Building a new filter system have some questions

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Hi all,

I am ahead of myself as there is still 2ft of frozen packed snow around my pond, but i want to build a more efficient and easier to maintain filter system. I saw this video and thought the cleaning method was really clever.


So I want to build something similar, just a but smaller. my question is more related to the media inside the filter. This is my rough design....



I am going to use a 32 gallon trash can, and these materials... (all from home depot)








My questions are.

Am I using the correct materials?
Are the ratios ok?
And is the order correct? Big gravel first filter, then pea gravel next, then lava rock?

This is going to be in addition to my skimmer, which I am still working out how to make it easier to clean.

I appreciate any help, criticism if am I completely wrong please tell me,

thanks
jp
 

sissy

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trash can may not hold up to long with the weight and water and then cold weather .Barrels you can get cheap on craigslist or from a car wash or food service place if you ask and give them a few dollars .
 
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thanks Sissy, I didn't think about the trash can holding up. I haven't seen any 55g drums going round here, I might have to look a bit harder.
 

sissy

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I know here on craigslist they are any where from 15 to 25 dollars ,but remember you will be using a tank adapter and the tank adapter is flat and barrel is round and if the tank adapter is to big it may not work .You could get 2 big totes and cut off the handles on one and double them up .You can get really heavy duty ones .You could use a stock tank .
 

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sissy

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you tube may help you .I use lava rock and plants in my filter and did not clean the filter at all last year plants used up all the fish waste .Pond digger on you tube did something similar on his patio pond build .just click on pic and it gets bigger
 

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I was going to the "uniseals" like the guy in the video. Im going for 1in pipe in and 1 1/2 out (as this will be my exit for cleaning the filter too)

more researching needed, I am searching for 55g drums, but may test my rubber maid trash can for durability as a back up. Plants in the filter would help too so i will look into that also.
 

sissy

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sump pump vaults and some come with tank adapters are sturdy and so are rain barrels .Trying to think of my options for you
 
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thanks sissy, I appreciate the suggestions. I have put the word out and I have plenty of time to find something. I will keep you updated :)
 
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Hi Cheesyfella,

I have some suggestions for you. After you hear them (read them) do your own research to determine if I am on the right track for you or not.

If you are going this route, to use varying grades (sizes) of gravel and rocks, I believe it would be best to place the gravel and rocks in layers from largest to smallest in the direction of the water flow. The lava rock would generally be larger pieces, so it should come first, then a layer of large pebbles, then the pea gravel and then the fine gravel and possibly coarse sand at the top.

The diagram you posted is going to serve two functions. One is as a mechanical filter and the other will be a bilogical conversion system. As a mechanical filter unit, you would desire to filter out the coarsest or largest items first and gradually decrease the filtered particles size as the water passes through the filter. Therefore, the filtration media grows increasinlgy smaller in dimension along the length of the water flow as the trapped particles get finer and finer.

Think of this as sifting a mix of sand, dirt, gravel and rocks through a series of mesh screens. If you started sifting the entire mix through a 200 micron filter screen first, what good would a 1/4 inch mesh screen serve downstream from that stage? There would be nothing that size to filter out since it would all be trapped at the 200 micron stage and plug up quickly.

Start with the really coarse or large rocks, then progress to the finer, smaller rocks stage by stage. First stage mechanically filters or traps large particles, next stage has smaller rocks and therefore smaller spaces in-between the rocks so it traps smaller particles and so on and so forth.

You might simply be much better off using nothing but the lava rock set as a deep bed (thick) filter if your pond is small and has a nominal fish population (little biological loading).

Regardless of what you decide, you really need to procure some method to clean or "purge" the trapped sediment and waste particles from the media eventually. The best way to do this is to incorporate two items simultaneously, Quick flowing water and tumultuos aeration. Together these currents will stir and lift the rocks and wash the trapped sediments away and out to the garden, yard or simply the ditch leaving the filter mechanism much cleaner to begin its duties once again.

Do some browsing and research on lots of filter designs before you you just through this together.

Gordy
 
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Thanks Gordy,

I appreciate the input especially on the contents of the filter system. my pond is approx 1400 gallons and there is currently enough waste to clog the foam filter in my skimmer if I don't clean it every other day. And even then the pond is not clear enough. I am looking for something that will work better, and require cleaning on less frequent basis. The guy in the video claims he can do it very 6 months, that would be awesome but I would be happy doing it once a month or every 2 months if required.

My main reason for not putting something like this together was the uncertainty of how to keep it clean, but in the video link in the OP the design uses an air system and water to force the waste particles to the surface and then out a drain. My idea was to do the exact same thing, I am going to "T" off the exit pipe, one going to the pond, and one going to ground for dumping. I am hoping that would solve the cleaning side of things.
 

sissy

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gosh that pond looks bigger than that :)Everything like the filters are easy to change and improve on .I know I started with 1 filter and went to 2 and then built them bigger as koi produce a lot of waste .I use lava rock and love it .But it does need cleaned good or you have red water .I know pond digger Eric Tripplet on you tube built one filter on his 22 part pond build and used lava rock .He has some really interesting video's .I know mine are just simple cheap filters but they work and you never know until you try it .Will be interesting to see how it comes out .(y)
 
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its 6ft by 12ft and 2.5ft deep in the middle, it looks huge but its not massive in terms of numbers.

As we have more snow coming tomorrow I will have some time to watch youtube videos, it is a lot more fun since I got my chromecast, now I can find videos on my phone or laptop and send them to my big TV. I have a lot more research to do, thankfully there is a lot more winter to get through before I need to do anything :)
 

sissy

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I have a liner to replace in 2 weeks so not fun at all .I love ponddiggers video's especially the one I mentioned with the pigmy goat stealing the show .Her name is Billie Jean .Here winter is almost over ,after to night unless we get a bad March which I hope we don't .Your pond looks like a fun swimming pool .I also noticed you did it above ground .Mine is half and half .
 

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Interesting filter. I wonder how the air is bubbled back up at the bottom. Is it PVC pipes with a lot of holes drilled in them or what? He doesn't say.
 
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Cheesyfella,

I may have misinterpreted your goals at the onset. The diagram appeared to me to have the smaller gravel first. I had to review the video again to refresh my memory of the construction (I had watched it before a few times, but forgot which one it was). I see that he was placing the lava rock on top so that it can be removed and rinsed during the purge cycle and that the larger rock were at the bottom, finer rock and gravel above. That is the way it should be. I got the wrong idea and thought it was set up the other way around.

The purge cycle with forced air and water is exactly what you need for cleaning. That flushes the trapped sediments out to the drain and the air also re-expands the bed material. over time, the bed wants to settle and become tight or impacted. The flushing water and air lifts the gravel bed and unsettles it so that it is more porous and water can flow through with less restriction.

The only other comment I have is something that I observed from Eric Triplett (The PondDigger) on youtube. In one of his pond construction videos he stated that lava rock in bags is not as efficient or as effective as loose lava rock. In that pond build, he used nothing but lava rock in a Helix brand waterfall filter. It still had the provision to purge the filter with air and water.

You might wish to google that up and watch it for tips to apply to your design.

Good luck with this project and hope to see great results come construction time! Please post pix or vid's of your process and assembly.

gordy
 

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