dang it....I had a really well though out response all done, and my internet explorer crashed. So I'll try again...lol!! First...a few comments regarding how koi ponds compare to aquariums. Normally, aquariums are lightly stocked with small fish. It's really easy to keep the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle operating perfectly in a correctly stocked environment. Same as a rock bottom pond...lightly stocked and properly maintanied it can work. In a pond's bio filter, ammonia is converted to nitrite and then to nitrate. Nitrate is most easily removed froma koi pond by way of regular water changes. Ever try to keep an aquarium with goldfish? Many goldie keepers I know keep no gravel in the tank at all, because of maintenance. That gravel gets really filthy very fast. I had a lovely goldie tank once....and gave it up. the maintenance was a nightmare! I'd rather deal with a huge koi pond any day of the week. Some people are reporting sucess with rock bottom ponds and no maintenance. Again...it is directly related to stocking levels. I hope these ponds continue to perform well for years to come, but for the vast majority of people, they will not. Most watergardeners install their ponds (and rocks) and then run out and buy a bunch of adorable little 5" long koi. The koi grow.....fast. They produce mountains of fish waste, which all gets trapped in the rocks. But because the pond looks clean, the owner is lulled into a false sense of security and does not think that there is a thing wrong, until the fish start dying or the fins start rotting off. Then they do one of two thing....they learn where they went wrong and correct their mistakes, or they just buy new fish (which is unfortunatly what most people do). Matt...you are on the right track with your new pond. You certainly can install your bottom drain now and add the rest of the system later. But instead of using a pipe cap, install a 4" ball valve on the end of the line. The water can't be permitted to sit stagnant in the unused drain line for too long or it will start developing the dreaded hydrogen sulphide gas. Opening that valve every couple of weeks and allowing the water to flow out for a couple of minutes will prevent the problems. I am attaching a link to the Atlanta Koi Club's web site. They have an excellent pdf that explains a lot about how a koi pond works, water quality, stocking levels, how much biofiltration is needed and many other wonderful facts. Cindy

OMG I'm so tired after all that. Just kidding and greetings, I signed up here, to add my two cents. ==== Hey good people, I started early this a.m. and like others can't believe I read the whole thing. Okay, true, I didn't read *all* all the words.... Really appreciate the indefatigable Chad ! and the digs-deeper Tina Noyes -- thank you thank you! My husband had already spent the time to try to research, but because of the $$ involved, then I was the spot-checker trying to sort out the many claims. I was good enough at science but still, anyone can say "it works like this", and I wouldn't know enough to pick it apart, or not that much.... We built our rural home five years ago. We'd previously had slightly hard water at our former home of many years, and once did have a water tank issue. But we had a water softener at the place we rented while building here, and hated it. Hated the slimy feel while showering; never felt like you got your hair clean. Really disliked the whole iron-out business and just the ongoing cost and chemicals. And we believe we are seeking long term solutions and infrastructure, as in, our squash in our northern climate are surviving till May in the cold room, and hopefully this summer the root cellar gets built, that sort of thing. So we were willing to put the money into a system if we could improve the hard water. This water is harder than what we had at our former home; we just got in under the warranty deadline for a repair on our washing machine -- the incoming line was clogged. We always put lots of vinegar in the dishwasher rinse cycle. Don't know the 'grains' in our water, but we have calcium moreso than iron, from the test early on. We judge it to not be super hard. I just wanted to share what I'd dug up whilst following other leads and links, some here, some elsewhere. The Scalewatcher Enigma fares well at http://www.bdonline.co.uk/100-best-products-(m-z)/3044142.article but you can't get there with the link -- you have to google 100 Best Products M-Z bdonline. So I save you the trouble, here's what they say: ==== Scalewatcher ENiGMA by ETC X-factor Kills limescale and saves energy. Joint winner of this year’s 100% Detail/RIBA Journal Innovation Award, Scalewatcher cuts energy bills by getting rid of limescale in water pipes. Just wind it around the pipes and hook it up to the electricity. King’s School Canterbury, in one of the hardest water areas in the UK, saved 58% on energy costs in one boarding house within two months ��" the boiler can heat up water faster, and valves are less likely to need replacing. Scalewatcher uses resonance to create a crystal formation that remains in suspension in the water, so scale ends up down the drain rather than clogging pipes. The water stays drinkable and the risk of Legionnaire’s disease is reduced as there is no scale for bacteria to feed on. It can be used in pipes up to a metre in diameter. A recent test by Cranfield University put it at 36% more effective at preventing scaling than its closest rival. A similar system for waste water treatment is under development. ======= My husband had been inclined toward one of the Scalewatcher (Aquagenesis) models but since "Enigma" isn't one (with or without the tricky capitals) we'll have to check further re that. The actual reference in the article (Cranfield) isn't quite that simple but the last paragraph in that research report is favorable. Also there's this: http://www.bdonline.co.uk/not-big-but-very-clever/3042553.article (same thing as to access, you must google it instead) -- same product, winner of an award. Also: http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/var/uploads/exhibitor/4133/ux6jvnqo8w.pdf (same award, diff. article) -- and apparently if you go searching Jack Pringle *is* president of Royal Institute of British Architects. Hard water is said to affect 60% of British households so it's a big deal there. I think I read here somewhere that various jurisdictions are "banning" water softeners, and I think many of you are aware of the many problems of water in many places not least being overall desertification. My husband's family is in Los Angeles, and we have travelled quite a bit in the SW where we think there will be further aquifer problems and that sort of thing -- so the search for non-saline solutions (pun accidental!) is very real, and not only to do with avoiding the hassle and cost as to appliance repair and replacement. We believe we live in Paradise, but in the words of Gilda Radner, "It's always something." Thanks folks, Linda

The Legend II is comparable to a Polaris 280. I happen to like both equally, as will you. Properly sized cells should last ~5 years. 25 Lbs of tabs is about $75. I use about 40 lbs/season for my 25000 liner pool. My season runs from mid May to the end of September/early October. I also have to buy pH Rise because the tablets lower the pH of the pool weekly. I will be switching when I can afford the initial hit. Muratic is much cheaper to lower the pH since cells will raise the pH. Salt is about $10/50lbs. After the initial 5 or 6 bags, I'd use about a bag a season to make up for dilution due to weather(rain) and backwash(refilling). You do the math. Ozone does not leave a residual. If an accident happens, I want chlorine there ahead of time. I would not turn y chlorine level down if I had an ozone or UV system in place. Salt is not corrosive. Salt water can carry an electric current which can be corrosive to non-bonded metals. It will not harm your selected coping. Testing the water in no more difficult than with other pools. Ozone and salt cells are not mutually exclusive. Ozone can and does compliment whatever form of chlorine you use. Don't look at it as a replacement for chlorine. Good Luck! Scott

I am an actual customer. I have had this system installed on a brand new pool for 5 months. They have needed to replace the controller, the flow chamber, a titanium screw, and an expired test kit so far. This contraption has flooded my yard, turned my pool green with copper plating, turned my wife's hair green, gone through $150 copper plates in 5 months, and badly corroded the $400 titanium. They have no reasons for the low quality, they denied their system can turn anything green until we sent pictures and then suddenly they knew it was because my wife dyes her hair. They blame my water (only a few months old from a legit municipal water source), I drained half and refilled, same issues. They have sent me to countless pool stores for tests, all pass with flying colors. Sadly, the system appears to kill germs and algae but the quality is terrible and the support mirrors the attitudes of their person above. If only they were willing to fix their issue. Stay away unless you want LOTS of issues and no real support