how do i structure 55gal drum to filter?

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sumthingfishy

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Feb 1, 2008
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i want to finally make a (real) filter for my pond(30,000gal). being that the 55gal drums are round how would i design an efficient filter bio and mechanical(the insides)? i have access to as many 55gal drums as i want. so far i'm planning 5 of them. i'm going to cut (2) 4" pvc pipe openings in my useless savio skimmer(in the back). each running into its' own 55gal drum. then each are going to be connected to the next pair of 55gal drums. then into the 5th drum where the pump will be housed. of course its going to be gravity fed in this configuration. thats the reason i'm thinking running them side by side to make sure that the water supply to pump is constant(being that my pump is pumping 60 gal a minute). the savio will be used to catch large debris(a pre-pre filter). how do i design the 1st two drums, then the 2nd two drums? the last will just hold the pump... the hole behind the savio has already been dug. i have 2 of the drums so far(can only fit 1 at a time in my camaro).

thanx
 
it's been a while since i uploaded photos to a storage site and i've reinstalled my OS and don't remember any of the sites i've used... can someone give me a storage site so i can get some pictures up?
 
With a turn over like that i would split the flow to more than one drum to give the waist time to settle, put filter brushes in yhe first bins and add drains so you can flush the main waist. Then have the bio next filled with what ever bio you want for a few bins then have a final bin with something fine to polish the water off. Your best bet is to have the water flow up the first bin down then next until you return it.
 
frasertheking;4150635; said:
With a turn over like that i would split the flow to more than one drum to give the waist time to settle, put filter brushes in yhe first bins and add drains so you can flush the main waist. Then have the bio next filled with what ever bio you want for a few bins then have a final bin with something fine to polish the water off. Your best bet is to have the water flow up the first bin down then next until you return it.
Click to expand...

i'm am. i'm running them in pairs and then into the 5th.

running it in from the bottom with a drain to flush settlement is what i understand is the way to do it but, how would i clean the pads as they become clogged since the bottom will get clogged 1st? right now my pond is heavily into green water(algae) and the top layers in the filter get clogged quickly. i'm, most likely in the beginning, won't be able to put bio media in. until i filter for a few days. or it will clog.

but how do you structure the insides? cant just throw in the media...
i'm having the holes in the drums, leveled with the bottom of the inlet that comes from the pond into the savio... which ever the way it's done, whether into the bottom out the top or into the top out the bottom, there will be a 'T' going into one of the openings with a lenght of pipe going to the bottom(fourcing water either in or out throw the bottom).
how do i support the media? those egg crate light covers are very brittle.
how much space on the bottom do i need to leave below the pipe and layer of media?
since the barrels are so wide(24") do i need baffles?
 
you can use pvc to build a frame with egg creat to support it.
check ebay for egg create used in koi ponds and reef systems its black and much stronger than the normal white stuff.

in the settling chamber you would have the water come in about a 3rd of the way up the barrels so the rubbish can settle on the bottom, so the slower the flow the better in this section.
google filter brushes to see what i as on about.these are not ment for bio so you can drain the settling chambers and hose them down, the idea is to get as much of the solid stuff to stay out of the bio filter. so you can just remove it from the system saving the filter a lot of work.
 
you could use a variation of this type filter http://www.tadege.com/wakinfilter.htm

A few people here have made some out of 55Gal drums. Thats what I am planning to go with in my set up.
 
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