The author states his bio filters have SSA ratings to help determine the filters maximum bio load. Is this based on the type of bio filter media housed by the filter? If the bio media determines SSA do you know any articles that rates the SSA for different bio media ? It seems to me just using this method would under estimate the amount of fish you can have in a pond. There is no mention of other places the BB can grow. Such as along the liner once pond is established , roots of plants and in a stream that has rocks and gravel. I wonder what percentage the dedicated bio filter contributes to the SSA available for BB.
Do you know if the weight chart is referring to koi only? Will a 10 inch koi and 10 inch gold fish have the same body mass? The reason I ask this is length alone take in all the dimensions (ht,girth) to determine the weight of a fish
Wow! A lot of questions there....but good ones.
Different media have different SSA determined by size of media, surface texture of media and porosity of media. In attempting to determine the
exact SSA of any media or even the exact requirements of a pond one would be quickly mired in a mathematical nightmare. Such exactness is not only not necessary as performance of any bacteria is dependent on many factors, much like many other things in aquatic ecology---temperature, pH, oxygen etc.
A close approximation of not only SSA but of the required total SSA is all that is needed as all fish have comfortable ranges of all of the main pond water quality parameters.
For all of the reasons noted above, general SSA ratings of various filter media is usually what is used to determine the appropriate level of biofiltration.
Surfaces such as EPDM liner are typically given a SSA rating of 1 m2/m3. Other SSA ratings for commonly used filter media are given in the charts below.
Add to this the fact that the weights given in the chart from Russell Water Gardens are
also approximate as the general physical condition of the fish is not taken into account....skinny, well-fed.
I would be comfortable in using this chart or the size/weight calculator here (
http://www.koiphen.com/forums/koicalcs.php?do=calclenw) for Koi
or Goldfish as they are very lose cousins genetically.
The answer to your question concerning percentage of SSA utilized by nitrifying bacteria may surprise you and many others. The answer is, on a good day under the most optimum conditions, nitrifying bacteria colonize only 3% - 5% of available SSA.
.......and sometimes there is no bacteria at all. But that 's another story for another thread.
