How Would You Filter It?

[addy1]

Sounds like a good plan!

 

[clemsonguy1125]

Hoping to get the fence in this week, im going the fishless cycle and Im still deciding between 25 feet long three feet tall or 50x4, how long does it usually take to build up the bacteria.

 

[clemsonguy1125]

I found this stuff, I can get 2000 feet for 16 bucks, I hope it will filter out some larger junk that makes is through the pump as the gunk rises, and it provides a good area for bacteria. Weed Eater Cable
http://www.amazon.com/Weed-Eater-952711559-0-080-Inch-2000-Foot/dp/B0010XRBXA/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

 

[addy1]

Not as much surface area as the strapping, but it should help

 

[clemsonguy1125]

Week compared to the strapping it could had more couldn't it, 2000 feet of this would have as much as the 600 feet of it I would use, its thinner so more can fit.

 

[shakaho]

Much more surface area than strapping.

 

[clemsonguy1125]

So you think it would work, I was just told it wouldnt on another forum, guy said it was too smooth and had to little surface area.

 

[shakaho]

I don't know how well it will work, but for the same volume of material, the thinner the fiber, the more surface area. Assuming the 0.08 in is the diameter of the line, that's about 2mm. So the circumference of the line is about 6 mm. Bacteria are on the order of a micrometer long, so it would take about 6000 bacteria end-to-end to reach around that line. I don't know how smooth it looks to a bacterium, but it doesn't look like it does to us.

On the other hand, it takes a lot of line to get the same volume as the strapping that would fill your filter, and that's going to get expensive. I got some cheap plastic rope, cut it up and frayed it for my filter.

 

[addy1]

Cheap plastic rope, great idea! and that stuff never rots.......lots of surface area

 

[clemsonguy1125]

How much was the rope and how much did you use if you dont mind my asking.

 

[shakaho]

The rope idea came from Zipper in this thread. I bought some plastic clothesline in the dollar store ($1), and have that in my little flowerpot filter along with lots of other stuff,. I got a much thicker blue rope at Harbor Freight on sale for about $3. I'm still cutting that up. I'm in no hurry because I don't need the big filter until I finish the new pond. And that is going slowly. I think you could stuff a filter for less than $20.

 

[clemsonguy1125]

Ok thanks, I wonder how much I'll need for a 20 gallon trash can.

 

[DrDave]

Keep in mind that with a 20 gallon filter, the water will have to move slowly to get the bio effect. In the 55 gallon drum the water has a lot of time to rise the increased distance to the overflow.

 

[clemsonguy1125]

Ive got 1/2 inch input so its somewhat slow an still then no more than 300GPH

 

[DrDave]

You might be ok with that flow rate.