Swimming Pool System

[Pat James]

I have finally got around to start to work building my AP system. I bought two 55 gal barrels and eight 275 gal IBC totes a few weeks ago and then the weather got cold and wet- progress stalled. At least we have had a few days

The system I now plan to build is quite a bit different than the one I originally planned. That is due to the help and advice of some of the people here.. Thank you.

I will buy the piping itself at one of the big box stores, but I can save a bundle by buying the fittings online.

Today I will begin cutting the IBC's.

[Pat James]

 My swirl is working fairly well and is easy to tell just how effective once I paid attention to how the outlet was 2 inches from the bottom and on one side of the barrel. That means the first water drained shoots out the crap at the outlet then it diminishes.  That just means the outlet has been cleared. When I stirred the bottom just a little, I drained pounds of stuff.

That being said I changed part of my filtering system a little. I am directing a portion of the water into the swirl filter. It then dumps into a bed with bags of plastic pieces to catch and process. A  double siphon ( 1 inch diameter each) takes the water into the next growbed, and then another set of siphons tinto a third bed before the water is drained to the fish tank.

I may not be moving as much water through the same beds as before, but I think I am filtering what water goes through more efficiently.

I know my fish load is increasing dramatically. My catfish are growing like champs and I am seeing more tilapia fry. Maybe more than fry as some are over an inch long now.

I am trying to stay ahead of the fish with increasing my filtering media/ plant growth. Plant growth seems to be very slow ...

[Jim Troyer]

Hi Pat

Sounds like your water flow is too high. 

I built a swirl filter and was never happy with it, so I modified it. 

1. I took a 1 gallon sized pot from a bush I bought and drilled large holes around the top edge.
2. I tied a bunch of floating poly rope like that cheap stuff they use for twine at Home Despot, all around the perimiter of the pot.
3. Unravel the rope if you have time/patience.
4. I sunk it in the center of the barrel with a large stone weight. 
5. Then I cut a round piece of FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) from the shower enclosure section of HD the size of the barrel Inside Diameter. 
6. Lastly, I made a large hole tin the center of the FRP sheet so the water has to travel through the rope filter to get to the center to exit up and out the top, forcing the water through the rope particulate filter fibers. 

It sure catches a bunch of crud every week.  In fact, I have to take the hose bib off the outlet to get it to drain since the HB plugs.

Radial filters are much better designs because they use the change of vertical flow from up to down and back up again to strip the particulates with gravity.  The particulates are too heavy to change direction to follow the water upwards. So they fall out of suspension.

[Pat James]

Yesterday I took my 2 blue barrels and turned them into a combination radial and swirl filter. The reason I did this is because from the configuration of my system, I have to bring water in from the top.

I used 3/4 in pipe through the center of an inverted 5 gallon bucket. That pipe is about 7 or 8 inches into the bucket. I put a T on the end then made wings with a 90 degree on each end. The 90 degree fittings are directed upward at about a 45 degree angle so water should be directed in a circular fashion towards the bottom of the bucket. My drain is about 4 inches below the top of the barrel where the side begins to flatten and the bucket bottom is just below that point.

This morning, I could not see how efficient that filter is. It has not accumulated enough waste to come out the drains which are about 2 inches from the bottom. My water flow is such that it is holding a level a couple inches above the drain and I see flecks of algae and debris in the water. I'm not sure if this indicates my water flow is too high or this stuff is just too light to drop.

[Jon Parr]

pH and nutrient density.

[Pat James]

My plants are not doing well except for the basil. Different types of beans grew and then began to die. I have noticed a few caterpillars/worms on occasion. But the plants are so sparse they are easy to find.

heck, my plant growth is so sparse, I found an application for food stamps on behalf of those worms... :D

[Pat James]

I made a simple filter using sheet poly (the type sold for quilting. I had some plastic fencing... Pretty tough stuff shaped like expanded steel caging but made of plastic. This made a 3 ft high cylinder. In 2 days it is beginning to collapse under the weight of the water and algae. It will be difficult to lift out of the barrel, but I will do that today or tomorrow and hose off the polyester.

I have also placed foam under the outlets in each growbeds to catch algae. These I squeeze out daily. So far I see no difference in water clarity.

[Jim Fisk]

I just placed the poly in a 10.00 hamper and ran a slotted pipe down the middle and that is placed in a 30 gal barrel and I tapped the side with a T outside the barrel. This filter works as soon as you start it flowing as opposed to the Bio that is above the trout tank. That has to build up with bacteria on the bird netting and showed no sign of improvement for about 2 wks as expected. Now it has been doing a great job and the over all sys water all looks great so the better trout water carried over to the rest of the system. I'll try to pull it (poly filter) apart for pics later if I get time. Very simple as described though.

The reason I did not want to increase the over all flow with the bio-filter was for fear I might screw up (overload) the bell siphons and they have been working so nicely. So that just recycles in and out of one trout tank, soon to be both trout tanks and does not change the overall flow.

[Jim Troyer]

I agree with the benefits of extra flow, can't be over stated enough.  Your DO will never suffer with "too much" * flow and the plants will always get what is available.

* the power misers miss the point on this big time.

[Pat James]

Jim..I saw your photo. Is there a schematic showing water flow?

[Jim Fisk]

Morning Pat, just wanted to mention that my Poly-Fill filter that is posted under my pictures did a heck of a job clearing up my algae problem last fall in about 2 days in our 2000 gal system. That was a 30 gal drum size and perhaps if you made something like it in a 55 or an IBC size it could do it for you. The poly is easy to wash out later and can be used again or just throw it out and replace it down the road as it is cheap (9.00) by the large bag at Wally World. A cheap above ground pool pump with the filter removed moves a lot of water (using one now along with my bio-filter to maintain the trout water rather than screw with the system flow rate) or as in my case run the system bypass water thru it. Just that little bit of bypass, perhaps 25%, made all that difference from slime green to clear in 2 days.