Frequently Asked Questions.
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Show me some installation recommendations?
How do I super clean the filter for optimum performance?
Why does a person need a DynaMax kit, bulkhead or blower? Is it worth the extra three or four hundred bucks?
Please describe the difference between: Standard vs. High Efficiency (is this a luxury? ...need more detail)
What's inside the patented column?
What are the beads made of? Just curious about how they work.
Do I have to match a pump flow rate with the Aquadyne filter?
The smoothest possible deployment of the new Aquadyne filter
Regular plumbing diagram: How to plumb the filter to the pond bottom.
Wisdome of using beads in a plain sand filter
If you're needing replacement beads for Aquadyne
Can a UV be shipped "overnight"?
Selling you an "Ultima" (Yes I can)
Questions about conversion of older Aquadyne 2.2 to High Efficiency
Why convert to High Efficiency
Burying the Aquadyne
Phone consultation (It's easy)
How bead loss affects filter performance
Question:
What are the beads made of? (just curious as to how they work ...recommend a web site for more reading?)
Answer:
The beads are not glamorous. They’re simply “positively buoyant” polyethylene beads of a 4.5 mm size. They are oval in shape and milky white in color. They float for posterity because they are not porous, tubular, nor do they have channels inside. Their composition (no styrenes) makes them fish safe for the life of the product and the owner. This is in stark contrast to other filter medias which were engineered to be ‘catchy’ and ‘novel’ but which will eventually result in trouble for the fish owner.
Question:
Do I have to match the flow rate of the filter with a specific pump flow rate?
Answer:
Well, besides pump-filter integration; it’s ideal for you to have all of your pond water flowing through the filter once per hour. I’ve noticed in my own ponds, if the flows are less than that, clarity starts to become an issue. With 100%/hour turnover in an AquaDyne, all the whining about "bead filters needing a UV" can be disregarded. I use my UV in the Spring for algae blooms and turn it off to spare the bulbs all summer once my carpet of algae is ready to prevent suspended blooms.
An Aquadyne can handle far more flows in some cases than you would even need. Let’s say you wanted an Aquadyne 4.4 to handle 7,000 gph on your 3500 gallon pond. – No problems. Just better water. (And better exercised fish!)
Question:
What’s inside the patented column?
Answer:
Inside the Column, there are a series of channels for the water to enter and exit. There are no flapper valves to inevitably fail - (Ultima depends on flapper valve function) , no restrictive elbows (Challenger and Fluidart use numerous elbows inside) and there is very little friction in the column.
Question:
Please describe the difference between: Standard vs. High Efficiency (is this a luxury? ...need more detail)
Answer:
In some cases it would be a luxury, in some applications it's a necessity. In the Standard Aquadyne 2.2, water enters the filter through 1.5-inch head ports. It passes through the patented center column, then, the beads and exits through 1.5 inch porting.
In the High Efficiency Aquadyne 2.2 the water enters and exits the filter through TWO inch porting. Further, the Aquadyne 2.2 HE has TWICE as much internal volume capacity (plumbing without elbows) as the regular 2.2
So what really is the difference?
Aquadyne 2.2 High Efficiency allows:
1. More water to get through the filter with considerably less resistance. This is important when you’re trying to attain the top end performance of that filter on larger ponds.
2. In smaller ponds, where HIGH flows are not really the "thing" - you can often use a weaker pump with the High Efficiency than you could with the Standard.
When would you settle for the Aquadyne 2.2 Standard?
When you have a moderate load on a moderate pond, with a moderate pump. Choose the Aquadyne 2.2 Standard for the “average” application with “numbers” right in the middle of the charts on the filter’s loading and flow specs. Keep in mind that Koi grow, and they grow fast. Extra capacity is a “good thing”.
Question:
Why does a person need a DynaMax kit, bulkhead or blower? Is it worth the extra three or four hundred bucks?
Answer:
Frankly, the Aquadyne isn't worth as much as it costs WITHOUT the DynaMax kit. I don't suggest going without it. I will never-again own any filter without the ability to air-blow the beads clean. To manufacture a bead filter that does NOT have some form of air wash represents simply ignorance, neglect and inexperience.
