learn aquadyne

Selecting a filtration system will probably be one of the most frustrating decisions you will
have to make in building your water garden paradise. It is very important to have a biologically correct filter system attached to your pond if you plan to have a fish population. You will first
need to ask yourself how much labor are you willing to put into keeping your filter clean. There
is a direct relationship between filter cost, and labor required to maintain, that is, within a
range of quality filters. It also seems there is an endless line of filters waiting to go inside your
pond for almost anything you want to pay for them. One thing to consider is whether you are looking for a simple mechanical filter to keep the suspended solids out of a small pond with
very few fish, or are you seeking to biologically consume the waste products that your fish population will be producing, no matter what size the pond or regardless of how many fish you have. Aquadyne is one of the newest and most functional and highest success rated filters
available on the market today. The heart and soul of the Aquadyne system is the central diffuser column.This column is 3 to 5 times more efficient than the 1.5" supply piping and offers no flow restrictions unlike most other systems on the market and virtually eliminates clogging problems associated with other bead systems on the market.

FIGURE 1 The original bead filters contained an hour glass shape and used bubbles flowing up through the bead media to wash the debris from the media. This was fairly effective on the
larger models, but the smaller models suffered from occasional severe clogging and had to be cleaned almost every day on models that were 1 cubic foot or less. Another disadvantage to the smaller units was that there was NO SLUDGE DRAIN VALVE, which is an absolute necessity.
other disadvantages are: NO RINSE CYCLE to prevent brown clouds of dirt from washing right back into your pond from the filter, NO MEDICAL BYPASS for isolating the beneficial bacteria in the
filter from harmful medications. And worst of all there was NO INTERNAL ACCESS to the media.
In the event of a clog it takes 1 to 3 hours to unclog the media.

FIGURE 2 More recent adaptions of the original design still use the same floating bead media,
and a more effective pressure backwash to clear the debris from the media. Although this newer design solves some of the problems of the original systems, it creates some new ones. This later design which has been copied by many, clogs much less, but there are two inherent problems.
The first is that there are quite a few 90 degree elbows inside the units which causes about a
30% internal flow restriction, because the water is forced to make several turns while entering
and exiting the filter body and media. Secondly, the clean water return laterals penetrate significantly into the media, which allows most of the water to return to the pond while passing through only half of the media (see A). This can possibly lead to the clogging of the media above the median line of the laterals and the creation of anaerobic (stagnant) areas in the media. The internal piping of such systems also restricts the movement of debris and media on the backwash, preventing a thorough cleaning cycle. Many of these systems still do not include sludge drains as they contain a media on the bottom of the system as well which can further restrict water flow.

FIGURE 3 Here you see the basic layout of the internal construction of the Aquadyne system.
All Aquadyne systems feature Pressurized Power Backwash, Sludge Drain, Full Rinse Cycle, Complete Medical Bypass, No Internal Elbows to restrict flow, Internal Sedimentation Area,
One Touch Operation, Full Internal Access for a 10 Minute Clog Removal (if ever necessary).
The upper water flow return grates are at the very top of the filter body which allows thorough
and complete exposure of all water flow to all areas of the media. There are no internal elbows and no dead areas because the upper lateral return slots are at the very top of the media and
tank body. Also, the Aquadyne system utilizes a true passive sedimentation area in the bottom
of the filter body. True sedimentation can occur because no water is forced into the very bottom
of the tank unlike some other systems. The water flowing into the system occurs just below the media which allows heavy solids to gravitate to the bottom and remain undisturbed until washed away by opening the sludge drain for about 2 seconds. This procedure can be performed as
often as desired, but is necessary only once after a wash cycle. The Aquadyne systems truly contain the best of all possible configuration qualities, and molds them into one single complete unit.