then their waste and the food we feed them will breakdown to ammonia (bad stuff). Here we go like magic a genus of bacteria (Nitrosomonas) will appear and consume the ammonia and convert it into Nitrite (still bad stuff). Again like magic another genus of bacteria (Nitrobacter) will appear and consume the nitrite and convert it into Nitrate (not as bad) In fact it is a 1000 times less toxic than ammonia. It is still toxic, so we do partial water changes to keep this less toxic nitrate down. This process can take 4 to 6 weeks to fully develop. That is why we go slowly at first.

Bio-Filters and water quality go hand in hand. Bio-Filters are the backbone of any aquatic system. Biological filtration utilizes living organisms to remove, or transform toxic compounds generated by the life in our ponds. This starts with Heterotrophic (decay) bacteria that break down complex proteins, and organic compounds into ammonia. Colonies of nitrifying bacteria transform this ammonia into Nitrite and into Nitrate. This nitrifying bacteria nitrosomonas, and Nitrobacter is an aerobic (requiring oxygen) bacteria. Good bio-filters will have an area in the filter that is well aerated, with a porous media to grow large colonies of bacteria. The more oxygen the larger the colony you can grow. I prefer an external (outside the pond) filter, and I also like the trickle or wet dry design. The biological filter Media should be cleaned often with water drawn from the pond. Chlorinated water will kill your good bacteria, and cause spikes in ammonia. Most modern filters will also utilize mechanical filtration. The mechanical filter uses different Media. I like to use a loose woven bonded material that does not clog up as fast. This separate mechanical material traps undissolved compounds. The detritus trapped in this media will start to break down into various dissolved nutrients that reduce water quality, and feed unwanted algae’s. When the media is clogged, water flow through the filter is reduced, and the effectiveness of the filter is diminished. Cleaning the media at least every week will help the performance, and make the filter much more efficient. This media can be cleaned with a water hose using a high pressure nozzle without harming a thing. Chemical filtration is also beneficial. The most popular method is the use of carbon. A protein skimmer is another popular method. There is also ion exchange, and polymeric resins. We use different medias to target particular dissolved compounds with chemical filtration. Chemical filtration can help keep water quality high, and the critters we keep happy. Something to remember when you use medications is to remove the chemical media i.e. carbon, or resins. In summary you can keep a healthy pond with a biological filter alone. Mechanical filters help trap undissolved compounds, before they break down to various dissolved compounds, that also lower water quality.