55 gallon barrel question....

[capewind]

I'm good with a compound mitre saw (I did most of the finish carpentry work in our house), but other than a drill, I dont touch power tools... I'll be the first to spout the blonde jokes...

 

[capewind]

if hes unsure, he can cut out the center of the lid an inch or two inside the lip then he can see the blade cutting as he follows the lip..theres no real need for the lid anyways.

He isnt, it's me ... I told him not to cut it til I found the picture that showed being able to save the top to reuse ... I dont think it was on this site. I think I found it looking up a filter I didnt understand ...

 

[koiguy1969]

i make the waterfall weirs i sell out the exact same HDPE (but thicker). so i could always cut myself a new lid if needed, but why would they be needed? and like i was, i know your hubby is an independant contractor so hes more than comfortable with power tools.

 

[capewind]

Don't worry about the tops. You can make a circular top very easily with a dowel pin, a flat piece of plywood and a band saw.

You make it sound easy enough for me to do it ... not gonna go here tho, just remember that i freely admit to being blonde ... with a buried barrel, you would be okay with a lid just sitting there? I'm a tuperware woman and think about tight fitting lids ... HIM, I think he would tell me any kind of lid would be fine LOL ....

 

[capewind]

i make the weirs i sell out the exact same HDPE. so i could always cut myself a new lid if needed, but why would they be needed? and like i was, i know your hubby is an independant contractor so hes more than comfortable with power tools.

He is ... even before being a contractor, he is a fabricator by nature ... his career choice was more so making his hobbies profitable.

 

[Catfishnut]

Capewind,

OK, you kinda threw that "buried" part in at the last minute. But that's not a problem, you can create a simple "skirt" to go around it (the lid). But, unless you desire to let us in on exactly what you
propose to do with this barrel, we could possibly be going off on tangents here. Are you planning upon some pressurized filter vessel? Will it be buried below a water line? You've really got me curious now. You... You...you darned blonde! LOL! But, I am running out of time (I work nights and I haven't gone to bed yet - way overdue). Please tell us what you desire to do with this barrel. I am quite interested now, but I will have to catch up with you on this subject at about 5 am tomorrow.

Take care for the time being, Capewind.

Catfishnut

 

[capewind]

THIS barrel needs a good cleaning and will get used in the basement ... I'm just rambling asking more questions ... I am NOT a fabricator, and have only recently started to learn about filters ... I am guessing hubby wants/needs a good half dozen barrels for all the different things going on in his head ...

600 gallon plant pond in the basement ... I added babies ... he had to throw something together on this pond ... he never intented fish to be in it, but I figured it was a body of water, and added fish LOL ...

750 gallon pond in the basement ... had what was his spare parts before the plant pond really took the scraps LOL ... the 750 is supposed to be a QT ... I added about 100 babies ... doing great, but should have a filter designed for it ...

Outside ... 6500 gallon pond was his plan (supported by a Laguna Filter Falls 5000 with 8000 gph pump/split to UV) .. then he connected another 2500 gallon pond to it that is to become a bog ... he didnt get it filled with gravel ... I added fish LOL

Next outside ... another baby pond going in .. size undertermined ... I am getting it bigger by making it a dedicated space for his lilies ...

I'm the perfect wife ... to drive husbands insane

 

[koiguy1969]

you know if possible.. you could tie the basement ponds together... pump the water from the fish pond to the filter , have that go to the plant pond to use up the nitrates (big veggy filter) and then return to the fish pond..... could be quite beneficial all the way around! this would make it one system of 1400 gals.
600 +750 +50 from the barrel

 

[HTH]

If you are going to turn the barrel into a filter I suggest a UP/.DOWN flow. For outside use I cut the top off one barrel so that an another cut off barrel locks on top of it like a hat.. The water enters the top barrel swirls around and overflows into a large PVC pipe leading to the bottom of the bottom barrel. The water has to work it way up through the media prior to exiting to the pond.

The hat does a few things. I keeps the top of the barrel round, it keeps the down pipe centered, and it is a nice place to put water hyacinths. Works great.

