What
are the benefits of Black Knight filter brushes?
They:
- are
very easy to use
- do
not need replacing
- are
lightweight
- don't
clog up as many other materials do
- are
non-toxic
- are
very easy to clean
- never
wear out
- are
by far the best medium for removing suspended particles of
waste
- cost
less than any other material that does an equivalent job
- are
tried and tested all over the world
- provide
a massive surface area for biological colonisation
- do
not require expensive support frames
Getting
the best results from Black Knight filter brushes
In
order to get the best results from the use of your Black Knight
filter brushes, it is important first to consider their priority
function.
If you are using them as a pre-filter to remove the bulk of the
coarse waste, a system of single interlocked hanging brushes is
best. If you want to trap an even greater proportion of the waste,
the brushes need to be either vertically or horizontally double
interlocked (see
System
Layouts).
Whichever
installation design you choose, the method of water introduction
to the chamber will have an effect on the efficiency of the
brushes. Generally the water should flow into the chamber at slow
speed rather than being jetted in under pressure. Water travelling
at high speed not only causes turbulence, which will disturb
settled material, but it can also wash off some of the waste which
has been trapped successfully in the brushes.
Cleaning
the brushes
When
a significant amount of waste has built up on the brushes, it
should be flushed away. If there is a drain in the bottom of the
filter chamber then stop the inflow of pond water and drain the
chamber completely. When it is empty, the brushes and the chamber
should be flushed using buckets of pond water. When the filter is
clean, the drain can be closed and filtration can resume. Cleaning
in this way will retain most of the beneficial bacteria that live
on the brushes but the rotting waste is removed and cannot do any
more harm to the water quality.
If there is a more persistent accumulation on the first lines of
brushes then these can simply be taken out, hosed down and put
back. The chlorinated water from the hosepipe will kill some of
the beneficial bacteria on those brushes but the primary function
of the first brushes is mechanical filtration and therefore any
contribution they make to the biological effort should be regarded
as a bonus. ..
| Biological
filtration
When
brushes are used for biological filtration, it is
important to remember that a biological colony will
function only when six to eight weeks have elapsed after
the system is commissioned. It takes this amount of time
for the bacteria to reach full strength.
Once your system is running efficiently, it is important
that the pump is never switched off for more than a few
hours at a time otherwise the biological colony will begin
to die. The same will happen if the filter materials are
allowed to dry out. |
|
Water
quality
Do
not expect your water to be clear until your filter has been
running for at least eight weeks. After this time, an ultra violet
steriliser can be used if necessary to limit the growth of
unicellular algae (the type which causes green water), but most
ponds will clear naturally. The water should be tested for ammonia
and nitrite on a regular basis to ensure that good quality water
conditions are maintained for the fish. If a reading is
persistently evident on either or both of these tests then it is
likely that the pond is overstocked for the size of filter you are
using. The only long term solutions to this are to increase the
size of the filtration system or reduce the pond stocking level.
We have tried to provide as much
information on the Black Knight Filter brushes as we can possibly
do to make your selection and choice that much easier ...
Please select from the links below
to view the various features in turn as we have hidden features
within many of the section headings listed below:
|
