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    Thread: Need help Engineering Bio Filter

    1. #1
      reefcartel's Avatar
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      Need help Engineering Bio Filter

      Hello Friendly people of Koiphen. I really need your help building a Bio/Mechanical filter for my Koi pond. Digging up 13' ft length x 10' ft wide and a depth of 4 feet (Roughly 4000 gallons). I am currently on a budget right now so will need your expertise in a cost effective yet quality filtration system. Ive been researching and reading through the threads but I still have no idea how to start. I would need steps and possible a list of supplies. Also would need some advice on how to create the bottom drain. I am very new to this and I do not have much plumbing experience.

      Also, wondering if this DIY filtration system should be sufficient enough to keep the water clear and fish healthy. Or would i need to supplement with a mechanical filter or bead filter as well.

      Another thing I am also concerned about is hiding the filter inside a housing unit. I was possibly thinking of building a small shed to box in the filter.

      Here are some examples of what ive seen.



      Is this pump good to circulate enough gallons through the filter?



      Here is my Pond so far. there is an old skimmer box already installed that i can refurbish and also an output filter for the waterfall. The old Liner and underlayment is damaged and i had to remove it since i am digging a couple feet deeper







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    2. #2
      Goki56's Avatar
      Goki56 is offline Administrator ~ WWKC BOD ~ WWKC Secretary ~ 2020 KPOTY
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      I moved your thread to the Construction Forum to generate some more responses.
      Gordana






      Koiphen 2020 Koi Person of the Year!

    3. #3
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      Ok, so tell us a little bit more about your pond. What is the climate? Three season? Freezing temps? This will help with filtration decisions. Also, do you plan on leaving any part of your existing system? If so, what? Are you willing to build some of yourr filtration or not really? This will help.

    4. #4
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      Quote Originally Posted by Jojoartie View Post
      Ok, so tell us a little bit more about your pond. What is the climate? Three season? Freezing temps? This will help with filtration decisions. Also, do you plan on leaving any part of your existing system? If so, what? Are you willing to build some of yourr filtration or not really? This will help.
      So I live in the East Bay Area. The Climate is pretty stable. During the coldest Winter and fall it ranges from 45-65 Degrees. During Spring and summer 70 - 84 Degrees.

      In regards to the existing system. I wanted to take them out and re-pipe everything. Include a bottom drain and just put new pipes.

      Yes i am willing to build my own cost effective filter.


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    5. #5
      MCAsan is offline Senior Member
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      Use a sieve such as UltraSieve III as the mechanical stage. Then pump feed fluid bed bio reactor, a shower, or even a chamber of matting cartridges. You may need UV as part of the circuit.

    6. #6
      vipertom1970 is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by reefcartel View Post
      So I live in the East Bay Area. The Climate is pretty stable. During the coldest Winter and fall it ranges from 45-65 Degrees. During Spring and summer 70 - 84 Degrees.

      In regards to the existing system. I wanted to take them out and re-pipe everything. Include a bottom drain and just put new pipes.

      Yes i am willing to build my own cost effective filter.


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      I am in Riverside County and if you need to see my filtration system for 12,000 gallon pond then let me know. Spend money on RDF, build your own bio filter and I guarantee you will never be a slave to your pond again.

    7. #7
      reefcartel's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by vipertom1970 View Post
      I am in Riverside County and if you need to see my filtration system for 12,000 gallon pond then let me know. Spend money on RDF, build your own bio filter and I guarantee you will never be a slave to your pond again.
      Sounds great. Whats an RDF?


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    8. #8
      mplskoi is offline Supporting Member
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      Rotating drum filter.
      Will remove basically all of the debris, right down to fines, from your system. They can be spendy. But there are more and more great quality used ones on the market for 2-3k $. Put in one RDF and one set up of bio and you can have crystal clear water and perfect parameters.
      Some of the used ones may be a bit quirky or challenging to use. But no one who has had an RDF (that I know of) ever went away from an RDF.
      Find Kevin32- he has a NEW BE RDF for around 3k$.

    9. #9
      vipertom1970 is offline Senior Member
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      Rotary drum filter, it's an automated mechanical filtration system dumping the fish waste and dirty particles down to 60 microns +- every hour.

