Author Topic: Springflo filter material. I installed it in the cool of the morning! (Read 5213 times)

Jerry · « **on:** August 24, 2011, 07:39:50 AM »

I spoke with Carlos (Spanish Leperchaun) He touted me on scrub pads and I have been pleased.
He now says this stuff seems better.
I ordered a roll. Anyone else love this stuff?

Mike S. · « **Reply #1 on:** August 24, 2011, 08:13:12 AM »

Yes, it does work well, but then again, so many things do. The best as far as "bang for your buck" that I ever used was some sort of PVC ribbon, something most likely left over from PVC pipe turned on a lathe. In fact, I thought about getting an inexpensive wood lathe to make it myself. It's been a while, but I got the PVC shavings as "Bio-Fill" or something like that, from Aquatic Ecosystems in Apopka, FL

Mine was used as the primary biofilter in two of my Koi ponds. The media was placed in plastic trums set up as trickle towers. Two cubic feet of that, or any type of ribbon material in a TT has a rediculous fish holding capacity. Used in a TT that is supplied with mechanically clean water doe not require cleaning, ever. But the trick was doing a good job of mechanical filtration ahead of the bio section.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

2vetts · « **Reply #2 on:** August 24, 2011, 11:17:17 AM »

works for me ,uh , i mean us .

Esther · « **Reply #3 on:** August 25, 2011, 05:14:01 AM »

We have to shut things down for winter so need to cean everything. I used scrubbies for a while and they worked fine but cleaning them was an effort and some didn't hold up. Eventually I began saving and purchased floor scrubber pads. They hold up forever an we clean them with a pressure washer. I can't imagine cleaning that stringy stuff.

Do you have link to what you are talking about Jerry?

Jerry · « **Reply #4 on:** August 25, 2011, 07:31:02 AM »

I just used Amazon! I paid 69.00, no tax or frt!
I am not unhappy with the floor pads at all. It is however a big chore rinsing them.
I will probaby end up using both!
AS you have said "You can't have too much filtration!"

Esther · « **Reply #5 on:** August 25, 2011, 09:49:33 AM »

The first ones I used were the kitchen dish washing scrubbies. Talk about a pain cleaning them!!! The floor scrubbers clean well with the pressure washer.

Just looked up Springflo and it says to just swish them around and the crud comes right off. We have a drain valve in the Skippy so the crud could go right down the drain without having to be handled at all. Oh well, too late now. If and when the floor scrubber pads wear out, maybe I'll try the Springflo.

Jerry · « **Reply #6 on:** August 25, 2011, 01:46:13 PM »

Remind me to let you know how they work. It will hopefully be a long, long time!

Mike S. · « **Reply #7 on:** August 25, 2011, 02:17:01 PM »

With ribbon-type materials are used as submerged media, cleaning is normally fairly easy. Depending upon your filter design, isolate the filter chamber from the system, agitate the media (think hand washing clothes,) remove the water from the chamber (makes good fertilizer!) and refill. Repeat if needed. You can easily accomplish the pond's 10% water change doing this.

But you can minimize the need for cleaning the media by feeding it water that is mechanically clean, meaning water that has already passed through a solids removal section before getting to the biofilter. When supplied with very clean water, a biofilter shouldn't require much cleaning, in fact it is easy to over-clean one.

I've always found that filters that try to accomplish both mechanical and biological filtration, seldom perform both task as well as it can be done. Separate those two very different functions into two different chambers and you can greatly increase the efficiency of your system and reduce the amount of work it takes to keep it running well.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

Jerry · « **Reply #8 on:** August 25, 2011, 03:27:46 PM »

Great tip. I won't have to remove it, just slosh it good. But not too good!

big ron · « **Reply #9 on:** August 26, 2011, 04:49:05 AM »

I have used the PVC ribbon material for the first time this year in a bio and it works great. Cleaned it one time with a garden hose and it was very easy to clean. I think it is the best. Here is the link. Maryland Aquatic Nurseries WWW.aqua-link.com

2vetts · « **Reply #10 on:** August 26, 2011, 08:22:38 AM »

ours is in a big 'garbage can ' like bucket that has falls directly from it . it's in a mesh laundry bag and i just open top of bucket once a month and pounce bag up and down in water then lift it out and drain water out of bucket . then put it back , turn pump back on and let bucket refill . it is my understanding that you should never rinse with water from hose [assuming city water , from well i'm not sure ] because it is detrimental to any microbes or whatever little creatures are properly called . . . .peace

Mike S. · « **Reply #11 on:** August 26, 2011, 10:07:01 AM »

I do know the names, but for me, "bio-bugs" works best! And you are right, they are NO fan of cholorine or chloramines.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

Esther · « **Reply #12 on:** August 26, 2011, 01:43:53 PM »

We have a well. On one end of the pond, is a laundry tub made into a skimmer. The water is drawn past Black Knight brushes, through a layer of course Matala type media and the another piece that has two layers each finer than the other. The water then goes to the other end of the pond where the Skippy sits and enters the end near the bottom of the Skippy and enters through two curved elbow fittings which causes two circular streams, one going the opposite of the other. The water then comes up through the floor scrubbers and exits the Skippy at the top, going down the waterfall.

I never rinse the Skippy or the floor scrubbers until we shut it down late October or November. But the skimmer brushes and filter media has to be rinsed about every other day. I just put the sprayer head on the hose and set it on the most forceful setting and rinse away. I have two sets of media so always have a clean one ready to go while I'm rinsing the dirty one.

Jerry · « **Reply #13 on:** August 26, 2011, 01:52:38 PM »

It arrive just now. I will use it in the cool of the morning. Hot as hell here too.
I will top it off with a few scrub pads.

