Thankyou for posting your video. Just curious, have you upgraded or changed anything to improve aesthetics. If so, please post another vid. Like you, I will have to sink my filter into ground because I have no place to hide mine. I don't mind maintenance, but need good filtration system. Definitely will try yours. I think I will tandem 2 filters side by side though, as I have a 1500gal pond. Or would one be enough? Thanks for your help.
Hi can you look at my 2012 pond video? I need help fixing the problem. I made the pond by myself and it was a lot of WORK. I am so exhausted and want to quit. please take a look and give me some suggestions.
The spray cap aerates the water from the pump and it's just gravity feed and atmospheric pressure that forces the water out the 4 arms. The spray cap is a press fit in the downtube and the action between the spray cap and the surface of the water in the downtube make all the bubbles.
The holes in the downtube were made with a spade or paddle bit and cleaned up .The space between the arms and the downtube were filled with a bondo type material
Question: that 2" shower/drilled holes: does the spray water fill the pipe going down with water? Or is the spray forceful enough that it pushes the water out the 4 way at the bottom? Is it suppose to just site loosely on the 3-1/2" down tube? Is that how you get such good air bubbles in your medium?
Also: 4way at bottom: how do you cut a round hole in curved pipe & seal it? Just use silicon seal? Does it have to be REALLY tight fit? Thx!
The substrate (string)is actually 200 ft of ployehtylene 3/8 twisted rope(from Lowes) cut it to 1-1/2 ft. lengths and unraveled to make the bio material. Much like the bio string you can buy for big bucks but this is way cheaper and works great lots of surface area
thanks..we did not put anything in the filter just wanted to let nature do that. our flow is still the same as when it started clean just the water has turned green and its been up and running for like a month. we had 3 days where it was around 100 degrees and been a week since with cooler temps and still not clear yet. ill just keep watching and hope it clears up.
My filter is seeded with a starter culture like (microblift), don't know if yours is or not. I clean the fitler when flow drops off noticeably, using pond water not tap water.maybe you can go by the simple saying if it's working don't fix it.Many things can effect the bio-action ie. Light ,temp. Dirt and debris will more likely effect rate of flow.I know it's not a clear answer but It's the best I can give.
one question..i made a filter like this string and all..i had it running during initial setup of my pond and it caught a lot of dirt debris..will that effect the biological action in the filter?
Nice set up! Just wondering how much recycled material was used? consumerism is huge part of problem of water, air, earth. More products/goods ...more waste.
I bought 200 feet of 1/2 inch twisted polyprolene, cut it in to 18 " lenghts and then pulled it apart to 3 strands, then pulled those three strands apart to 5 strands giving me 22.5 feet of lenght for eacn 18" section
I had to put wiegth on the top grip to hold the media down cause the Poly rope strand float.
I used a shower drain fitting Oatey 2" PVC Shower Drain Item #: 253149
Model #: 420453(without the metal perforated cover) from Lowes
Sound like another 200 feet of rope and the plants you have should do the trick I plan on adding a fiter mat like Uncut Blue Bonded Filter Pad from Foster &Smith Aquatics either on top or under the media. The biggest problem is to get h2o in to = h2o out I had to add a bypass cause my 4000 gal pump would overflow the filter barrel. 2 outputs maybe
also..what do you use for your output to make it watertight? it doesnt look like the the normal "bulkhead" fittings that you see in other videos. and could i get a general price range that it would cost for the size you bought?
we are planning to buy at least another 200 ft if not more and maybe use some other things on top of the rope. i am from iowa so the summer gets pretty warm. i will have lillies cover much of the surface and then floating plants. water lettace and another kind i cant remember name. also therer is a large tree that covers pond until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. i have a 1200 gallon per hour pump for the 1000 gallons. (it doesnt travel far so shouldnt lose much pressure)
Than's tough to say .It would depend of the type and size and number of plants you 'll be using. I thing the size of your pump (# of gal /hour would also figure in to it ,depth of pond and if you have fish, Tempature of the water (Florida or Maine?)I know that the waterfall is going to add O2 . One thing I would do is add more media from the 4 inches you have to about 18 inch
mine only covered about 4 inches. i have a wider tub than you do (not by a lot) and it really surprised me. I have one question..I am not going to make the spray bar like you have..i have a 1000 gallon pond and am going to put a stream and waterfall and plenty of plants do you think i will need something to furthur oxygenate the water for bacteria or will it be ok without?