Works something but not exactly like this. It is amazing how much crap you can flush out of this filter just by opening the valve E. FWIW I use end caps instead of valves when the valve would be at the end of the pipe. Friction is enough to hold them on and generally they do not leak. Never tired that with a pump on the other end

 

[capewind]

you know if possible.. you could tie the basement ponds together... pump the water from the fish pond to the filter , have that go to the plant pond to use up the nitrates (big veggy filter) and then return to the fish pond..... could be quite beneficial all the way around! this would make it one system of 1400 gals.
600 +750 +50 from the barrel

I wouldnt want to connect them. Need a definate dedicated QT area. Aside from the ebay order we got the first week of December, he is going to start doing special orders for some of his clients. Through the business, I was able to set up business accounts with Blue Ridge and Blackwater Creek ... I want to keep the plant pond available to watch our babies snagged out of the pond to grow in/placed via Craigs list. They are much easier to catch when they are only half an inch in size along the edges of the pond, then 3-4" and swimming with all the other fish.

 

[koiguy1969]

. i didnt even know if my thought was practical or even possible to do. i dont know your setup.but..i know thats right about catching them
i sell out of my basement pond so i know about chasing them around. this year i plan to build a fence from tenax hardware netting and pvc. it will be as deep as the pond if not slightly higher and fit closely wall to wall. i will pull it to close off 2/3 of the pond when customers are there and then just open it back up . that will make them easier to catch. altho i am pretty good at it anyways. now.

 

[capewind]

Howard ... I dont get it ... but hubby giving me dictation ...

the outside pond barrel, the top of the barrel is going to basically sit about 1-2" above mean high water (so it cant overflow) and through two, 4" syphon tubes will fill the barrel chamber with water ... about 6" below water line, is going to be the intake to the pump ... at the bottom of the barrel, there will be a 2 or 3" drain valve (able to flush larger items) ... the main purpose is as a "solids seperator" ... so the pump will always get clean water, and he will be able to simultaneously get water from the bottom of the pond and skimmer, without worrying about a failure pumping all the water out of the pond ...

For MY benefit, he is explaining that it will give the benefits of a bottom drain without my panicing about cutting a hole in the bottom of the pond. HE likes bottom drains, I am scared to death of it ... so this is what he came up with to do the job and make me feel better.

 

[capewind]

i know thats right about catching them. didnt even know if my thoght was practical or even possible to do.

It is possible, just want to keep two totally seperated areas.

i dont know your setup. but i sell out of my basement pond so i know about chasing them around. this year i plan to build a fence from tenax hardware netting and pvc. it will be as deep as the pond if not slightly higher and fit closely wall to wall. i will pull it to close off 2/3 of the pond when customers are there and then just open it back up . that will make them easier to catch. altho i am pretty good at it anyways. now.

I think you saw the "fry basket" I made ... The second picture shows the addition of pvc "poles" to straddle the pond with ...





This was the divider panel I made after ...



The top uses T's and the bottom, just elbows ...

 

[HTH]

Capewind.

Sounds like bubby has it covered.

I know this is going to sound like "I know it all" but bottom drains do not have to be difficult at least for ponds with EPDM rubber and they cost next to zip to make.

They used to be one or two good videos on the web on how to do it with just a band clamp but they seem to have gone away.

I know I have posted this a few times but I will do it again.

Say you have a 4 in pipe. You cut something like a 2 1/2 hole in the liner. You pull the liver over the pipe like it was a stocking. You end up with over an inch of rubber stretched over the pipe. I do not like clamping directly to the liner so I cut a 10" or so circle of liner with another 2 1/2 in hole. Like a 2nd pair of socks pull it over the pipe. Add a stainless steel band clamp and you have a leak proof seal. I cut yet another maybe 18 inch circle with a center hole and pull to protect the fish from the band clamp.

Easy as PIE.

NOTE: I do not recall the exact size of the hole. 2 1/2 is a guess. The hat on my barrel filter seas to the 4" PVC the same way but without a band clamp. So I can measure it if anyone needs to know. You can always experiment too.

 

[capewind]

He has tried to explain to me that it wont leak, but he cant convince me it wont, or a pipe wont crack, and next thing you know, the pond would be totally empty:-( He has TRIED to sell me on it ... too far outside of my comfort level. Being witchy, he knows if anything ever went wrong, he would never hear the end of it, so gave in to me on that one He says doing it this way, I'll have to look at these pipes in the pond, but I dont care, I'll take something ugly that plants or rocks can hide if it means the pond cant drain 100% in a short time.