K1 Conversion - update

kayoss · Post by **kayoss** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:21 pm

Hi Guys

Thought I'd post some photos to show my appreciation for your earlier advice.

[img]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d95/kayos ... er001a.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d95/kayos ... er002a.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d95/kayos ... er005a.jpg[/img]

I've also added some photos of my BREAZY - added the B because Bob Hart posted the initial idea of a horizontal transfer pipe and the R for Rob (a mate who helped with the manual stuff while I was unable to DIY).

[img]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d95/kayos ... on006a.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d95/kayos ... on002a.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d95/kayos ... on008a.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d95/kayos ... on013a.jpg[/img]

Any comments/questions regarding the conversion are welcome.

Thanks again for all your guidance and advice, but I have one more question - is there a recommended amount of air required to move the K1. I've currently got 40L/min going into 50L of K1 and it looks like it's boiling. Can you use too much air?

Cheers

Bob

simonc · Post by **simonc** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:38 pm

well done on your conversion.

just a quick question, do you have any head loss of water from the vortex to the next chamber due to the slotted horizontal pipe, or do the slots provide plenty of area for the water to transfer.

Actually 2 questions now, does the enevitiable clumping of the k1 around the horizontal pipe reduce water supply to your next chamber.

same question really.

Thanks Simon.

kayoss · Post by **kayoss** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:50 pm

Simon

No problem with the pipe in the vortex, but clogging of the perforated sheet at the weir did cause a slight block from the aerated chamber to the next in my filter.

Soon overcome by placing a vertical sheet of matting before the wier (see left hand side of 3rd photo) and raising the water level of the pond about half an inch.
Cheers

Bob

jason-m · Post by **jason-m** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:58 pm

Well done Bob....nice job...

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 6:41 pm

Hi Bob,

Keep an eye on your water and see if you notice the difference as Static K1 will remove stuff you never even knew was there

Well done great job

poey · Post by **poey** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:14 pm

hi Bob
top job,where did you get the bin from that the static k is in?i have static placed in the vortex on my skimmer line,but any uneaten pellets get onto the static k and i have to pick them out after i have flushed it.
so looks like i may do a remodel of the poeazy.

cheers Dave.

kayoss · Post by **kayoss** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:21 pm

Hi Dave

Bin was left behind by the previouos owner when a relative moved house, so it was a freebie!!

I've seen similar sized bins in places like Wilkinson's, Poundstretcher etc.

Cheers

Bob

macaws fly · Post by **macaws fly** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:43 pm

there is another object that will make a good starting point for a static K1 conversion.

and its comes completely FREE!!

come on then spill the beans i here you say.

well you can use the bucket the koi food comes in... you know the white 25ltr ones..... good and sturdy with a loverly flat bottom (oh-er)

Bob Hart · Post by **Bob Hart** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:23 pm

Hi Bob,

So you've become a bit of a K1 geek then, like many of us. You've done 2 great jobs there, which will really benifit your pond.

kayoss · Post by **kayoss** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:08 am

Don't mind being a geek if it works on the pond Bob. I had a very low, but persistent Nitrite reading all last summer, so I hope this will solve the problem!

Cheers

Bob

Rhodius · Post by **Rhodius** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:50 am

Are you sure those food buckets are big enough? I ended up have to use full size dustbins (B&Q, 9.99). It was the only thing big enough so I didn't have to clean it every 2 days...

Tony.

[img]http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f269/Rhod ... imvort.jpg[/img]

fatherted · Post by **fatherted** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:02 pm

Can you tell me more about the perforation of the speedfit pipe Bob?

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 9:50 am

Hi Ted,

How you doing mate

The holes are drilled on the marks in the pipe i think i normally drill holes about 2-3mm and they work great

fatherted · Post by **fatherted** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:31 am

Hi Gazza. Doing well thanks.

I think I will have to have a look at some of the pipe down at the DIY centre as I am not familiar with it and thought it would be plain smooth. Is the 2-3mm the hole size you drill? Just a single row along the top? What type of drill bit is best?

You know me Gazza, I like to ask questions

I would like to make something up that fits in my QT filter box that I can transfer along with the K1 to the multibay when pond is complete and refilled.

kayoss · Post by **kayoss** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:14 pm

Hi Ted

After I'd bought the speedfit pipe for this conversion I discovered that standard sized garden hose has almost identical internal and external diameters, therefore fits onto the speedfit connections and is much cheaper - all you need is the connection and pipe inserts.

I used 1mm holes about 2 inches apart on my system. Some will say 0.5mm holes closert together is better others and others I know have used 2mm holes further apart. My theory is that if you start small with small holes further apart, you can always drill them out a bit or add more!

The most important thing is to get air into the corners to prevent stagnant media and supply enough air to get it moving nicely - I have a Secoh 40 feeding my K1 chamber.

Hope this helps

Bob