zadowaaa. I didn' fill the whole 37 gal container there is a plastic square light grid about 6 inches up fron the bottom and another about 10 to 12 inches from the top. I have maybe a 18 to 20 inche layer of media . The good thing is you can adjust the thickness to your needs. I didn't want to cover my outflow tube so I stayed below it
i am making this filter and i have a tub that is about 40 gallons...200 feet is absolutely no where close to enough rope for that big of a tub. i am unsure how it works if your filter is 37 gallons. I just wanted to tell everyone in case you want to try this. It is cheap media though and my filter will be setup and put in on my pond in the coming months.
Bakatare3 My pump is a 4200gal Anjon Frog pump and you are right in that at the "t" there is a splitter that lets half to water by-pass the filter ,with out it the filter would overflow I had two chioces 1 add more or a larger return tube to handle the out-flow and 2 was to run a by-pass.I had this set-up for a year now and I'm thinking of adding another filter"barrel" to the by-pass hose to get more filtration. The pond is only 1000gals but here in florida you can't have to much filtration =)
Pardiniman, how big is your pump, and why did you have a T in the water supply pipe going into the filter? looks like one side bypasses the filter altogether and goes back into the pond. is it cause theres too much water going into the filter? thanks i really like your filter and will be building one like yours thanks again
Thanks. For beginners - Very nice video explaining how it works - the basics - water in bottom - water out top (not the other way around) - filter in the middle. Bubbles in filter.
thanks for the kind words,The orginial filter was to be above grade with a drain in the bottom making it easier to flush and clean.I didn't have a spot to hide it behind so I stuck it in the ground. Not bad only have to clean 3or 4 times a year.
The substrate is actually 200 ft of ployehtylene 3/8 twisted rope(from Lowes) cut it to 1-1/2 ft. lengths and unraveled to make the bio material. Much like the bio string you can buy for big bucksbut this is way cheaper and works great lots of surface area
There is a option to add plants to the top; mainly Water Lettuce or Hyacinth I didn't for two reasons,one being both plants are invasive here in Florida and are illegal to sell or transport.The other reason is mine is buried in the ground rather then above ground with drainage valve at the bottom for cleaning. I have to pull everything out from the top,not the best but I only have to do it maybe 4 times a year.
I was surprised at the response to it,if I ever build another I will video start-fin
It was videoed with narrative but but when it was download from Picasa to You Tube just the video came though My first posting on You Tube ,needs work
The poly rope holds up great! Used it in Conn on a large pond for 4 years without a problem. Rinse it out and its good as new, Rinse with pond H2O and not chlorinated h2O to save the bacteria.
The infeed tube at the top of the tower is capped and the cap has 30 to 40 holes drilled in it,this aerates the water the smaller bubbles join to form larger bubbles as the water flows out the four bottom angled pipes.The original filter design has a drain at the bottom side of the tub for that (agitate and drain/refill and you're done) I didn't have a place to hide the filter so I skipped the drain and buried it in the ground leaving it high enough to flow in the pond. plants hide nicely now
The (string) is actually 200 ft of ployehtylene 3/8 twisted rope(from Lowes) cut it to 1-1/2 ft. lengths and unraveled to make the bio material. Cheap and works great lots of surface area
very nice DIY, what is that container you used? Im using a trash can but, id like to change it due to the ridges in the inside. it makes it hard to work with.
