SKIPPY BIO FLTER

[Rollies wonder garden]

Does anyone have experience with the "Skippy bio filter?" I found his web site, Skippysstuff.com and really like the design. I also found a you tube on the construction of it. My question; I'm looking at building a 100 gallon Skippy bio filter using a Rubbermaid 100 gal stock tank, What is the average flow rate in gph and still have it function as it should? I've emailed Skippy 5 times and he can't answer my question, he just keeps talking about the flow into the waterfall and that it's my pond and my choice.
Thanks

 

[sissy]

I can only tell you what I have right now a 2900 gph pump one -1 1/4 inch hose going to a 40 gallon tank and same size hose to the water fall and a smaller hose to the pond it's self .The tank adapters are both 2 inch size and there are 2 of them .So your tank adapters or how ever your water goes to the pond from the filter is what he is talking about .So it depends on how fast your water will come out of the tank .The size coming out of the tank should be bigger than the water hose going in .The tank will over flow other wise .You could put a ball valve coming in to the tank so you can adjust the water flow to what you need .Put another hose on the pump just dumping the extra water into the pond or water flow .I have 2 ball valves on mine

 

[JohnHuff]

The Skippy is an outdated and inefficient bio-filter. Build something else such as a trickle tower or shower filter.

 

[morewater]

The only drawback to a trickle tower or shower filter that I can see, is that the water enters from the top of the unit and by gravity is drawn through the filter material to exit at the base of the unit.......which begs the question, how to hide the filter mechanism?

Bottom-fed, top-exit filters allow for the filter vessels to be hidden by the waterfall, stones, etc.

In the end, it all comes down to preferences. Some people like raccoons, some people like groundhogs.....I hate 'em both.

 

[crsublette]

The only drawback to a trickle tower or shower filter that I can see, is that the water enters from the top of the unit and by gravity is drawn through the filter material to exit at the base of the unit.......which begs the question, how to hide the filter mechanism?

Bottom-fed, top-exit filters allow for the filter vessels to be hidden by the waterfall, stones, etc.

In the end, it all comes down to preferences. Some people like raccoons, some people like groundhogs.....I hate 'em both.

Can be easily hidden with plants grown into the trickle tower, such as the ZipGrow Tower, or can DIY a plant lattice wall built around the shower tower or some other artsy structure like a clever wood totem that blocks the view of the shower tower. Imagination is the only limitation. If the Shower Tower was built below the pond's water level, then a simple air lift could be used to return the water to the pond. So, a fella could dig a hole so to place the shower tower to get it below the pond's water level, but, again, digging a hole, with proper drainage, and properly reinforcing it then capped with a durable aerat-able led, takes more work to get setup.

Of course, filtration with the gravity outlets on top, such as most bottom fed bio-filters, makes the filter unit easier to hide, due to the position of the gravity outlet.

Trickle Towers are the easiest to hide since they can be built in plain sight and be quite pleasant to look at. A simple decorative clay pot, filled with lava rock, then a diffusor plate on top with a fountain attachment so that it still looks like a fountain, except the water trickles down the lava rock inside the post instead of outside of the pot. Drill a few holes in the pot so to allow good air circulation. This pot could be placed inside the pond, to be like an island, or on the side of the pond to easily gravity flow back into the pond. A shower tower could even be built like this if the owner can find a pot big enough so to allow building shelves in it.

 

[crsublette]

If the Shower Tower was built below the pond's water level, then a simple air lift could be used to return the water to the pond. So, a fella could dig a hole so to place the shower tower to get it below the pond's water level, but, again, digging a hole, with proper drainage, and properly reinforcing it then capped with a durable aerat-able led, takes more work to get setup.

Actually, knix that idea with the "simple air lift".

After thinking about it more, then there would not be enough back pressure to make it work since, for proper back pressure, I think the water entering the air lift would need to be at the same level of the pond's water level.

 

[JohnHuff]

My dear Charles, I regret to inform you that that is not a TT. It's what I'd call a wet/dry filter. A TT would need to be much more open to the air. That thing is completely closed to the air and just consists of water running through media inside a container.

 

[crsublette]

My dear Charles, I regret to inform you that that is not a TT. It's what I'd call a wet/dry filter. A TT would need to be much more open to the air. That thing is completely closed to the air and just consists of water running through media inside a container.

Indeed, if the clay pot remains untouched... However, I am an artist and now the pot will be touched by me... and my masonry drill bit and carbide rod saw..

