New 55 gallon filter

[Kaysbelle]

I am putting together a plan for a 55 gallons barrel filter for my pond and need some advise/comments on my plan.  Here are my facts:

Approximately 6’ round pond, 2 ½’ - 3’ deep
10 goldfish, 3-4” long
1258 GPH pump with fountain, 1” outlet
Pump will be 10’ from top of barrel
Top of barrel will be 3 ½’ above water surface
Outlet will fall into three tiered waterfall with
    The bottom weir being 7” across.

Here is my drawing: (sorry I didn't know how to put it in the body of the message)

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos4867/8/52/51/93/59/0/59935152813_0_SM.jpg
 

The 1” hose from the pump will be hooked to a 2”x2”x1” PVC “T” (to act as a venture), flow down a 2” PVC pipe through a milk crate, wired  to the crate 8” off the bottom of  the barrel with the outlets (2” elbows) facing in opposite directions.  The barrel will be filled with floor pads and scubbies with the water flowing out the barrel through a 1 ½” outlet.  The barrel will have a drain as close to the bottom of the barrel as possible.

My questions:     With the indentation of the barrel, will the 1 ½” outlet be okay at the top of the barrel in the 4” area as marked on the drawing?
(If not I will have to drop it approximately 6-7” from the top of the barrel.)
Would it be better to have the milk crate 12” tall (at 8” I have to cut it down)?

Any advise/comments etc would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RichardK]

Cant access your Web page, tells me im forbidden.
RichardK

[Kaysbelle]

Here is a better link.  Click on it to read the descriptions.  Thanks.

http://adobe.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=129waay5.w4ll19p&x=0&y=-k93tqm&localeid=en_US

[RichardK]

Hi. Design Looks good, and I dont want to put a damper on it. It may be good for your size Pond. I have the similar design with 4 barrels in a row. They do the job but are not all that efficient. I am looking for a better design, in all fairness I have a LARGE Pond.
I am impressed witha design that ESTHER has, and may try a larger version. Also looking at the Stock Tank Filter. With your needs this may be the best in a 100gal or less size.
Look at Esthers.
Hope I helped a bit, other members may have better ideas im sure.
Richardk

[Johns]

Kaysbelle,

A round pool 3 feet deep will hold approximately 635 gallons.  Your pump flow of 1,258 GPH will move the entire volume of your pool twice each hour.  While I have no concerns regarding turbulence in your 55 gallon filter from this flow, I do have a concern about the size of your exit pipe.  Gravity flow of 1258 gph requires a pipe diameter of 2.7 inches as determined by my pool calculator ( http://www.gardenendeavors.com/rack/pool10.html ).  This would suggest that 3" PVC would be a better choice for your exit pipe, in order to prevent filter container overflow.


Regarding the pool calculator referenced above, you can play around with different pool sizes and flows by adjusting inputs to see various outcomes.

Regarding your estimated fish load:
 
Fish loads are determined by water surface area rather than water volume, since in a power failure situation, survival of the livestock is dependent on unassisted oxygenation through surface exposure to air.  A 6 foot diameter pool has a surface area of 28 square feet.  The square root of 28 is 5.29 feet.  Going to the fish load calculator ( http://www.gardenendeavors.com/rack/web17.html ) and entering 5.29 in both the length and width, and 10 fish in the 3" fish box (Note, because of my limited Javascript knowledge, ALL fish size boxes need an entry, even if zero for the calculator to work.) Given 10 3" fish, your fish load would be .3 pounds.  A safe load would be 2 pounds.  This means you could safely have in addition to the 10 3" fish, one 8" inch fish and 3 10" fish.  The thing about fish, though, is that they grow...and reproduce.

BTW, my website is at http://www.gardenendeavors.com/ .    While my website has only been up for 10 years, I have been messing with water gardens for over 35 years.

Caveat:  ALL ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!

[RichardK]

I Bow to John,s superior knowledge. I am just your average , trying to get along, Ponder.
As I said im re doing my barrel filters. The reason as in Johns post, was the outlet, not my inlet.
I am redoing the Filters with a 3" outlet, this should give me a better overall flow and better filtration. I would have gone with a 4" but felt this might be overdoing it, as the barrel,s im using are only 20-25 gal.
RichardK

[RichardK]

ANY Suggestions??
Richard

[Johns]

RichardK,

What is your flow volume in gph?  If no more than 1250, 3" pvc will work fine.  If you are not using uniseals, I recommend them without reservation.  Aquaticeco sells them.  Cutting a new larger hole where an old one is already there, is a challenge.  Very careful use of a hole saw can produce the desired result, but works best if the drill is mounted to a stationary vise and the container is slid on the floor onto the blade.  Otherwise you can end up with an out of round hole as it is very hard to hold the drill steady in the absence of the pilot bit.
John

[RichardK]

Thank You John.
Yes I found the redrilling to be a slight problem. I could not find the Seals here, and am trying to make better gaskets but alas its a challange. I Tryed Home depot re the seals, they never heard of them. I need 8.
Thank You John.
Richard.

[Mikey]

If you need to make a hole larger is it possible to us a rubber seal/ring as a template and then carefully cut it out with a jig saw?

[RichardK]

Mikey.
I found that clamping a piece of wood behind the hole, then marking the centre, then drilling, done the trick and did not cause"wandering". I still cant find the Seals John mentioned, here in Canada, and importing plus cost would be too much.
I will try a Liquid plummer sealant, see if that works with the Rubber seals I now have.
Richard.

[Mikey]

I found that clamping a piece of wood behind the hole, then marking the centre, then drilling, done the trick and did not cause"wandering".

Now that's a smart way to solve the problem.   

[spanishleprachaun]

    Here is where I get my uniseals.
https://www.aquaticeco.com/customers/subcategories/829/Uniseals/uniseals/0

I use them when ever I need a watertight seal on "rounded" containers such as barrels.
Ohhh--- and be sure to use some kinda lubricant on the pipe and inside the seal when pushing the pipe through... does wonders !
I use baby's shampoo ! hahah Somthing that has no harsh chemicals to harm the seal or the fish.

also--- I often use a dremel tool with a grinder bit to help bevel the edge of the pipe when getting it started into the uniseal.
I don't do this on 2" smaller--- but 3"inch or bigger pipe--- bevel the edge ! or you will go crazy trying to get the pipe in !
good luck !
c

[biophase]

Just wanted to bump this thread up as I just picked up 2 55 gallon drums last week for my pond.  Would love to see if anyone else has more designs.

[frloplady]

check out koiphen's DIY for filters from 55 gallon drums.  Especially the sand/gravel filters.  Easy to make and work GREAT!

http://www.koiphen.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63850

[Johns]

For anyone building a filter system in 55 gallon drums, here are my best filter ideas:

http://www.gardenendeavors.com/rack/web8.html


http://www.gardenendeavors.com/rack/conepage.html


http://www.gardenendeavors.com/rack/flowcalc.html


http://www.gardenendeavors.com/rack/waterpolisher.html