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Will this trickle tower design work?

 





 


uunfews
New User

Jul 7, 2007, 3:36 AM

Post #1 of 7 (1093 views)
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Will this trickle tower design work? Can't Post
Will this trickle tower dimension work?

Hi everyone can I get some advice from some experienced trickle tower users?
I have a 6" diameter by 25" long pvc pipe that I want to make into a trickle tower for a 120 gallon pond. Flow rate would be about 90 gallon per hour. Spray bar on top and grated plastic plate glued at the bottom. Do you think this is effective enough as a sole filtration or should I add in a submerged filter too? What size do you recommend then for a submerged filter and trickle tower. Would lava rock about 1" diameter size work or would bio balls be better since the PVC piping is pretty much enclosed?
How about in future when I want to build a bigger pond about the size of 300 gallons. Will this TT tower still work for the future ? I have 5 goldfish at approx 6" long which I plan to keep only. The water is currently an ugly opaque green and visibility is only 2" depth max. Pond gets about 8 hours of full sun daily.
Thanks everyone.


koiguyoz
Member


Jul 7, 2007, 5:00 PM

Post #2 of 7 (1069 views)
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Re: [uunfews] Will this trickle tower design work? [In reply to] Can't Post
I recommend using bioballs over lava rocks.

I have used both and found that bioballs offer more surface area for nitrobacter growth than lava rock. Lava rock appears to me to have a useable surface area on the outside and none on the inside.

However, bioballs are slower to mature with nitrobacter than lava rocks. The time difference between the day are measured in weeks. However, be patient and the bioballs will reward you with gin clear water.

Instead of a submerged filter, I'd recommend using a settlement chamber of some kind before the trickle tower to capture large solid debris.


eddie244
Koi Lover

Jul 7, 2007, 10:10 PM

Post #3 of 7 (1058 views)
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Re: [uunfews] Will this trickle tower design work? [In reply to] Can't Post
trickle towers are things of the past. ppl now use shower towers. trickle as it says, only trickle. shower in another word, is a gushing large, fast flow of water. do search in this forum about bakki shower filter. i believe you'll find alot of DIY on this. Bioball is a good bacteria medium, over lava rocks. with lava rock you'll have issue with pH and conductivity. them lava rocks got minerals in it you know.

since you have a 120 gallon pond, why settle for a 90g/hr pump. after all pipe works, corners, pipe length, you probbly reduce the flow rate of the pump. go for bigger flow rate, as you can always install a valve if the flow is too strong or tee it off to a waterfall or to another water feature. a good turnover rate would be 1.5-3times your pond volume (you ONLY keeping goldfish in there ah). since you got 120 gallon pond. going for a 240 g/hr pump or higher would be sufficient. adding to that, since you want to build a future pond of 300 gallon (which is double that) you can get another 240g/hr pump or buy bigger pump.

but before anything else, why a sudden interest in the trickle tower filter? let me advice on how you can beautify your current green pond. From the way i see it, Its all establish you got a green water, all you need is a correct filter. If you interested, you'll clear up the green pond in 1 week time.

Do check this link up.. tell me what you think... ;o)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSfl8EWqRvc
=====================================
For Pics here--> http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u122/highresvid/

For videos here--> www.youtube.com/highresvid
=====================================


(This post was edited by eddie244 on Jul 7, 2007, 10:11 PM)


atty_rane_m
Koi Lover


Jul 8, 2007, 9:16 AM

Post #4 of 7 (1039 views)
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Re: [eddie244] Will this trickle tower design work? [In reply to] Can't Post
Hello!

I am having a new pond built tomorrow.

Please help me with the basics.

Like the bottom should not be even, like the

center should be deeper that the other portions.

What else should I consider?

