DIY shower

[B.Scott]

Stealing it is cheaper... Gazza where do you live again?

[eds]

Cheers guys. Just got to fire it all up now and see how it works! Already thinking about how I can rearrange the units to get the best performance. I might extend it to two stacks of 2 units so the water doesn't have to be pumped as high, or make one 4 tier stack.

Now 'liberating' some is definitely an idea! Maurice better watch his showers when I get down there again!!!!
I think Nottingham Koi near me have some BHM in so I'll have to pay them a visit this week and get a box. The QT is currently filtered by static K1 so the plan is to put the BHM in the bottom areas and then stick the K1 in a media bag above for a few weeks to get the media matured. Then I can move the rest of the K1 out to my main pond filter.

[B.Scott]

Yeah good idea... shove a bit of the BHM in your pocket and when Maurice sees that wet bulge just tell him you got excited looking at his fish! (mother, I'm going to hell!)

[eds]

Ha ha! It'd have to be some bulge to take enough! Fortunately that'd be nothing new....

Well it's up and running now.

[img]http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p169/eds ... 0_2087.jpg[/img]

I've currently got the 50l of K1 in the top and middle containers and the bottom one's empty until I get some BHM. I'm just off to see if Nottingham koi has got any in stock!

Here's a photo of the set up through the door.

[img]http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p169/eds ... 0_2086.jpg[/img]

I've been able to fill the pond another few inches now as the filter's sitting higher. The fish's appetites are even better and they seem to love the extra O2 and current that it seems to generate. The flow is better than I thought it'd be and if I go much higher I think I'll need two stacks to split the flow. Just need to fine tune how I'm going to do the water changes now as I don't need a drain from this filter!!!

[eds]

Just thought I'd finish this off with a quick follow-up report. I still haven't got any BHM (Mike's apparently away!!!) so the filter is just running with 50l of K1 but the change is amazing. The water has always been green before but this is now totally clear and the fish's appetite is still amazing. I think I could feed them almost constantly and they'd still come looking for more. Wish I'd done this much, much earlier...

[brother of feeeshpond]

Cannot help thinking it is looking a bit precarious, try a length of scaffold plank across the tank to rest the bakki on.

[Taggy]

Ed,

What about another bit of wood and then some filter grid attached to both then you could put all on there more stability?? Cracking idea with the greenhouse mind.


Graham

[eds]

It's actually supported by the metal frame more than the side of the pond. That's a welded steel frame that was holding the previous large box filter filled with water and static K1! Ideally it'd be fully supported on the steel but the bottom container is too deep! When I get the BHM it's going to be raised up slightly so the frame supports it more.

Oh and it's tilted on purpose with that wood to get the flow to come out in more of a curtain! (I was experimenting!!!)

[brother of feeeshpond]

Eds
Something to think about if you haven't already.
A way of removing the fines---I have some foam over the top of my shower, it works but I am not looking forward to cleaning it every week in the winter!

[eds]

Cheers mate. I'm shocked that this seems to be removing all the fines without any foam or floss! The water was never this clear! I assumed it would work but be a bit dirty untill I added the BHM but it's working brilliantly. Maybe it's just that the K1 is trapping it all so I'll have to clean that at some point, but it seems very, very clean at the moment! I'll be amazed if it's this clear when I switch over and might actually leave so K1 in one container after seeing what it's doing now!

[B.Scott]

Ed, static K1 does a fantastic job of catching fines. The problem as I see it is that with your shower full of K1, you are trapping loads of gunk and the K1 is becoming a giant shite trap.

I would be very careful!

B.Scott

[sushi]

ed,
it will clog with the fines you are removing and will cause no end of problems when it does. It will become very heavy and possibly colapse the whole shower in to the q-tank.
Other than that it looks ok.

Mark

[eds]

The K1 is only planned as a temporary solution while I get some BHM. It's not intended to stay like this forever. It can't topple into the pond unless the steel welded frame collapses. It is not as precarious as it looks. I am going to take the top unit off in a day or two and try and clean it to see how much crap is in there.

[B.Scott]

Well static K in the summer I clean every 2 days but wait a week and its' a huge mess.. The other bit is you will not see all the gumk as it is trapped inside.

B.Scott

[eds]

I cleaned the unit this after noon and it wasn't too bad. I gave it a quick clean in a large tub then poured the clean K1 back into the tub.