Does biofilter have to run continuously?

[Telkwa]

I was gonna ask next about taking the filter down during the winter. I'm glad the topic got covered.

I'd never really thought about it this way until hanging out here at this forum, but Western Washington is certainly not the worst place to be for ponding. We only get a handful of summer days above 90 degrees, and our winters are pretty mild too. Usually a few weeks below freezing, but very rarely colder than 10 degrees above zero.

I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and add a 24/7 AC pump to our system, and/or bubble the filter. I think my employer is going to give us a 350 gallon tank that was used for water treatment. It held polymers. We can stick a fire hose in it at work and flush for a few hours, then clean it some more at home.

Our new pond is about 2000 gal. This 350 gallon tank is a very stout white plastic square-shaped vessel that sits inside a metal cage. You guys did say "you can't have too much filtration" :twisted:

One pic attached. I've got several shots I'd like to share but we're on dial-up and haven't gotten to it. In the shot you'll see the beginnings of some concrete piers. We're gonna build an overhead structure over the entire pond so we can shade it and keep out the kingfishers/herons.

 

[addy1]

I think my employer is going to give us a 350 gallon tank that was used for water treatment. It held polymers. . This 350 gallon tank is a very stout white plastic square-shaped vessel that sits inside a metal cage. .

I acquired one of those for my pond in arizona, turned it into the bio filter, waterfall. It worked great!

The wire cage supported it very well to.

 

[Telkwa]

addy, do you have any pics of this? I'd really like to see how you plumbed it, how you made the waterfall, etc.

Also, did you cut off the top of the tank, or manage somehow to plumb it up without maiming the thing? I'd kind of like to keep the top intact, but that may not be practical.

I stopped in at Home Depot yesterday. They had a nice rain barrel with flat sides on two faces. Easier to plumb that way. The entire top comes off for good access, four little baffles in the bottom that would support a grid - I don't want to spend the money, but it would be easier to make a bf out of the rain barrel than the poly tank. Decisions decisions...

 

[pebcpa]

your may be better off not using a pump at all during the winter if the pond freezes over. just an air pump and line. you run the line 1/2 the depth of your pond and the air bubbles rising will keep a hole in the ice for gas exchange. when water hits cold winter temps, the water temperature layers invert and the warmest water settles on the bottom, this is where your fish will stay for the winter...if you run a pump it may break the stratification of the water

My pond still froze over this past winter even with 2 bubbles going. The bubbles began to freeze at the edges and eventually created a frozen dome of ice. We did have an exceptionally cold and snowy winter though. See the pic's...

 

[koiguy1969]

Dont use stones just the open end of the airline...bigger bubbles! And make sure to use a big enough air pump... My freinds been doing this for years..no problems even in michigan winters. But a heater definately helps too but they can get expensive to run.

 

[PS3]

the past many years i been useing a big pump with no air stones
and a deicer and its good i was going to use air stones this winter but
now what koi guy said i will take them out for the winter

 

[DrDave]

[quote name='I stopped in at Home Depot yesterday. They had a nice rain barrel with flat sides on two faces. Easier to plumb that way. The entire top comes off for good access, four little baffles in the bottom that would support a grid - I don't want to spend the money, but it would be easier to make a bf out of the rain barrel than the poly tank. Decisions decisions...[/QUOTE']

Did you happen to get the SKU # of this item or can you find a link on their site and post it here?

 

[addy1]

addy, do you have any pics of this? I'd really like to see how you plumbed it, how you made the waterfall, etc.

Also, did you cut off the top of the tank, or manage somehow to plumb it up without maiming the thing? I'd kind of like to keep the top intact, but that may not be practical.
.

I would have to look for them, think they are stored on my back up computer, I hope from about 6 years ago. lol

We plumbed a 4 inch pipe into the bottom of the tank, for the water input. Also a two inch pvc to flush / drain the tank.

Built a stand with pvc and covered it with a heavy waffle type plastic cover, covered with a screen, like door screening.

We added lava rock and pea gravel on top of the waffle. The top of our tank was cut open due to the fact it is our water fall. The water overflows from the top. To work on it i.e. build the stuff inside you would have to cut it open, unless you could get your medium in with out cutting, just putting in a smaller hole to put in whatever you are using. That small hole could be used for the plumbing i.e. the water coming out of the top, into the pond.

 

[Telkwa]

Did you happen to get the SKU # of this item or can you find a link on their site and post it here?

Hi, Doc -
I'm about 99% sure it's this one.

The four little baffles or ribs on the bottom seemed perfect for supporting the grate in a DIY biofilter.

It'll be a few days before I can get back to HD. Will check for sure next time.

addy1, thanks for the feedback. If you can find any pics that would be great. I'll probly have to cut at least some of the top off and make a lid of some kind. The one pic you posted is too small to see much. I tried to click on it to expand but couldn't.

 

[addy1]

Hi, Doc -
I'm about 99% sure it's this one.

The four little baffles or ribs on the bottom seemed perfect for supporting the grate in a DIY biofilter.

It'll be a few days before I can get back to HD. Will check for sure next time.

addy1, thanks for the feedback. If you can find any pics that would be great. I'll probly have to cut at least some of the top off and make a lid of some kind. The one pic you posted is too small to see much. I tried to click on it to expand but couldn't.

These should be bigger. the top was removed and not put back, we put some heavy rubber over the top attached via stainless bolts to the container, in that rubber had holes cut to allow the water to flow out the top and down the rocks, without spitting out the bio media.

I stacked the rocks around the tank, to hide the tank. The outlet to flush it is in the back of the tank, covered with crushed granite. When I back flush it I just turn off the pump close the knife valve so it does not drain and open the flush drain.

I

 

[Telkwa]

OK, thanks, those pics worked.

Did you fill the tote with media? That's going to be a lot of poly tubing to cut!

 

[addy1]

OK, thanks, those pics worked.

Did you fill the tote with media? That's going to be a lot of poly tubing to cut!

I filled mine with pea gravel and lava rock, which some in here do not like, but the pond did great, a few algae blooms.

Did not know about using poly tubing, but I am sure that would work great.

 

[DrDave]

Hi, Doc -
I'm about 99% sure it's this one.

The four little baffles or ribs on the bottom seemed perfect for supporting the grate in a DIY biofilter.

It'll be a few days before I can get back to HD. Will check for sure next time.

addy1, thanks for the feedback. If you can find any pics that would be great. I'll probly have to cut at least some of the top off and make a lid of some kind. The one pic you posted is too small to see much. I tried to click on it to expand but couldn't.

Thanks, I'll check them out. It is nice to know which products are available for those who either cannot find a drum or prefer the commercially made ones that fit it with their landscaping.

 

[Telkwa]

I filled mine with pea gravel and lava rock, which some in here do not like, but the pond did great, a few algae blooms.

Did not know about using poly tubing, but I am sure that would work great.

Wow, that musta weighed a ton or two! We tried sticking our little pump inside a Rubbermaid container, then filling it with lava rock. That was only two little sacks of lava rock. We just about killed ourselves trying to drag it out of our old pond. I decided right then I'd had it with heavy.

I'm going on faith (and these forums) re: poly tubing's effectiveness, but one thing I know for sure is that it doesn't weigh a lot, and it doesn't get heavier when immersed.

Dr. Dave, I'm ambivalent about the 350 gal. tote. We don't want to cut the top off, and I can't figure a way to set up the inside for proper operation via the small hatch on top. I'm headed to HD in the morning for more paint. Will take a look at that rain barrel. Who knows, we might just buy one and get started cutting holes in it.

 

[addy1]

Wow, that musta weighed a ton or two! We tried sticking our little pump inside a Rubbermaid container, then filling it with lava rock. That was only two little sacks of lava rock. We just about killed ourselves trying to drag it out of our old pond. I decided right then I'd had it with heavy.

.

I had it all set up and in place before filling it, also my pump was an external, so did not have to worry about the pump being inside or moving it. And we surrounded it with stacking rocks, to cover the plastic, made to be never moved. lol