Thanks to all of you.


eddie244
Koi Lover

Jul 8, 2007, 9:23 PM

Post #5 of 7 (1022 views)
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Re: [atty_rane_m] Will this trickle tower design work? [In reply to] Can't Post
oh... Crazy Pond build dont take overnight. it gotta be plan correctly. I think you should delay the pond built since you are just starting to gather info & asking all the basic of pond built here. Do you have a plan in place for this new pond built?

here are some things to help you out. Mind you, i got the info from hours of searching & reading and all learning from self experience. i keep a mix pond of koi n goldfish, here where i live. Its expose to 12 hours of sun. no winters for my place and lots of rain throughout the year.

here i just say, what you'll come across..
1. what's you gonna put in the pond? Koi ONLY, goldfish ONLY or Mixture of both. koi need deep (3.5-feet deep or more, 10,000litres or more) large pond. goldfish will be fine with shallow (1-feet or more, 1000litres or more) small pond. about mixing, you can keep less koi, more goldfish and pond size is between this two.
2. How many fishes do you keep? for koi a minimum of 1000litres each, even when you get them as babies (4-6inches) they grow to 1 feet in 12-months. for goldfish a minimum of 50-litres would be ok.
3. Where do you live? Do you got winter or full sun?
4. Pond depth. Goldfish will swim happily in 12inch depth pond. Koi need more, minimum of 3.5-feet is OK.. deeper will be much better. If you got winter, the deeper water will be a place for you fish to sleep as the top layer will be frozen. Also a 1-feet deep or more pond would prevent them from getting sunburnt. they get sunburnt too you know..
5. get bottom drain, and feed this to your filter. a bottom drain should be in the middle of the pond, using 3-4inch pipe size diameter. also the pond bottom got to slop towards this bottom drain. a 10 feet pond, should have 1 bottom drain, but more is always better.
6. the pond should be straight down not slopping. why, heron, racoon will be stalking your fish for dinner. incase you want to go down. build a stair 1-feet straight down from the top water level. that way, you have a stepping stone to go in and out of the pond.
7. filteration.. more is better. BUT expensive filter doesnt mean its good. many DIY filters works great!! search skippy filter and Bakki showers. turn over rate should be 1.5 times or more. means.. if you pond is 1,000 litres.. your pump should be rated 2,000ltrs/hour. even when a pump say it can pump 2,000ltrs/hr it wont pump that much as pipe length, pipe diameter and bends come into place.
8. aeration. a waterfall is a source of aeration, it break the water surface so oxygen transfer can occure. you can also use an air pump attach to an air-stone to pump air in the pond. preferbably placed in the middle of the pond.

i think that covers the basics.
enjoy your journey to pond built.. Angelic
=====================================
For Pics here--> http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u122/highresvid/

For videos here--> www.youtube.com/highresvid
=====================================


uunfews
New User

Jul 9, 2007, 4:47 AM

Post #6 of 7 (1007 views)
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Re: [koiguyoz] Will this trickle tower design work? [In reply to] Can't Post
Thanks, I take it then that you assuming my design will work then with the only change being bioballs.


uunfews
New User

Jul 9, 2007, 4:57 AM

Post #7 of 7 (1005 views)
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Re: [eddie244] Will this trickle tower design work? [In reply to] Can't Post
Hi Eddie,

Thanks for the long reply. I am aware of the Bakki pheonomena. I am just trying to keep electricity cost low by seeing if I can get clear water using low flow rate of 90gph and my PVC pipe design. The 90gph is the head at the top of the shower taken into account all the head loss/friction loss/etc... I have two pumps am currently considering for the future 300gallons ponds-one is for 800gph at top of TT/Shower with all losses taken into account and the other is 1100gph also with losses taken into account. Head loss was figured for TT or Shower height of 3'. By the way, your pond is fully shaded right? That is quite a dramatic turnaround from green to clear according to your video. I am just worry that my being in the full sun might make it hard to work. What is your filtration set up like and how did you cycled it ? Days taken??? Supplements?

My main concern is clear water using the least amount of electricity hence I am asking if I can get by with the given flow rate.

Thanks

 
 
 



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