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Thread: Cleaning Bakki?

  1. #1

    Cleaning Bakki?

    Hi

    My Koi shower has been off for the last 3-4 months and looking at restarting soon as the temp warms up.

    How often do people clean their showers? Is there a need to?



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  3. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion RoyLittle0's Avatar
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    I never turn mine off, I personally don't see the point in letting all the good bacteria die off and have to start again every year, I would rater leave it on all the time, hopefully I will be able to fit a variable pump before next winter so I can turn down the flow to stop the water cooling effect

    Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk
    4600 Gallon Concrete Block and Fiberglass
    2100 mm x 710 mm Infinity Window 32mm thick glass
    2 x Aerated Bottom Drains and Skimmer
    Filtreau HiFlow 30 Drum Filter
    Bio Chamber - 140 litres K1
    Bakki Shower - 30 KG Sakura Far Infrared Media
    2 x 18,000 lh pumps
    Heated from house boiler through a heat exchanger
    Idealseal MS290

    My Pond Build

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  5. #3
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Sim's Avatar
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    I do the same a Roy's on about doing leave it on all year but turn the flow right down.
    I was going to just jet off the first tray this year and jet off the out side of the Bakki.
    The media under the first tray normally stays quite clean so won't bother cleaning those off.
    This will be the first time I will have cleaned it off, really to get off any blanket weed etc that is growing on it.

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  7. #4
    Thanks guys

    Will probably just turn it back on then, my only concern now is what nasties will have been breeding in the shower media for the last few months (if any - Bottom drain into drum then split between shower and pond return setup).

    Come this winter, I might just leave on too.

    So no-one really cleans their shower then? Must admit, it would be quite a big job with the amount of media in most peoples showers

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  9. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Sim's Avatar
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    If you run the water through them they do seem to stay fairly clean, also it's going though my filters first so most solids are taken out anything else I guess would just get broken down.
    If I clean anything its the 3" pipe over the top of the Bakki, the holes can clog a little being 7mm

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  11. #6
    i wouldnt just run it through again without cleaning, it could well have bred some nasties, you dont want flushing out into your pond.
    I suppose an option might just be to p.p the pond, so when you turn it on, the showers being p.p'd as it starts up.
    Other than that its a take apart job, tbh mine stays on always, I wouldnt want to turn it off.

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  13. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Kyusai TinyTony's Avatar
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    why turn it off ?? never turned mine off or cleaned it in 9 yrs except to add more bhm

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  15. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion RoyLittle0's Avatar
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    Agree with Familyman, I wouldn't just turn it back on unless you can divert the water away from the pond, you don't know what is breeding in there

    If it was me I would dismantle it and take it off the pond to jet wash it and then when you put it back, turn it on and leave it on
    4600 Gallon Concrete Block and Fiberglass
    2100 mm x 710 mm Infinity Window 32mm thick glass
    2 x Aerated Bottom Drains and Skimmer
    Filtreau HiFlow 30 Drum Filter
    Bio Chamber - 140 litres K1
    Bakki Shower - 30 KG Sakura Far Infrared Media
    2 x 18,000 lh pumps
    Heated from house boiler through a heat exchanger
    Idealseal MS290

    My Pond Build

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  17. #9
    But what about us that live with freezing temperatures in the winter? I have my skimmer with a pump to my 4 layer Bakki type filter as adjuvant to my main filter which is an 8000 gal Aquadybe bead (fed from the bottom of the pond) which I have to clean weekly. My pond is about 2000 gal and pretty much overstocked which is why I have the bakki which flows into a 300 gal shallow (18 inch) pond which then flows via waterfall back into the main pond. I have to shut down the small pond and bakki in the winter here in northern Utah as it is prohibitive to heat but I have the main pond enclosed now in a garden/sunroom which I heat with a 1500 watt bucket neater with a thermocoupler to keep the water at 60 degrees F. Last winter I used my Oase to add to the total pond filtration via skimmer pump while the bakki type filter was shut down for the winter. My water quality stayed pretty good and I was able to enjoy my koi and the sunshine all winter. My electrical costs went up obviously for about 3 months to maybe $100 more a month but I was able to enjoy and interact and feed my koi all winter. So when I start up my bakki type filter again in the spring- do I need to clean it out or let it go and have the main bead filter sort it out until the bacteria in the bakki are re established? It would be a big chore to clean out the bakki. This garden room is really just an enclosed patio with passive solar features and is a joy to me in the winter.

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  19. #10
    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion RoyLittle0's Avatar
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    My understanding is that when you shut down the bakki shower the good bacteria die and dead bacteria is a pollutant which could cause problems, so cleaning it out would be the only way to remove them.
    4600 Gallon Concrete Block and Fiberglass
    2100 mm x 710 mm Infinity Window 32mm thick glass
    2 x Aerated Bottom Drains and Skimmer
    Filtreau HiFlow 30 Drum Filter
    Bio Chamber - 140 litres K1
    Bakki Shower - 30 KG Sakura Far Infrared Media
    2 x 18,000 lh pumps
    Heated from house boiler through a heat exchanger
    Idealseal MS290

    My Pond Build

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  21. #11
    If it has been off for a few months I would strip the lot down and clean it. Then start again, your bacteria is already dead and the only reason not to clean it is to save that colony. There could of been stagnant pools of water in your shower breeding all-sorts of unwanted things.
    Built not bought!

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  23. #12
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Kyusai TinyTony's Avatar
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    why turn it off in the first place

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  25. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by TinyTony View Post
    why turn it off in the first place
    Totally agree although after the horse has bolted I would clean it. Mine was off a few weeks when I moved house. Had to set koi up in temporary pool. So I cleaned it.

    Original post was should I clean it as it has been off but yes totally agree don't turn it off in the first place.

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