The Kaldnes Moving Bed(TM) process, which has been scientifically tried and tested in fish farming and waste water treatment for over 10 years, is now available to fish keepers.
Design
Developed by Professor Halvard Odergard at Trondheim University of Science and Technology, the Kaldnes Moving Bed biofilm process has been designed specifically to create the most effective environment for the nitrification process to take place. The media is engineered in a wheel shape and is slightly positively buoyant, this allows a small amount of water flow to circulate the media throughout the vessel. This flow is created by pumping air through a perforated plastic tube (which is provided) at the base of the Nexus filter.
How It Works
Maturing the Kaldnes biomedia is important because a delicate ecosystem is naturally developing for the bacteria involved in the nitrification process. Fish are required to generate the waste which bacteria survive on. The bacteria colonise the new media without the need for additional chemicals. When established, your Kaldnes should be brown in colour.
Nitrification process
Oxygen and food (fish waste) give the beneficial bacteria the means to grow, while the Kaldnes media provide maximum active surface area for the bacteria to colonise more than other types of static media. It is this process that removes harmful ammonia and nitrite from the water.
As the Kaldnes media chaotically circulates within the Nexus, it causes old dead bacteria on the outside to be removed, making space for new younger heavier feeding bacteria to colonise. Within the wheel is a protected surface which enables colonies of bacteria to naturally follow their life cycle, maturing and dying, in turn fuelling the latter stages of the nitrification process. It also assists in the breakdown of any small particles passing through from the mechanical stage. Therefore, the Kaldnes media provides a correct mix of both young and mature beneficial colonies, providing a more consistent filter performance whilst improving water quality, encouraging healthier fish and aiding in the reduction of green water and blanket weed.
Maturing Process
The maturing process needs monitoring closely to ensure that levels of pH, ammonia and nitrite are within acceptable parameters for your fish. Usually after a period of between 6-20 weeks the beneficial bacteria will have colonised the media to a satisfactory level to deal with the waste produced by your fish. This period may extend depending on local water conditions, temperature and stocking density.
Self Cleaning
Due to chaotic movement of the Kaldnes K1 media, the process is self cleaning and requires no maintenance. This allows the filter to reach optimum effectiveness without the disturbance of periodic maintenance, avoiding unnecessary loss of bacteria within the filter. This prevents high levels of ammonia and nitrite within the water.
Levels of Kaldnes K1 within the Nexus
Kaldnes K1 has been proven in fish farming with feed rates up to 0.75kgs of 40% protein food per 50litres of media per day. Evolution Aqua is rating it at a maximum of 0.25kgs of food per 50litres used, in order to ensure the best possible water parameters are achieved. If a higher feed rate is required, extra K1 media can easily be added.
Koi are typicall fed at between 1% and 2% of body weight per day. Therefore, for every 5grams of food fed, 1litre of K1 media is required. At Evolution Aqua, our filter designs are based on the higher rate of 2% per day.
Main Benefits
- Kaldnes Moving Bed process creates an oxygen rich environment for your fish
- Even distribution of water throughout media which avoids the dead areas within the filter normally associated with static media type filtration
- Old bacteria is constantly renewed promoting new young heavy feeding bacteria
- Many times more surface area than other types of filter media
- Totally maintenance free and self cleaning
- Oxygen rich environment gives improved oxygen transfer in moving bed technology
- Simply add more Kaldnes K1 media to increase the biological filter performance
- 50litres of K1 media will handle up to 0.25kg of food a day
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