Trickle Tower defined

[crsublette]

There are other varients on the TT one that I quite like the look of is the bio tower looking somewhat like a Christmas tree and looks to be made from Japmatting , it is made by design to increase he amount of oxygen this increase encourages the good bacteria , it is also designed to gas off pockets of carbon dioxide present in pond water
It is also designed to remove disolved organic Carbon in doing so ceate a much more enviromentally stress free zone which in the long trm helps us create better health
It is produced in the UK in the Isle of Whight
Though for the moment the name slips my mind there is also a trickle drum which has been around for the last few years .
One thing though with all the trickle systems be they manufactured or DIY just how much evapouration do people experiance at the height of summer, I mean we already loose quite a bit off the surface of the pond in summer so what is the total amount between the two ?
Speaking of DIY trickle towers my good friend Max made a very good one from the Bread bins that the baker delivers his loafs on in the morning

Dave

Yep, depending on the environment around the TT, evaporation rate would definitely be increased. However, humidity and air temperature are two of the main variables that impact the evaporation rate.

My area has terribly low relative humidity, although nothing like Arizona, and Summer air temperatures common hit the high 90*F and triple digits. So, due to the environmental variables, from simply adding another fountain and operating my stream, I have noticed a significant increase in evaporation.

I suppose a fix for this, that is if already using a filter closet or filter pit, would be to store the TT in a shed or an enclosure where the humidity is allowed to increase and lower air temperatures and thus lower the evaporation rate.

 

[crsublette]

Interesting!!! Crusblette, you sure are a fount of knowledge!!!

Having looked at that website, I don't see why the same thing can't be done with 4" drainage pipes which would be probably 66% less expensive, with the added benefit that round pipes can be turned to face the Sun, all at once if necessary with a simple gear and pulley system. And automated with an iPhone app too!

On rumination, if people want to do something like that, I think I would use drain pipes like these:

You can lay it out in a space saving spiral or any shape you want and don't have to deal with hanging pipes or anything so complicated. Just drill a hole bunch of holes or just slice the whole pipe down the middle. Fill with rocks, gravel or foam material, etc. About $50 for 100 foot.

In fact, this would the cheapest wet/dry filter ever known to mankind. Just fill that thing 1/2 full with rocks and gravel, pump water in the top and out comes water biofiltered by 100 ft of media! Spiraled up, it wouldn't take up much more space than a large Skippy.

There ya go again. Actually, that would be perfect or use a white gutter.

Then, use a razor or scissors or something to cut a slit down it, or more slits if desired, then fill the 4" tube with paddings.

I would probably paint the hose white due to the black drawing in too much heat and also make sure the tubing is opaque as the one in the picture above.

 

[27goldfish]

Forgive this question. Just looking for verification. Most of what I read, admittedly skimming through it, is dealing with ammonia levels and conversion. Is that the primary purpose of a TT filter?

 

[crsublette]

Forgive this question. Just looking for verification. Most of what I read, admittedly skimming through it, is dealing with ammonia levels and conversion. Is that the primary purpose of a TT filter?

Yep, that is just as any other biological filter so to help reduce ammonia levels through the nitrogen cycle.

Now, there is no, or very little, particulate filtration to them.

TTs are purely a biological filter.

 

[pecan]

Just some first hand experience. Our pond is starting it's 4th season. Season 1, no filtration at all, only comets and I did not feed them. It was a miserable year of green water I could not get rid of.

Second year I added 2 skippies recommended size for our pond, added koi (small laod for the size of the pond) and started feeding. The second year the water was green from about March (skippies added) till around the end of April, then clear water.

Third year still only skippies and it was a complete joy of clear water with good parameters all summer long. Very little maintenance at all.

Starting the 4th year with only skippies and it has been up and running since February. No green water and great water parameters.

BTW, I have never used a uv, skimmers, or any chemicals other than bene bacteria (which I do not use anymore).

This tells me skippies do work, to an extent.

I am also very interested in re-building a proper koi pond with Bahki (sp?) shower filter, bottom drains, sieves etc. and believe this will be a much much better set up for koi.

I guess what I am saying is that skippies do work. But are probably not the best option for koi ponds.

Waterbug, your posts are wonderfully informative. Keep them coming!