Biological Filters

[Chef Dave]

Hello All!

It's been a few years since I've had the opportunity to have a pond. I'm currently digging out a 3300 gallon pond that will be 8' X 11' with a maximum depth of five feet and plant shelves that are 1' to 2' deep.

I read the following on-line article about biological filters with great interest.

http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm

I am thinking about building a filter to the specifications in this article. Between a local feed store and Home Depot, I shouldn't have any problems gathering the materials needed.

QUESTION: Has anyone ever built their own biological filter? Is it worth the cost in savings to build your own filter instead of buying a retail kit?

 

[DrCase]

i think that skippystuff sounds interesting, i would try it . i have the scrubber pads in my filters , orderd more yesterday for a new filter. im not going to clean them ,i just drain the water off the bottom . water is great, its better to build your own

 

[Chef Dave]

Thank you for your reply.

I'm going to give this a try. Although it would be convenient to purchase a retail filter system, I think it'd be fun to try and build my own. If I wind up saving money in the process, so much the better. I can always put the savings towards water plants. :icon_smile:

 

[thejetskiqueen]

We haven't built a filter for the pond but did build a filter for our reef tank and it worked great. Give it a shot and post pics when finished.

 

[DrDave]

I built mine using a 55 gallon drum (I know Skippy sez 55 gallon drums don't work, but he is wrong). Both DrCase and I use them and they work fine.

I used 7000 cut pieces from 1/2" ABS irrigation tubing in mine and they work fine. The secret to success lies in a lot of surface area and these provide a lot while allowing a fast back flush. I have a 2" ball valve near the bottom that allows the sludge to be dumped in 25 seconds. Cleaning has never been easier.

 

[paradise]

Dave, anywhere I can find the design of your filter? I can't "get it" from those pics, never having created one myself.

 

[DrDave]

I just have the pictures of the build. These 3 photos really show everything important.

55 gallon drum
2" ball valve attached to a 2" bulkhead connector
egg crate light cover from Home Depot
Milk crate to support it.
7000 pieces of 1/2" ABS tubing cut to 1.5" placed on top
1.5" downspout to the waterfall
3/4" pipe that feed it from the pump.
that's it

It is very similar to the skippy filter

 

[Chef Dave]

I have ... 55 gallon drum ... 2" ball valve attached to a 2" bulkhead connector

A 55 gallon drum? Wow! How big is your pond?

 

[DrCase]

i am making one ,i will post some pics after work today.

 

[DrCase]

I'm not done with this yet .these pics show the simple guts. i drill holes in the lid to make the bottom grate, the center hole needs to be the same size as your center tower pipe , mine is 3 " pipe pic 2 shows the 3 parts, the tower pipe is cut on the bottom to let the waste flow out, the lid is drilled to let water flow up,,, then the milk crate. i had to use a bucket.this gives the filter a big settling area...... pic 3 shows the parts together........pic4 shows the parts in the drum......pic 4 with scrubber pads ( fill to top)

 

[DrDave]

To answer your question, my pond is 700-800 gallons.

 

[DrCase]

DrDave got me started on these 55 gal filters . this year i have clear water ,no need for algaefix, my pond pushes 4500 gal i am going to add a second drum ,and tie them together .

 

[Chef Dave]

Great pictures DrCase! Thanks for sharing. I look forward to seeing the rest of your pictures as your current project unfolds.

 

[thejetskiqueen]

What flow rate on the pump? It may be in the article but I can't find it

 

[DrDave]

I am using a Beckett pump that is about 1080GPH to my 55 gallon bio filter. You don't want too much flow going through the filter because it takes time for the bacteria to consume the nitates. You might be successful with a little more flow but I would cautious about a significant increase.