Sieve filter in a tote almost complete.

Cecil B.

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Dec 16, 2011
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Ligonier, Indiana
It's a special type of screen that resists clogging and due to the decline and the "coanda effect" induces solids to slide down the screen to the trough where they end up in two sock filters. The cleaned water (primary filtration of 200 micron screen) falls through to a 55 gallon blue drum which is my moving bed filter with up to 4 cubic feet of plastic media. (I get mine from Allied Aqua which has more surface area than Kaldnes media and is cheaper). All the water from the biofilter and that makes it's way through the socks, ends up in a small side tank (a kind of sump) and is then pumped through a DIY sand and gravel filter for polishing. See my thread on my DIY sand and gravel filter I downsides from "Birdman." The water then makes it's way back to the fish tank via gravity flow as the sand and gravel filter is set up a little higher than the fish tank.

The screen is a used screen that I bought on a koi site (Koiphen). The entire box units are sold for Koi ponds and cost in the neighbor hood of a 1000 US dollars give or take. I bought the screen for 200 U.S. dollars and two Uniseals, some 3 inch PVC, the tub, and two stainless steel screws probably totaled less than $20.00.

Here is a video of a commercial unit:

 
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Cecil B.

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Dec 16, 2011
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Ligonier, Indiana
My imputes for this to get solids out of the system ASAP vs. a previous filter where it had to be periodically cleaned out, but remained in the flow stream until doing so. Granted this DIY does not have all the bells and whistles of a commercial unit but I plan on making it work!

This particular system will be for trout of which clean water is paramount vs. the other species I raise that are more tolerant.
 

Reedmaster16

Piranha
MFK Member
Oct 13, 2005
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Smart move getting an actual wedge wire screen to use instead of trying to DIY it (doesn't really work). Post up some performance opinions once its been running for a little while.

No floating weir to maintain water level/adjust flow rate? One thing I would focus on is to cascade the water evenly over the screen as best you can. The weir design solves these problems but if you can maintain a consistent flow rate it could still work pretty well. As the pressure filter down the chain collects waste the flow will obviously slow so dialing it in could take some time.

I finally saved up enough to buy a real sieve for my new filtration system design. Should be up and running before Thanksgiving.
 

isde02

Arapaima
MFK Member
Jan 4, 2011
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Ohio
Smart move getting an actual wedge wire screen to use instead of trying to DIY it (doesn't really work). Post up some performance opinions once its been running for a little while.

No floating weir to maintain water level/adjust flow rate? One thing I would focus on is to cascade the water evenly over the screen as best you can. The weir design solves these problems but if you can maintain a consistent flow rate it could still work pretty well. As the pressure filter down the chain collects waste the flow will obviously slow so dialing it in could take some time.

I finally saved up enough to buy a real sieve for my new filtration system design. Should be up and running before Thanksgiving.
Post up pics when you're done, I love seeing your filtration, it's on another level imo.
 
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Cecil B.

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Dec 16, 2011
116
46
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Ligonier, Indiana
What micron is the screen
200 microns. Should finally have it running today. Waste goes into two 200 micron socks. Rest of water drops into a moving bed filter and overflows to a 30 gallon drum. Then is pumped up through a 30 gallon up flow sand filter and back to the tank. Will post pics soon.
 

Cecil B.

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Dec 16, 2011
116
46
61
66
Ligonier, Indiana
Will have to wait to use the sieve filter. Had SNAFU with the 150 gallon tank and had to drain it and move the eggs to a temporary system. The tank had no issues for years up until now. Go figure.

It's leaking below the center drain and am suspecting a crack in the 3 inch bulkhead fitting that holds the center drain. My replacement for a new tank will be a threaded Rhino drain that bolts in. I'm kind of tired of the cone shaped tank I have been using anyway.
 
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