Birdman's Sand/Gravel Filter

[icu2]

S/G filters are mainly designed to catch fines and not a lot of bio conversion so they really aren't designed to match a fish load. Most
times the number of s/g filters matches the flow (2k gph max each) running through them. They will do some bio but not nearly what
a good bio filter can do.
Your bio filter with K1 would be the key to keeping up with your amount of fish. You might find 1 barrel isn't enough so since you're
in the midst of the modifications, you might start with the 1 barrel and keep it in the back of your mind that you might need to add
another and make the plumbing easy to modified if it's needed later.
I think someone can reach "overkill" when they're filters are maintaining 0 ammonia and nitrite and you add more just because ...
but at this stage I don't think you're near over doing it. Koi can reach 24"-28" pretty easily.

Many will direct their BD circuit to a gravity fed filter first, like a settling chamber or better yet a sieve or RDF. This removes most of the larger
debris mechanically from the water before the pump has a chance to grind it up. Then pump from whatever mechanical filter you use to a
bio filter and return to the pond. The skimmer circuit, since it normally goes through a some sort of basket or mat before the pump and has smaller
debris by design since it's skimming off the top of the pond, is pumped to a fines filter like a s/g or two and if they're placed at the top of the
stream/falls, they can gravity feed to it for the return to the pond.

Maybe start a new thread for your pond rebuild to share your progress!

[DViolante]

It has been a SUPER LONG time since posting, and this is a long overdue follow-up to a post I made in May of 2018, that can be found here.

I had asked about making the following alterations to the original SG Filter as pictured below. It absolutely works fantastically.

I did make two modifications:

1. I used a separate Air Blower line to the manifold at the bottom that I cap off when not in use. I don’t have the room above the unit to keep it in place but I would prefer to do that. If I did have the room, I would just add a ball valve to prevent back flow of water when backflushing and using both the pump and the blower.
2. The supply pipe with the UV inside has a slight reducer at the bottom and sits on top of the air manifold – it doesn’t have it’s own supply manifold at the bottom.
3. I added a small hole in the pipe just prior to the UV tube to break the siphon when the pump is off for maintenance.

Modifications I would LIKE to make:

1. Lower the waste line to just above the level of the sand and add a waste outlet screen as they are here.
2. Use an elbow pointed ‘up’ to the supply back to the pond as in the same link
3. Use a “T” with a ball valve that supplies the return to the pond to reduce bubbles and the ‘suction’ sound like here.

Again, it has worked super well and the water has been really clear with no algae blooms. Apologies for the significant time delay ~

[icu2]

Good to see you post and thanks for the update!

[msegger]

Good Evening,
I have two questions:

#1 - when I am flushing my S&Gs, only one side of the barrel is boiling. The barrels are 2 years old and constructed according Birdman's dimensions and recommended material. Has my layers become mixed or pores blocked? Or is my buckethead 1.75hp shop vac lost some of it's cfm?

#2 - can a S&G be built using a 30gal barrel? If so, what flow is recommended?

Thank you

[pondfishguy]

Good Evening,
I have two questions:

#1 - when I am flushing my S&Gs, only one side of the barrel is boiling. The barrels are 2 years old and constructed according Birdman's dimensions and recommended material. Has my layers become mixed or pores blocked? Or is my buckethead 1.75hp shop vac lost some of it's cfm?

Air takes the path of least resistance.Some of the finer gravel has moved around or some fish waste is accumulating in one area and not blowing free. Lower the water level to 6” below the gravel and use the largest blower available to clear it out, then revert to your normal method.

#2 - can a S&G be built using a 30gal barrel? If so, what flow is recommended?
Why not? 30/50x2000gallon flow.I built a 200gallon S&G for 7000 gallon pond and it works great.

Thank you

Hope this helps

[icu2]

Good Evening,
I have two questions:

#1 - when I am flushing my S&Gs, only one side of the barrel is boiling. The barrels are 2 years old and constructed according Birdman's dimensions and recommended material. Has my layers become mixed or pores blocked? Or is my buckethead 1.75hp shop vac lost some of it's cfm?

#2 - can a S&G be built using a 30gal barrel? If so, what flow is recommended?

Thank you

Check that the barrel is still level too. The air will try and go to the high side.

The max flow has to do with the volume of the barrel and the media. A 30g barrel should be able to flow about 1/2
of a 55g one but like pondfishguy said, it should work fine.