How large us your pond? Are you supposed to cover filter?
obenaufemt537 1 week ago
Thankyou for posting your video. Just curious, have you upgraded or changed anything to improve aesthetics. If so, please post another vid. Like you, I will have to sink my filter into ground because I have no place to hide mine. I don't mind maintenance, but need good filtration system. Definitely will try yours. I think I will tandem 2 filters side by side though, as I have a 1500gal pond. Or would one be enough? Thanks for your help.
obenaufemt537 1 week ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Hi can you look at my 2012 pond video? I need help fixing the problem. I made the pond by myself and it was a lot of WORK. I am so exhausted and want to quit. please take a look and give me some suggestions.
Nsx25 2 weeks ago
The spray cap aerates the water from the pump and it's just gravity feed and atmospheric pressure that forces the water out the 4 arms. The spray cap is a press fit in the downtube and the action between the spray cap and the surface of the water in the downtube make all the bubbles.
The holes in the downtube were made with a spade or paddle bit and cleaned up .The space between the arms and the downtube were filled with a bondo type material
pardiniman 1 month ago
Question: that 2" shower/drilled holes: does the spray water fill the pipe going down with water? Or is the spray forceful enough that it pushes the water out the 4 way at the bottom? Is it suppose to just site loosely on the 3-1/2" down tube? Is that how you get such good air bubbles in your medium?
Also: 4way at bottom: how do you cut a round hole in curved pipe & seal it? Just use silicon seal? Does it have to be REALLY tight fit? Thx!
747dino 1 month ago
@747dino
pardiniman 1 month ago
The substrate (string)is actually 200 ft of ployehtylene 3/8 twisted rope(from Lowes) cut it to 1-1/2 ft. lengths and unraveled to make the bio material. Much like the bio string you can buy for big bucks but this is way cheaper and works great lots of surface area
pardiniman 2 months ago
You got it
There is a cap on the infeed tube that has about 20 holes drilled in it which acts much as an aerator on the faucet. The cap twists off for cleaning
pardiniman 5 months ago
@pardiniman Hey what is the filter media the string you use ????
HugeMalta 2 months ago
I don't quite get how you got air to circulate with the water. Is it the shower effect of the input water that incorporates the air?
Elmoregirls 5 months ago
thank you very much for posting this, just what i need in Sunny Cali! My pond is 2,ooo gallon and gross, flourescent green
angiemicn 7 months ago
thanks..we did not put anything in the filter just wanted to let nature do that. our flow is still the same as when it started clean just the water has turned green and its been up and running for like a month. we had 3 days where it was around 100 degrees and been a week since with cooler temps and still not clear yet. ill just keep watching and hope it clears up.
zadowaaa 9 months ago
My filter is seeded with a starter culture like (microblift), don't know if yours is or not. I clean the fitler when flow drops off noticeably, using pond water not tap water.maybe you can go by the simple saying if it's working don't fix it.Many things can effect the bio-action ie. Light ,temp. Dirt and debris will more likely effect rate of flow.I know it's not a clear answer but It's the best I can give.
pardiniman 9 months ago
one question..i made a filter like this string and all..i had it running during initial setup of my pond and it caught a lot of dirt debris..will that effect the biological action in the filter?
zadowaaa 9 months ago
Nice set up! Just wondering how much recycled material was used? consumerism is huge part of problem of water, air, earth. More products/goods ...more waste.
zjas5 10 months ago
I bought 200 feet of 1/2 inch twisted polyprolene, cut it in to 18 " lenghts and then pulled it apart to 3 strands, then pulled those three strands apart to 5 strands giving me 22.5 feet of lenght for eacn 18" section
I had to put wiegth on the top grip to hold the media down cause the Poly rope strand float.