1) drill an outlet at the bottom so to allow the water to exit into the pond or to attach a bulkhead fitting or uniseal or cheap home depot 3/4" grommet so to attach a pipe (if a pipe is desired)
2) drill just a few holes at the mid section and then a few more at top, or more holes if desired, for good air flow
3) saw a few slots into the sides to mount a diffuser tray or drill some holes to bolt or use rods to hold the water diffuser tray at the top. Diffuser try will have holes all around it so to hopefully (do best the best that can) evenly wet the top of the lava rock.
4) cut a hole in center of try for fountain fixture
5) fill clay pot with lava rock

El Finito

Bon Appétit

 

[JohnHuff]

I suppose it's a matter of semantics but I consider a trickle tower to be a filter with very high air exposure, not just a few holes drilled in a closed structure.

For example, from an older GPF thread:

where the media is abundantly exposed to air.

Or even:

or even this ornament:

Cheers.

 

[sissy]

I like the lava rock one it makes for a cute focal point very artistic and functional

 

[shakaho]

Does anyone have experience with the "Skippy bio filter?" I found his web site, Skippysstuff.com and really like the design. I also found a you tube on the construction of it. My question; I'm looking at building a 100 gallon Skippy bio filter using a Rubbermaid 100 gal stock tank, What is the average flow rate in gph and still have it function as it should? I've emailed Skippy 5 times and he can't answer my question, he just keeps talking about the flow into the waterfall and that it's my pond and my choice.
Thanks

The Skippy is a specialized and primitive form of sedimenting upflow biofilter. In a sedimenting upflow biofilter the bottom functions as a settlling chamber, collecting muck and debris. Then the water flows up through the biomedium. Two things are wrong with the settling function of the Skippy. The swirler will function best in sedimenting debris in a tall cylindrical container -- like a 55 gallon drum, or multiple drums if you need more size. The Skippy also lacks a dump valve at the bottom, so muck collects there. A dump valve allows one to easily remove crud from the bottom of the filter and, flushing the filter once a week provides for a nice water change.

If you go to our DIY section, you will find several several "skippy style" filters, which are a major improvement over a Skippy. You can make them much faster, easier, and cheaper if you use uniseals instead of shower drains or bulkheads.

The flow rate of your filter depends on your fish load, the size of the pond, how much you feed, and a few other things. Provide that information and we can make suggestions.

The two major problems of trickle towers are the instability of a tall structure (I have fished a small one out of a pond after a modest thunderstorm) and the need for good mechanical prefiltration. If there are particles in the water, crud will collect in the tower medium, compromising it's effectiveness. So you need another filter running before the trickle tower.

 

[JohnHuff]

The two major problems of trickle towers are the instability of a tall structure

... problems of trickle towers is to build one that doesn't fall. FTFY.

 

[crsublette]

I suppose it's a matter of semantics but I consider a trickle tower to be a filter with very high air exposure, not just a few holes drilled in a closed structure.

For example, from an older GPF thread:

where the media is abundantly exposed to air.

Or even:

or even this ornament:

Cheers.

Yep yep, those would work fine as well. However, my concern with having them completely open like that is having "too much" oxygen penetration and all of the troubles this can bring when it is an outside device along with full sunlight and other weather.

In the clay pot project, then it would be more protected, and, if a few holes are not sufficient, then can use the rod saw to make some rectangular slits or large square windows, much like these shower filters, which work incredibly well for just having an inch or so slot at the top. Mr. Zak Penn, whom is owner of the referenced shower filters, really knows his stuff when it comes to these wet/dry filters since he has conducted many tests with various designs and he has shared these tests on koiphen (his forum handle is his name).


And the clay pot trickle tower would not fall...

 

[pecan]

Does anyone have experience with the "Skippy bio filter?" I found his web site, Skippysstuff.com and really like the design. I also found a you tube on the construction of it. My question; I'm looking at building a 100 gallon Skippy bio filter using a Rubbermaid 100 gal stock tank, What is the average flow rate in gph and still have it function as it should? I've emailed Skippy 5 times and he can't answer my question, he just keeps talking about the flow into the waterfall and that it's my pond and my choice.
Thanks

Less than 2000 GPH gives the water enough time to "filter".

 

[sissy]

Could you put the filter stacked like that like i do with my filter tanks .Separate from the pond and water goes into it and then runs inside liner and then down into the pond .This way if it falls over it is protected from falling into the pond .Plus it would be protected from the wind also .I put my filter tanks in this set up so if it leaks it just runs back into the pond ,less worry that way .