The DynaMax kit is a high performance air blower that is installed (usually at manufacture) into the side of the Aquadyne filter. When you turn "off" the pump and turn ON the DynaMax, a tremendous blast of air is introduced to the bead cake inside the filter - which fractures the bead cake, and liberates the sludge and waste it holds. More importantly, it solublizes the "gel" formed by the bacterial colonies on the beads. Once solublized, the gel can be expelled as a brown liquid. Otherwise, this "gel" stays inside the filter, achieves "maximum density" (also known as bead expansion) and clarity and backwashing become a nightmare. See http://www.aquadynamite.com/experience for real life details.
Question.
Can a UV light be sent overnight or be picked up at your location?
Answer:
I'd doubt it. First, rushing a UV through shipment will get it there 'on time' but it might arrive broken. Then the customer says, "Well, why should I have to pay for the expedited shipping when it arrived broken?" And they'd be right, in a way. Secondly, most UV's weigh about twenty five pounds. Conservative estimates of overnight shipping on 25 pounds are about a hundred bucks. It's be better to have regular Ground shipping. We pack the heck out of the UV's so they usually don't arrive broken.
Question:
How can I deploy this new filter and UV with the smoothest transition?
Answer:
Well, you could run your old filtration system and the new one, side by side until the new one cycles. Or, it bears mentioning that before deployment of this filter and UV, you might want to give it an easier start. Remove your fish to a safe harbor, a big vat, babypool with cover, or something. Take your existing filter offline, because it is full of "goodies" and beneficial bacteria. Don't clean it or discard it! Change 75% of the pond water to reduce the existing green water, fouling, phosphates, etc. Start the new filter in place, but not the UV - then pour the "squeezings" and drainage from the old filter into the intake of the new filter. This will bioseed it rapidly.
Question.
Can you show me an image of "basically" how the plumbing from pond, to pump, to filter and so on, goes? It sounds tough.
Answer:
Check out this image.
Question.
Can your beads be used in a Hayward sand filter as replacement for the sand?
Thanks!
Answer:
Thank you for your question. I can easily understand why you'd want to 'lose' the sand, it clogs about every 24 hours with any algae growth at all. The sand filter is made for "essentially clean" chlorinated water. It was the result of a landscaper's brain aneurysm that they were ever drafted into employ on fish ponds.
Anyway, to modify a Hayward, you'd need negatively bouyant beads. (Sinkers)
Two problems, the laterals in the "stock" equipped Hayward sand filter are not large enough to allow solids to escape again, so after a year the filter is uselessly full of crud.
Secondly, the inflow of water constantly agitates the beads as they set on the bottom of the Heyward, and keeping the beads stirred results in the suspension of "fines" which contribute to significant "hazes" which are not aesthetic looking.
It would still work as a "bio" filter for nitrogen reduction, and would still be preferable to plain sand in such a filter.
I don't know where to tell you to get sinker beads. Partly because they're not common.
Thanks,
Erik
Question.
I need replacement beads. I lost some during a move. Can you replace lost beads for me? Although in looking at what is available and noticing the different shapes etc. and densities. This gave me the thought of layering as used in sand filters. By buying media of different densities the flow of the water through and around the media would create a crude layering effect. Would this (if it worked) be of any value?
Answer: Aquadynamite can sell beads by the pound. $2.00 per pound.
That idea, (mixed-type-media) is an older idea which sent a whole line of bead filters to their failure. The outcome was not very happy.
The Pr_____tor was designed with about five medias, of varying sizes and weights. The idea was to achieve a denser "percolator" for superior mechanical filtration. Conceptually, a very good thought.
What the public eventually got was a cake of cement in their filters. With ANY bead filter on the market, there *has* to be just-enough space between the media-particles for air (or water) to fracture the bead-cake if (and when) it "sets" up.
Question.
Can you sell me an Ultima Filter? It looks just like the Aquadyne!