pardiniman 11 months ago
hey great job just had one question u said it was string in there what kind of string
spyderv2 11 months ago
saleemramdeen
Here is a list of material,#'s of items and sizes, had to compress it to get it in the 500 of the limit of characters
4@3/4 endcaps-4@5'long3/4'PVC pipe=Legs-4@1"x3/4tees-4'@1"PVCpipe-4@1"90degree elbows-1@1inch 4way crosstee-3'@3-1/2PVCpipe-
1endcap@ 3-1/2for downtube-2@eggcrate litegrid panels-1@37gal barrel-1@2'PVCshowerDrain-1@lenght of 2' PVC drain to pond-200' poly rope debraided-2@1-1/2caps-1@1-1/2"PVC "Y"1@ 1-1/2 threaded coupling modified to fit pump hose
pardiniman 11 months ago
This filter is great, love the concept.. could you do a favor by giving a list of the items in making the filter...size of PVC fitting etc.
saleemramdeen 11 months ago
thanks for the info and the video. been a big help. hope to see my fish all summer this year without green murky water:)
zadowaaa 11 months ago
I used a shower drain fitting Oatey 2" PVC Shower Drain Item #: 253149
Model #: 420453(without the metal perforated cover) from Lowes
Sound like another 200 feet of rope and the plants you have should do the trick I plan on adding a fiter mat like Uncut Blue Bonded Filter Pad from Foster &Smith Aquatics either on top or under the media. The biggest problem is to get h2o in to = h2o out I had to add a bypass cause my 4000 gal pump would overflow the filter barrel. 2 outputs maybe
pardiniman 11 months ago
also..what do you use for your output to make it watertight? it doesnt look like the the normal "bulkhead" fittings that you see in other videos. and could i get a general price range that it would cost for the size you bought?
zadowaaa 11 months ago
we are planning to buy at least another 200 ft if not more and maybe use some other things on top of the rope. i am from iowa so the summer gets pretty warm. i will have lillies cover much of the surface and then floating plants. water lettace and another kind i cant remember name. also therer is a large tree that covers pond until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. i have a 1200 gallon per hour pump for the 1000 gallons. (it doesnt travel far so shouldnt lose much pressure)
zadowaaa 11 months ago
Than's tough to say .It would depend of the type and size and number of plants you 'll be using. I thing the size of your pump (# of gal /hour would also figure in to it ,depth of pond and if you have fish, Tempature of the water (Florida or Maine?)I know that the waterfall is going to add O2 . One thing I would do is add more media from the 4 inches you have to about 18 inch
pardiniman 11 months ago
mine only covered about 4 inches. i have a wider tub than you do (not by a lot) and it really surprised me. I have one question..I am not going to make the spray bar like you have..i have a 1000 gallon pond and am going to put a stream and waterfall and plenty of plants do you think i will need something to furthur oxygenate the water for bacteria or will it be ok without?
zadowaaa 11 months ago
zadowaaa. I didn' fill the whole 37 gal container there is a plastic square light grid about 6 inches up fron the bottom and another about 10 to 12 inches from the top. I have maybe a 18 to 20 inche layer of media . The good thing is you can adjust the thickness to your needs. I didn't want to cover my outflow tube so I stayed below it
pardiniman 11 months ago
i am making this filter and i have a tub that is about 40 gallons...200 feet is absolutely no where close to enough rope for that big of a tub. i am unsure how it works if your filter is 37 gallons. I just wanted to tell everyone in case you want to try this. It is cheap media though and my filter will be setup and put in on my pond in the coming months.
zadowaaa 11 months ago
see this other video of home made bio filter prt#1.mov is the same process and made with home depot parts is"home made bio filter prt#1 also has
prt#2 prt#3, i hope you like it....
chacharas20002 1 year ago
Bakatare3 My pump is a 4200gal Anjon Frog pump and you are right in that at the "t" there is a splitter that lets half to water by-pass the filter ,with out it the filter would overflow I had two chioces 1 add more or a larger return tube to handle the out-flow and 2 was to run a by-pass.I had this set-up for a year now and I'm thinking of adding another filter"barrel" to the by-pass hose to get more filtration. The pond is only 1000gals but here in florida you can't have to much filtration =)
pardiniman 1 year ago
Pardiniman, how big is your pump, and why did you have a T in the water supply pipe going into the filter? looks like one side bypasses the filter altogether and goes back into the pond. is it cause theres too much water going into the filter? thanks i really like your filter and will be building one like yours thanks again
bakatare3 1 year ago
Thanks. For beginners - Very nice video explaining how it works - the basics - water in bottom - water out top (not the other way around) - filter in the middle. Bubbles in filter.