    10. #10
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      there is alot of hand claning involved with the oase filter. start with an affordable compact sieve..take a trip to Koi enterprise in west sacramento..time well spent ask lots of questions

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    11. #11
      kevin32 is offline Inactivated
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      I have my rdf for $2400. I am in east bay also. you could get the rdf and then just do a diy shower setup or even a diy moving bed filter..

      if you need help let me know. I know you are on a budget but as said the rdf will save you from constantly cleaning all the time. the ultrasieve 3 can also be bought for $1500 and does a geat job also. I would never have a pond without a sieve or rdf in place. to much work and no time enjoying the fish

    12. #12
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      Quote Originally Posted by kevin32 View Post
      I have my rdf for $2400. I am in east bay also. you could get the rdf and then just do a diy shower setup or even a diy moving bed filter..

      if you need help let me know. I know you are on a budget but as said the rdf will save you from constantly cleaning all the time. the ultrasieve 3 can also be bought for $1500 and does a geat job also. I would never have a pond without a sieve or rdf in place. to much work and no time enjoying the fish
      So i need both an Ultra Sieve and RDF or one or the other plus a bio filter?


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    13. #13
      kevin32 is offline Inactivated
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      Quote Originally Posted by reefcartel View Post
      So i need both an Ultra Sieve and RDF or one or the other plus a bio filter?


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      one or the other

    14. #14
      vipertom1970 is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by reefcartel View Post
      So i need both an Ultra Sieve and RDF or one or the other plus a bio filter?


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      Ultra sieve+bead filter(or sieve +S&G fter)+ maintenance =RDF

      Sieve by it self will not give you water clarity, it will only filter out large solids above 200 microns.
      Last edited by vipertom1970; 04-09-2017 at 04:11 PM.

    15. #15
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      Quote Originally Posted by vipertom1970 View Post
      Ultra sieve+bead filter(or sieve +S&G fter)+ maintenance =RDF

      Sieve by it self will not give you water clarity, it will only filter out large solids above 200 microns
      he is on a budget of about $3,000. might have to add the sieve or rdf later. I suggested a evolution pump to save cost and do do a diy moving bed filter also.

      most peole use a 300 micron I'm sieve. so the rdf Is 60 to 80 micron. about 5 times the fines removal.
      Last edited by kevin32; 04-09-2017 at 04:29 PM.

    16. #16
      Rich L is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by kevin32 View Post
      he is on a budget of about $3,000. might have to add the sieve or rdf later. I suggested a evolution pump to save cost and do do a diy moving bed filter also.

      most peole use a 300 micron I'm sieve. so the rdf Is 60 to 80 micron. about 5 times the fines removal.
      You can build your own bead filter and automate the dump so it dumps twice a day, using a blower! That's about as good as an RDF, and better than 95% of the rest of the ponds!

      Then a fluidized bed using kladness! I have plenty of kladness, maybe we can work something out! Maybe some medea for the bead filter as well!

      Don't get a pump until the pond is close to being finished and you know precisely what your system is. In fact, if I can line up a spare pump, we can determine exactly what pump you need.

      I live down in Fremont!

    17. #17
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      I am in Lafayette CA if you want to see a working RDF and talk filtration. There is NOTHING as effective as an RDF.
      people like to vehemently defend their purchases and find it incredulous that anything could be better

    18. #18
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      Quote Originally Posted by Russell Peters View Post
      I am in Lafayette CA if you want to see a working RDF and talk filtration. There is NOTHING as effective as an RDF.
      Sounds like a plan


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    19. #19
      reefcartel's Avatar
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      Hello. So ive been making some progress with the pond (or at least i hope so lol) but i am currently getting my things together and figuring out what my next step should be. So far I have dug a foot deeper and I should almost have about 4 feet of depth.

      Should I dig a trench for the bottom drain? If so, where should i lead it to? Also, I found this Underlayment and Liner deal on Amazon.

      Should I get these set up first then add the filter last?






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    20. #20
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      Just for reference. I took some progress pictures of the Pond. Fyi this was an abandoned pond that I salvaged so there is a pipe leading from the Skimmer box to the other side of the pond but the pipe is hidden on the outside circumference of the pond. (Does that make any sense? lol)





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