koiguys 70 gal skippy style filter

[koiguy1969]

although this is a 70 gallon 'Rubbermade' stock tank the general design is applicable to all stocktanks.. now rubber made stock tanks come with a teired design so there is already a ledge to support you bottom grate.. with some of the off brands you may have to build a pvc framed support for your bottom grid. all the plumbing (pipe and fittings) used in this construction is standard 1&1/2" pvc... i built some risers to hold my bottom swirl assembly pipes off the ground 4" this is by no means a neccessity, many people build theirs with them resting on the floor of tank. i also built a waterfall weir for mine which is by no means the standard...most people use a shower drain or a closet flange (toiltet drain assembly) for their outlets. also the original "skippy" filter does not have a flush valve. although it may very well be "not neccessary" its a good option to have available, as it eliminates fecal and other bio matter from the system,lessening the filters work load, and making it more efficient.. that said i hope this thread is easier to folow than the other one on this build... when complete it can be put pondside and giver a low profile waterfall like this:

 

[koiguy1969]

now construction: like i said rubbermades have ledges for your bottom grid to rest on so i used a flourecent light (egg crate) diffuser you will find in the ceiling tile section of Lowes, Home depot , etc.. the plumbing is self explainatory. be sure to tighten the drain plug that the tanks come with nice and snug with some teflon tape wrapped on the threads for a good seal. and on the opposite side of your oulet cut a hole to accept a shower drain for your back flush assembly...mount it center tank as close to the bottom as possible, and still get a good strudy mount and seal..
picture #1....is a picture of my 55 gallon filters flush assembly..didnt take one for this filter or lost it, whatever.
pic#2... is the inside plumbing laid out (all standard 1&1/2" ) pic#3...top veiw
pic#4 installed with the risers i made which are simply 2" tees and pipes (the 1&1/2" pipes hinge freely in them). and the bases are the bottom caps for a intex pool frame... like i said tho, these risers are not neccessary.
pic#5...plumbing with the bottom grid installed

 

[j.w]

I really like the looks of that setup and it's partially buried in the ground right? Do you float plants in the top of it or does it need to be empty to keep clean?

 

[koiguy1969]

now i plumbed my filters piping thru the wall of the stock tank, for most people i would suggest you run your pumps hose to the top of the center down pipe hooked up to the tee with a hose nipple and end cap with treaded reducer to accept hose nipple
pic # 1.. the way i plumbed mine
pic # 2.. the usual way.. your pumps hose would slide onto the nipple either way but thru the side you better have a good seal or leaks will occur..mine is fine.

 

[koiguy1969]

now to the outputs.. mine is a waterfall weir ...Skippy calls for a closet (toilet) flange as i stated earlier, but they are large and decrease the filters volume to much for me. as in my 55 gal filter i would opt for a shower drain, they are 2" and for most set ups that is plenty i ran 2200 gph thru my 55 gallon filter with a 2" shower drain with no problems to test it
pic#1....waterfall weir i made
pic#2...weir installed inside veiw pic#3... outside veiw
pics #4 & 5....shower drain assembly for output..just a note remove the drain cover and leave it off for the flush assembly, where as not to inhibit flow when you flush and it may stop up if larger debris make it to filters sump area.

 

[koiguy1969]

you will want to put an upper media grate in the mix too. this will control you media and keep it where it should be not plugging up or washing out your outlet (pond return) and ending up floating in the pond. be it a weir or piping. i beleive Ive about covered it all..except media. i use scrubby pads (with no sponge) the blue cut to fit furnace filters, but the media debate goes on...as of today 4/2/2010.. i have been using the same media since May of 2008 24 /365 nonstop between outdoor and basement wintering ponds.
heres a couple pics of the filter installed and running with the top stone off the weir to show it (there is an extension added to original weir)

 

[koiguy1969]

heres a picture of the scrubbies i used, notice no sponge to them.. i cut them into 2" x 4" pieces..i also cut up the furnace filters 4"x4" or so.
i also use the blue frameless cut to fit furnace filters...no picture but i will stop at Lowes and get their name and item #, maybe a picture, soon
after a while i also removed all the media from the bags, works better.

 

[koiguy1969]

when the filter is complete, its as easy as putting at ponds edge and leveling it, then piling as much of your dirt pile from digging your pond around it as you see fit. or mounding the dirt , then digging out a spot for the tank . which ever way is to your liking. and be sure to run your flush plumbing out and keep the ball valve exposed so you can access it....cover the dirt with weed cloth stone and plants of your choice..i hope this thread is a sufficient tool in aiding your build...the other one has 15 pages of people telling where they got the scrubby pads, or what media they think should be used. and it ws kind of confusing because i posted the build over the time i took to build it not all at once like this...so theres many posts interupting the instructional aspect....GOOD LUCK IN YOUR BUILD AND PONDING!!!

 

[koiguy1969]

if you have questions about this build.. refferencing the original may help ..you may also reference my 55 gal build thread if your going the shower drain route...if you still want to ask you can..
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/my-70-gallon-skippy-filter-t3083.html
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/koiguys-55-gallon-bio-filter-skippy-style-t4339.html

 

[koiguy1969]

in the one pic above i still had the elboe on i switched to a TEE to break the syphon affect if the pump ever stops for any reason. throw a few hiacynths in there in a couple weeks it will be full and you wont see any of this.
pic #1 with the tee, and you can see the upper grate alittle under water in this pic.
pic #2 im pretty darned sure this is the furnace filter i use
img #3 i would reccommend using this product to start up a filtration system.

 

[ctrgojo]

How did you make the waterfall weir? Im going to make a filter like yours next week with a blue prefab pond... but I don't know how or where to get the weir...
thanks

 

[jason081180]

thank you so much for posting in one place like this, all at once. i will be building one of these with a 150 GL stock tank in the next two weeks to go on my 3000GL pond

 

[jason081180]

How did you make the waterfall weir? Im going to make a filter like yours next week with a blue prefab pond... but I don't know how or where to get the weir...
thanks :regular_waving_emot

I also need to know how to make the weir. I don't know where to get the material or how to shape it to the size I need.

 

[koiguy1969]

P.M me if you need a weir...

 

[Two Wise]

I need the info on a weir also. Only 8 post so I can not send PMs yet.