DIY bio filters for large loads

[markstrimaran]

Why not turn over more water from your well. That would be the cheapest if the aquifer can hold 300 gallons per day?
If your looking into bio, I would flow 1800 GPH, thru a 55 gallon drum full of 1" crushed lava rock. Two caps, run a extension to the bottom, and let the water flow out the top.

A submersible pump, with 0 head pressure, will be the most efficient.

Or build a 6' tall 12" diameter trickle tower at 600 GPH.
Adding a hot air bubbler would help, but yo I r probably looking at cost effectiveness.

 

[Slim2634]

I'm confused. Is the pump in your tank or in your filter? Is the tank drilled for overflow? If it is, you don't have to worry about inlet/outlet sizes as much as long as they're sufficient for the pump size.

 

[HoundsNTrout]

Ok. Update. Got to thinking Geez a 55G drum full of lava rocks? Hmmm? LOTS of rocks. LOL So took a trip to the college hatchery where I buy eyed eggs and sometimes brood fish.
He showed me the inside of the filters. They are cylindrical with scrubby pad material or like that on end in a 'roll' of sorts standing upright. Meaning nothing is piled on top of anything they go in a spiral motion and take up the cylinder. He said that way they can get TONS more surface area than 'filling' it with material that doesn't stand on end by itself. He said a 55G drum using this method should easily support Two 300 gallon tanks with 1000 four inch fish per tank.
So that's what I'm doing. Going to Wal Mart and getting like material a Meter high and gonna figure out how much I'll need. The inflow of the filters is not over the top but along the side to make a 'swirling' motion of sorts.
SO, I"m gonna go with a 55 drum, with inlet on top aiming at the sides of drum in a 45 degree to cause that swirling to start. Then the outlets will be only a few inches below the inlet. I think 4 inches.
I'll let ya all know for sure how it works.

 

[HoundsNTrout]

Why not turn over more water from your well. That would be the cheapest if the aquifer can hold 300 gallons per day?
If your looking into bio, I would flow 1800 GPH, thru a 55 gallon drum full of 1" crushed lava rock. Two caps, run a extension to the bottom, and let the water flow out the top.

A submersible pump, with 0 head pressure, will be the most efficient.

Or build a 6' tall 12" diameter trickle tower at 600 GPH.
Adding a hot air bubbler would help, but yo I r probably looking at cost effectiveness.

I've filled a 5000 Gallon tank from well water in less than 24 hours. But in times of drought I dont know what it would take. We lost water this year, it doesn't go DRY just the rate or time it takes to get back up slows WAY down.

I could definitely turn over double what I am now for sure. But why if I don't have to ( still having healthy fish of course ) .

 

[HoundsNTrout]

I'm confused. Is the pump in your tank or in your filter? Is the tank drilled for overflow? If it is, you don't have to worry about inlet/outlet sizes as much as long as they're sufficient for the pump size.

Pump is in the fish tank. ITs got 1 inch piping. I tried a larger outlet is all I was saying. Water came out faster than it can fill the filter. In a system that has the outlet on bottom of the tote and inlet on top. With the drum system I hope I can not worry about size of pipes since water will be coming out or emptying from the top after drum is filled.
Got a system I like a lot I just got back from hathchery and checked it out. THey also have a semi recycled system with 25% change per day.
Going with a 'coil system' rather than piling on media on top of one another. WAY more surface area. HE said 10 to 20X more area with more oxygen than piling on top of one another.

 

[Slim2634]

Why not put an overflow style system in your tank and raise it up a little? Its hard to tell the best way without pictures.

 

[markstrimaran]

Sounds like a plan.
One last idea, if you have a creek, you could, use an Ultra Violet light water bacteria killer.
12 GPM flows at 55 watts, @ $200.00.

 

[cigars]

Love these types of threads good stuff guys

 

[Slim2634]

Pump is in the fish tank. ITs got 1 inch piping. I tried a larger outlet is all I was saying. Water came out faster than it can fill the filter. In a system that has the outlet on bottom of the tote and inlet on top. With the drum system I hope I can not worry about size of pipes since water will be coming out or emptying from the top after drum is filled.
Got a system I like a lot I just got back from hathchery and checked it out. THey also have a semi recycled system with 25% change per day.
Going with a 'coil system' rather than piling on media on top of one another. WAY more surface area. HE said 10 to 20X more area with more oxygen than piling on top of one another.

Why not put the pump in the filter itself? Or is the filter above the tank and gravity fed back into the tank? I'd still love to see a pic.

 

[HoundsNTrout]

Why not put the pump in the filter itself? Or is the filter above the tank and gravity fed back into the tank? I'd still love to see a pic.

Trying on the pic's. Both small tanks are set up gravity fed.

Problems getting photos off my phone to the computer at the moment.

I really like the idea of the filters I saw at the hatchery. Never really looked hard at them but after doing so it makes a lot of sense, getting way more surface area and oxygen.

I'll post pic's of both set ups once I get them on the computer.

I'm gonna go with 50ft. roll of nylon screen material coiled around the inside of drum separated by 2 inches ( somehow. Not sure yet ) or simply uncoil it and see if I can separate it out evenly or more or less.
Then inlet pipes going to the bottom with a Y of sorts to swirl water, outlet on top with pipes going into each tank. I think I can get both tanks with this system. If not, I'll simply add another one.