Rich2150x 1 year ago
@Rich2150x
thanks for the kind words,The orginial filter was to be above grade with a drain in the bottom making it easier to flush and clean.I didn't have a spot to hide it behind so I stuck it in the ground. Not bad only have to clean 3or 4 times a year.
pardiniman 1 year ago
The substrate is actually 200 ft of ployehtylene 3/8 twisted rope(from Lowes) cut it to 1-1/2 ft. lengths and unraveled to make the bio material. Much like the bio string you can buy for big bucksbut this is way cheaper and works great lots of surface area
pardiniman 1 year ago
hi what is the substrate you are using ? where can i get it ?
leadingbeecominghome 1 year ago
Love the oxygenation twist to this design. I'll have to see if I can retrofit my similar biofilter.
How many gallons is your pond?
WaroPhobe 1 year ago
@WaroPhobe
1000 gal. the filter tub is 37 gals.
pardiniman 1 year ago
There is a option to add plants to the top; mainly Water Lettuce or Hyacinth I didn't for two reasons,one being both plants are invasive here in Florida and are illegal to sell or transport.The other reason is mine is buried in the ground rather then above ground with drainage valve at the bottom for cleaning. I have to pull everything out from the top,not the best but I only have to do it maybe 4 times a year.
I was surprised at the response to it,if I ever build another I will video start-fin
pardiniman 1 year ago
do you think you can make one, instead of using string, using PLANTS? it would be really helpful if you make a video on how to make the biofilter. :)
lapiper96 1 year ago
It was videoed with narrative but but when it was download from Picasa to You Tube just the video came though My first posting on You Tube ,needs work
pardiniman 1 year ago
Some audio would be great to help explain all the parts and materials etc.
MagicalPigs 1 year ago
very cool. thanks
lotust251 1 year ago
absolutely brilliant - can't wait to build my own filter!!!!!!!!
needbiggerpond 1 year ago
The poly rope holds up great! Used it in Conn on a large pond for 4 years without a problem. Rinse it out and its good as new, Rinse with pond H2O and not chlorinated h2O to save the bacteria.
pardiniman 1 year ago
how is the rope holding up as a bio media..would you change to something else or does it work just as good as some of the other stuff people use
fullyford 1 year ago
Nice filter. Great idea using the poly rope for filter media.
bighatstephens 1 year ago
Thanks
yanyoulen
pardiniman 2 years ago
@pardiniman amazing man... nice!!!
gamebuddy100 2 years ago
Great job! certainly some of the best design found on you tube....JOE...
yanyoulen 2 years ago
The infeed tube at the top of the tower is capped and the cap has 30 to 40 holes drilled in it,this aerates the water the smaller bubbles join to form larger bubbles as the water flows out the four bottom angled pipes.The original filter design has a drain at the bottom side of the tub for that (agitate and drain/refill and you're done) I didn't have a place to hide the filter so I skipped the drain and buried it in the ground leaving it high enough to flow in the pond. plants hide nicely now
pardiniman 2 years ago
Very smart! You're an excellant thinker. How do you get the air/bubbles at the bottom of the filter?
Have you considered a back flush method of cleaning your filter media?
quantumsignature 2 years ago
The (string) is actually 200 ft of ployehtylene 3/8 twisted rope(from Lowes) cut it to 1-1/2 ft. lengths and unraveled to make the bio material. Cheap and works great lots of surface area
pardiniman 2 years ago
That's string? Cleaver filter media never thought of that? That kind are you using?
Arteolike 2 years ago
very nice DIY, what is that container you used? Im using a trash can but, id like to change it due to the ridges in the inside. it makes it hard to work with.
TheLMLChannel 2 years ago
@TheLMLChannel
i used a37 gallon tub from Tractor Supply
pardiniman 1 year ago