Jerry · « **Reply #14 on:** August 28, 2011, 07:49:04 AM »

I am not great at following directions, but I did this time.turned off the power.
I opened the knife valve, then the faucet that drains 100 gal Skippy stock tank, Then removed the dirty pads ugh Cleaned the tank, but not overly clean. Replaced grill unfurled the Springflo.
Put the top grate in and a few of the old scrub pads with bacteria.
Shut the faucet and the knife valve, turned on the pump! Voilà! it filled nicely. Now to wait for the results. The pond was not sparkling by any means. A few days will tell!

EDIT It is now 11:00 pm at last light I did NOT see any improvement! Hope tomorrow will be surprise.

:'(

Mike S. · « **Reply #15 on:** August 29, 2011, 01:21:45 AM »

Now I'm confused. You changed your biofilter media and expected to see a some sort of change over night?

Something tells me we are not talking about water chemistry here. Were you looking to remove suspended solids from the water?

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

Esther · « **Reply #16 on:** August 29, 2011, 05:44:15 AM »

Yah, he knows he has to wait.

Jerry · « **Reply #17 on:** August 29, 2011, 09:50:08 AM »

Mike: When I changed the floor scrub pads it worked quickly a few days at the most.
Today it is a tad clearer.
The water at the top of the tank is a bit clearer.

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #18 on:** August 29, 2011, 05:42:00 PM »

Gotta give it to you Jerry! In the heat you have up in Northridge you are one hardy body working so hard on your filter system. Hope your fishies appreciate all the sweat!

Keep cool Jerry!

Jerry · « **Reply #19 on:** August 29, 2011, 06:27:35 PM »

I picked the cool of the morning. It was not hard at all. I timed and it took 30 minutes.
It is supposed to be 86 here by Wednesday!

The water is clearing nicely! I expected too much for 2 days

Edit: I can see the bottom today! (3 days)

minnowman · « **Reply #20 on:** August 31, 2011, 07:03:30 PM »

Soft drink six-pack ringers make pretty good biofilter material.You can get them from anyone who owns or fills a vending machine. They float, so you have to make something to hold them down.I used the top of the drum with a lot of holes drilled in it.

Jerry · « **Reply #21 on:** August 31, 2011, 10:17:48 PM »

What is a 6 pak ringer?
water very clear today. Not crystal, but soon I bet.

Kittyzee · « **Reply #22 on:** September 01, 2011, 07:09:10 AM »

Someone needs to explain to me what happened to our pond this summer. We started the bio filter up again in the spring and added a bag of cut pieces of matala mat bought at the pond store. We went from the heavy lava rock to the matala because of the ease of use. The water was clear when we started this. The water got progressively worse, until it was a murky green with suspended algae, I could barely see the fish. This went on for several months with us cleaning the pump pre-filter almost daily. I have lots of marginal plants, plants in the bio-filter, and underwater oxygenators and some goldfish. We started going back and trying to figure out what we had done differently this year and pulled out the matala mat bag and put the lava rock in to see if it would make a difference. Within 24 hours the water was crystal clear. We still can't explain it.

Jerry--I'm not trying to hijack your thread!!

Jerry · « **Reply #23 on:** September 01, 2011, 07:21:13 AM »

you are the world's best hi jacker!

Matala is touted to be superb. Now what?

Kittyzee · « **Reply #24 on:** September 01, 2011, 09:10:19 AM »

I guess the heck with the matala and just use the lava rock. We really don't know why one would work over the other.

2vetts · « **Reply #25 on:** September 01, 2011, 10:07:33 AM »

never heard of the matala stuff but is it possible it upped nitrogen levels thus promoting the algae growth .??

tranquility · « **Reply #26 on:** September 01, 2011, 11:31:15 AM »

I can easily tell you what happened to your pond--you took out a material that already had a good build up of bio bugs--you replaced it with new material.....it takes up to 8 weeks for the bio bugs to establish on new media and longer for a good supply of them to build up...so basically you started from square one on your bio..Matala is excellent bio material--I've used it for a few years and love it....I would have left the lava rock in place and added the matala-then next spring I would have taken out the lava rock and just left the matala in place....I'd also be watching my ammonia and nitrite levels since you're starting over again.....
Lawanna

Kittyzee · « **Reply #27 on:** September 01, 2011, 01:38:50 PM »

Lawanna: I had thought of that; it's the only thing that really makes any sense. I didn't think to keep them in there together--the lava rock takes up so much room and is heavy, I don't think they both would fit. My fish are doing fine. They didn't seem to mind the green water (although I hated it

) and they haven't acted any different now that it's clear.

2vetts: any and all things were possible, my water looked so bad. I didn't check levels of any kind so I just don't know. I filtered the heck out of the water, and also with plants--I just think I took the one thing out that really helped: the good bugs!

minnowman · « **Reply #28 on:** September 01, 2011, 02:50:59 PM »

Jerry: Six pack ringers are the plastic pieces that hold a six pack of beverage cans together.

Mike S. · « **Reply #29 on:** September 01, 2011, 03:44:13 PM »

Lawanna,

Exactly! Always a good idea to use your old media to help cycle the new. (Seeding.) I just hope people don't confuse clear water with *good* water. Wish everyone had at least a basic water test kit, if fish are an important part of the pond life. They don't just heip fix problems, the give you the chance to prevent them.

I used to spend a reduculous amount of time trying to help people fix problems with their fish and ponds. All well and good, but trying to get them to get active about preventing problems was all too often a waisted effort. Then again, I once listed "Banging my head against a wall" as a hobby.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL