Hello from Shenandoah Valley :)

[CountryEscape]

I just heard that every year, the Sunday after our County Fair ends on Saturday, there is this huge swap meet! You cannot buy anything, you HAVE to swap something for what you want. I guess it's big, everyone from backwoods grannies to uptown teenagers go to it to swap! People make brownies and other baked goodies, bring goats, chickens, pigs, other farm animals, one guy even had Hustler magazines he wanted to swap! Guess it's a hoot to go and watch and see what people leave with.
There is a huge festival that is like what you were at, but maybe more commercialized, but it's called the Covered Bridge Festival in Indiana. My sister is going to come for a long weekend, and we are going to go to it for a couple of days, stay overnight at a hotel, as it's probably a 2.5 hr. drive. Will be a fun sister weekend! That's where I get the 1,000 and 1,200 thread count bed sheet sets for $20 or less every year! My first set I got 3 years ago, and they are still like new. I will get more this year, too, as friends find out I'm going and send money, "Get as many as you can get for this!" Friend sent $75 last year, hoped to get 2 sets, I got her 5! Guy made me a deal on the last set. LOL

 

[sissy]

I miss the great times you have at those things and hope you have great time with your sister .

 

[callingcolleen1]

That sounds like fun, the outdoor market! sissy, I saw that picture back a couple pages in NJ, boy that looked packed with people and cars, how would you even find a parking spot! Thank goodness Medicine Hat is not that large so it easy to drive around..., must be getting old!!

 

[humbirdlover]

always better to picture it before you buld it .It all depends on how you want the water in and how you want it to go out .I know my neighbors goes in the top and comes out 4 inches from the bottom ,I know I built it it was easier on hers to hide the top than the bottom .

you said you built your neighbors filter? How did you do it to have the water coming out down that far?

 

[sissy]

That town is small but lots of parking and 5 dollars town will not let them charge more .I have the hose from the pump running into the top like mine and tank adapter is about 3 inches from the bottom ,just enough for gunk to build up on th bottom with a ball valve out the back to clean out the bottom .You can put a tank adapter any where as long as you have at least a couple of inches at the bottom for gunk to fall to be cleaned out .Tank adapters I get have screw on for pipes to fit to run out to the pond .I can take a pic of tank adapter and fittings later .

 

[Fishylove]

Country I've been there! Covered bridge is soo much fun!

 

[humbirdlover]

OK, so the water is flowing down thru the media. Then I could put in a "bulkhead" thingy and the hose adapter with the barbs and run the hose back to the pond. I think I like that idea better than the up flow kind, thank you!!! I'm wanting to put the filter back away from the pond, and this way I think would work better

 

[rebelangel_3733]

This is how I built mine and it's worked great at keeping my water crystal clear! I painted the tub brown and cover it with a vining plant...and plants all around it so as to hide it.

 

[sissy]

I had mine like that but you stir up the dirt on the bottom and then tried to put it on top of the grate with a brick under it but it would vibrate loose and crack the grate .I even tried zip tieing it but it loosened the tank adapter every week or so and the silicon would allow the water to leak out around it .I am going to maybe try it again on the new tank and see if it happens again and can always go back to the other way .I only had 1 grate and could not buy more and now finally home depot carries them .

 

[humbirdlover]

OK, now I'm really confused I was reading in the DIY section, and some think the type of filter I was planning on building, works and some say they are a complete waste of time. Most of the explainations are over my head, LOL Just when I seem to have it all worked out, I end up back at square one? Help

 

[CountryEscape]

Trust me. If Sissy says it will work, follow her directions and she will lead you well. As she said, the trick is keeping the outlet pipe at least 3" from the bottom of the tub, so the much can stay down there. I suspect there is some type of screen/mesh/filtering between the bottom and the pipe, though. That may be the key. Maybe you and Sissy should talk sometime, instead of trying to figure it out here. She's one heck of a great lady, IMO, all that she does on her own and all that she builds and figures out! If it doesn't work, she will tell you, too! Good luck! But, never give up. :surprised: :surprised: :surprised:

 

[sissy]

Remember your pond may be smaller than the ones that are saying it does not .This filter idea works if it is made to the right size remember size counts . :razz: no I will hear from Haro on that one .Thanks for the vote of Ce .Thats why I said i feel as my fish get bigger I needed bigger filters that hold more plants and more filter media .My choice was lava rock and yes it is heavy but I put it in laundry bags from the dollar store .But found this year after putting plants in the filter I do not have to worry .The new filter will be that tank with 2 cut to the shape of the tank, plastic lighting grates sitting on bricks to keep the grate off the bottom and then whatever media you want ,(mine lava rock) and then filter mesh and then the plants .Home depot here is the only one who sells the lighting grates here and they where out of stock and they will call me when they come in .Filter must be bigger than the fish load in the pond in your case I think one of those plastic barrels will work .It just may be a matter if the tank adapter will sit flush once the hole is drilled out for it ,thats why I wanted oval tank ..I will go back to maybe rebels but will see when I get to there .The only difference i would have 2 of those .

 

[sissy]

if you are handy you could get a planter and build one of these cost me about 10 dollars to build and around here for one smaller they want 60 dollars a piece and they screw the rings to each other so they are heavy and hard to move .I make them so when you get them where you want them you just have to restack the rings

 

[humbirdlover]

Thank you CE, for responding..That's why I came to this forum, to learn from folks that had "been there, don't that" Not a bunch of do this, do that, and saying it will work, but no experience of if it will. And thank you Sissy. I'm going to stick to your idea of how it should be built, but will have to use the old tub, I think it's 35 gallon, until I can get an oval or rectangular container for next Spring. I think our Lowe's does have the lighting grates, but the main thing will be finding the adapters, etc for my tubing. If I use the 1/2 flexible tubing that is currently coming out of my pump, then I need about 2" adapter and tubing for the outlet, right?

 

[sissy]

do you have a tractor supply .They are not cheap there but that is where i found my first ones and remember when you buy it to get the other fittings then also .Explain what you want to do and they will know the parts you will need .@ inch one at tractor supply was like 20 dollars but you could use the 1 1/2 also for a pump under 100 gph .As long as it is low enough to pick up the water .I pump water into the tank with a smaller hole in it and see how far the water will go up in the tank also .The pipe coming out of mine is a piece of pvc and a elbow .You can buy short pieces of pvc .I used silicon but if you get a tank adapter that has rubber washers you really do not need it .I used a little spray cooking oil to make the tank adapter screw on easier .The oil will not harm the fish ,it is such a small amount .Call plumbing supply places they have them sometimes .But I could not find cheaper than pet mountain but they took a week to get here .You could try online that fish place .com they are in PA .I could not find tank adapters at lowes or home depot