The beads contain about 400 square feet of surface area for every cubic foot of beads that is used for bacterial growth. The beads are very durable and never have to be replaced. Theory of Operation Bead filters function both as a solids capture device and a biofilter. They operate very much like a submerged rock bed or undergravel filter except that they are designed to facilitate cleaning. Bead filters dramatically simplify operations by providing two of the most important water reconditioning processes, clarification and biofiltration in a single unit.
Clarification is the process of removing suspended solids from water.
Suspended solids in a pond consist of small particles of partially digested food, debris, algae, bacteria, clays, and silts, which are small enough to stay suspended in the water column for an extended period of time. Fine suspended solids tend to make the water opaque, interfering with the clarity of the water. The larger organic particles, on the other hand, represent a serious wasteload problem and can consume tremendous amounts of oxygen while adversely impacting the hygienic pond ecology. Bead filters are considered excellent clarification units, capable of maintaining display quality water at high waste loading rates. Bead filters remove suspended solids by four different mechanisms as the recirculated pond water is passed through the plastic bead bed.