[Jeremydmeyer76]

I'm getting a couple 55 gallon drums tonight and will be starting to build my own S&G Filters. I plan on running 2 in parallel fed from a Sequence Series 4000 external pump pulling from my Helix skimmer. I'd like to flow 3500-4000 gph and feed a 20' stream running back to my pond. I was thinking about possibly plumbing them both to a single spillway that has (2) 2" inputs and a max flow of 7k gallons. Will reducing the 3" discharge from the barrel to a 2" right at the spllway input going to severely reduce the amount of flow? Maybe I'm better off just letting the 3" plumbing hang over the edge of my liner and hide it with something?

Thoughts?

[msegger]

check back through the some of the posts to double check this, but I think it is call out around 2,000gal/hr max on a S/G so the material doesnt become fluidized. Also, check online to make a 2in gravity flow line can handle 3,500 gal/hr, I do not think it will.

[icu2]

I'm getting a couple 55 gallon drums tonight and will be starting to build my own S&G Filters. I plan on running 2 in parallel fed from a Sequence Series 4000 external pump pulling from my Helix skimmer. I'd like to flow 3500-4000 gph and feed a 20' stream running back to my pond. I was thinking about possibly plumbing them both to a single spillway that has (2) 2" inputs and a max flow of 7k gallons. Will reducing the 3" discharge from the barrel to a 2" right at the spllway input going to severely reduce the amount of flow? Maybe I'm better off just letting the 3" plumbing hang over the edge of my liner and hide it with something?

Thoughts?

If I read your post right, you have 3" feeds from each s/g filter and you're just going to drop them down to 2" to fit your spillway, which
I think should work fine. A 2" pipe should still be able to flow 2k gph from each filter fine, as long as the plumbing path isn't overly long
and complex between the s/g filter and the spill way. If you do want to leave them 3", you can got through the liner too as opposed to
over it. Just make a simple boot cut and run the pipe through the liner:

[Jeremydmeyer76]

That'll do it! No sense in spending more money on plastic and fittings when I just can go through the liner.

Thanks for the tip!

[icu2]

For anyone not sure how to create this leak free connection through the liner:

https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...mple-pipe-boot

[Jeremydmeyer76]

For anyone not sure how to create this leak free connection through the liner:

https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...mple-pipe-boot

Thanks for that too! We don't need no stinkin splillway!

[Jeremydmeyer76]

Started assembly today. The hardest thing so far was assembling the air manifold.

Still plenty to do but it was a productive day.

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[icu2]

Very nice looking!
You might have them already but be aware that you'll probably need to cap the top of the air pipes when the filters are
running. If they don't flow out the top when you start them up when clean, they probably will as they get dirtier. As the
head in the media grows higher as it collects debris, the center pipe will become the path of least resistance if they aren't capped.
It's normal. Just uncap and apply air when ready to clean.

[netvine]

Where did you source the black grate that separates the media from the air manifold? that looks absolutely perfect.

[Jeremydmeyer76]

Where did you source the black grate that separates the media from the air manifold? that looks absolutely perfect.

https://spincastwildlifefeeders.com/...feeder-screen/

The shipping hurts a little.

[stevek]

https://spincastwildlifefeeders.com/...feeder-screen/

The shipping hurts a little.

Website now indicates " free shipping " on this one. Good deal and perfect fit.

[Jeremydmeyer76]

Website now indicates " free shipping " on this one. Good deal and perfect fit.

Haha! Thats tricky. When I bought mine they were on sale for $16 and bought 3. I ended up paying $23 apiece shipped.

[koital]

Looks like they recently put them on sale with free shipping and they have a price break if you buy more than one. Just ordered some.
Called and talked to someone there last week before I ordered. They said shipping costs have been rising rapidly with the price of fuel and they were offering the best pricing they could due to the size of it. They seemed like good folks.

https://spincastwildlifefeeders.com/...feeder-screen/

[Jeremydmeyer76]

I'm about to set my barrels up and was wondering how much water these typically use during the flush process? I'm putting them in an area where I don't really have much room for a large drain pipe so I'm thinking about digging a pit below the barrels and filling it with gravel and letting the barrels drain directly into the pit.

My pit will hold around 200 gallons and my soil drains very well so I think it would work using this method.



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