Answer: I can sell you an Ultima, my wholesaler has these; and I'd be willing to provide it if you absolutely must have one; but I am warning you that I am "done" with the sale as soon as it arrives intact at your home. I am not going to warrant, support or remedy any consumer issues with this filter once it is delivered complete and intact. You will need to pay in advance for this particular purchase by certified funds (cashiers check) so I can avoid a possible chargeback. Here's the pricing:
Ultima 0.75 cf $499.00 plus real cost of shipping
Ultima 1.5 cf $799.99 plus real cost of shipping
Ultima 5.0 cf $1499.99 plus real cost of shipping
Ultima 15.0 cf $2200.00 plus real cost of shipping
My position is based on consumer feedback which has referred to quite a few instances of media clumping problems which may or may not have been resolved. I offer these only at your deliberate request with zero warranty and zero satisfaction policy.
Question.
What is the cost to convert from "standard" to "high efficiency" on a 2.2 Aquadyne with blower?
Answer: The conversion of an older "standard" to "high efficiency" involves the complete replacement of the control head and column with an entirely new part. They are made almost completely differently. The conversion would NOT be costly. I will send you the upgraded 2.2 high efficiency control head, brand new, for one hundred and fifty US dollars plus realtime shipping (not marked up)
I will have a UPS call tag issued [at my expense] to collect the old 2.2 standard head. You would need to box up the old control head/column suitable for UPS shipping, you could use the box that the new head comes out of.
If you do not already have the DynaMax blower riser and plumbing, the bulkhead will have to be installed in your tank, which is easy if you FEEL 100% CONFIDENT that you can cut a perfect, circular hole in your Aquadyne tank body to put the bulkhead in. Bead loss or leakage will occur unless you rill the unit on it's side.
Question.
Is one and one half inch pvc inlet sufficient for the conversion?
Answer: If your plumbing is one and a half inches in diameter, you can still realize a benefit from having the "high efficiency" upgrade. Consider that your existing plumbing is smaller than two inches, so having more flow-capability through the filter itself is just a "helping hand" or lucky break for the system.
Question.
What is really happening when the conversion is done? Is it just more water flow through the system?
Answer: The "high efficiency" conversion DURING MANUFACTURE is simply a different controller and column. Afterward, it's the entire replacement of your "standard" controller and column with the higher efficiency unit. The answer to the second question is YES. All this represents is increased water flow and LESS RESISTANCE through the controller and column.
Question.
Can a Wave single speed pump handle the conversion?
Answer: It depends upon the flows you want and the amount of water you're filtrating. If the pump worked on the filter BEFORE you got the "high efficiency" conversion it will still work well on the filter afterwards. The conversion would give you LESS flow restriction (higher water throughput capacity) and that's all.
Question.
Can a person bury the Aquadyne 2.2 so the tank isn't sitting next to the pond? If so, how does the sludge drain work?
Answer: The Aquadyne 2.2 CAN be buried, but I warn you - the hole would be prodigious to dig! : )
The sludge drain will still work, all you need to do is plumb the sludge drain to the earth`s surface - and as long as the water line of the pond is higher than the filter, you can count on it to work even with the pump turned off. In some cases, when you bury the filter, the sludge drain works even better when the filter is "running" and in fact, even though my Aquadynes are *not* buried, I *only* use the sludge drain when the filters are running to get the extra "punch" to the cleanout.
There is a riser, too, for the DynaMax blower which will also be buried, but this should not really pose any engineering issues - the valve for this blower riser is already at the level of the head which will not be subterranean.
Question: I need a phone call to talk to someone about this installation.
Answer: No problemo. Email us or fill out our completely free, no obligation consultation form and fax it to us toll free. You'll have a call back to determine the specifics of your installation, usually within 24 hours. At that point you will have phone support for your purchasing decision.
 ...Form in Adobe format (pretty)
 ...Form in MS Word Format (not as pretty)
 ...Form in plain html (web page) format (not very printer-friendly)
Question: I have a 4.4 with blower on a 5000 pond that has only 12 fish. I've had the filter in operation for 2 seasons and it works great. I've lost some filter media (about 1 cu ft) and am wondering if this will effect the operation of the filter? If so where can I get more?
Answer: This should not affect the function of the filter in this case because the filter is UNDERLOADED, in other words there's not enough fish or water to surpass the capacity of even 3 cf of beads. If you lose more beads, it is possible that eventually some radials will be exposed and the filter will begin to lose it's mechanical capability. WE SELL REPLACEMENT BEADS - If you give me more details I will price a cubic foot of replacement beads, plus shipping and get right back to you.
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