DIY Stock Tank Filter

[icewaterdon]

How much beneficial bacteria would I need for a 100 gallon filter, filtering a 4000 gallon pond. Or do I need to add it at all?
The pond is brand new this past weekend.
Thanks
icewaterdon

 

[WNCRalph]

Building my first filter in a 100 gallon stock tank, wondering if there is any benefit to adding air into the filter? If so, where would be the best place? Thanks

 

[mew5280]

could you do this with a 150 and put another layer of the light grid on the next level so the strapping is sandwiched and have plants on top of the grid to add addt'l filtering?

I built my Skippy filter using the Rubbermaid stock tank 4 years ago with a submersible pump. In those 4 years I have never turned it off and for the first time in the 7 years prior, my water became clear after about a week. So I'm a BIG fan of these. I DID add plants to the top. I first filled the filter with cut pieces of filter media, then threw in some water lettuce I think it's called. It goes crazy with water and sun. It comes back to life every Spring after dying through the winter. HOWEVER..... my clean water drains out into the pond from a pipe near the top of the filter and at least once a year the plant roots restrict the water from flowing at a full force and it starts leaking out the BACK of the filter into the yard and drains the pond. Of course I watch my pond carefully and it's never fully drained but this is one drawback to using plants. I am going to take the whole thing apart soon though and re-do it because the plants are just too overgrown. Possibly thinking of putting them in pond buckets this time.

This photo is four years old. I'll have to find a photo of the overgrown version. The plants COMPLETELY cover the tank. I have to cut them back. Water lettuce is especially bad, it just grows and grows and grows. I think that's the name, feel free to correct me.

 

[koiguy1969]

If youre doing a stocktank filter... https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/waterfall-weirs-for-diy-filters.3664/

 

[John O]

What I have found with a Rubbermaid stock tank is that once I cut a hole for something, it was hard to stop leaks as not much sticks to that
material. I shifted my skippy filter around and I had to plug a slot I had cut out. I was able to patch it finally with some Firestone lap cement and
a patch with sheet metal. I have read where if you have small screw holes you can fill them with a butane torch and a flat blade.

 

[PondMutt]

i installed a 100 gallon stock tank filter .. .... used the existing drain as my bottom drain , ya sure its not all the way down but it does not leak , i have had big trouble with shower drains leaking in other vessels ,,and no more holes to cut

put in 2 each out flow 2 inch pipe using inserts .. set them as low as you can . you can use elbow and extend as high as you want .. .. infeed over the top piped to the bottom .. flows very good

look at this chart . i have tested it for accuracy ,
if you put 3 inches of water over a 2 inch straight pipe it will flow 1800 gph,, times 2 as i set 2 each 2 inch with inserts
more than you ever want to flow through a filter element .
2 out flow is a good idea .. there is always something getting around and blocking up one.
regards leaks , i only drilled 2 holes for the out flow and installed the rubber inserts , damfi can recall the proper nomenclature for those just now ..
zero leak ... i wnt down and dug one out .. uniseal rubber inserts .
i have used many 2 inch a couple 3 inch and 4 inch .. on a thin material like a 55G blue barrel might require some goop , but on thick material like a stock tank no goop required ,, might well require some finesse to get the pipe in though , and a big rubber hammer [ and beveling of the pipe to be inserted and some ,,+ slickumup stuff+ ].. i put a 2 inch uniseal in though the side of a 10 inch PVC .. worked good . i think i might put a 2 inch uniseal in a 4 inch .. ..
so in my stock tank filter i used existing drain for bottom drain [ knife valve exterior ] popped in 2 each holes for out floe maybe 6-8 inches below the top.. using +uniseal+ inserts ,, ran the inflow in over the top piped to bottom ,, valved with ball valve .. stuffed it full with bags of mixed media

works good . no leaks

 

[oneofakindcritter]

Has anyone incorporated, a stock tank filter into a existing tetra... water fall & skimmer setup. If so ??? if not thoughts ideas how ? My pump is submerged and sets on bottom .. So water flows into skimmer filter goes down through pump then back out water fall filter... as my fish grow I would like more filtration.. yet would prefer it be hidden..

 

[Brenda Sue]

What happened to all the pictures?

 

[Lisak1]

What happened to all the pictures?

Photobucket changed their hosting rules, is my understanding. Lots of people lost access to lots of online photos.

 

[sissy]

The main reason I have always stored my pics on my puter and a hard drive