REACTORS- Filtration for stingrays

[B_IN_SD]

After the media cycled it fluidized properly with only a minor traffic jam at the strainer, then I added a 200gl tank to this system along with the tank the filter is under, the increased flow has been collecting the K-1 by the strainer since then but a powerhead mostly corrected this problem. Assuming the quiet one pumps that I am using [9000 and 5000] pump the gallons advertised there is 2850 gph through this filter
When I re do this I think a round 55gl drums or something simular is the way to go.

I like what DB did with the blue drums and may copy them in the future with a change or two

 

[DB junkie]

Blue drums suck cause you can't see what's going on under the surface....... Also hard to lid. My first attempts left the lid in tact and just put a hole in the top to dump media in, but you can't work on it worth a crap. Can't move media, can't see whats going on inside aside from the "peep hole".

Another problem is the amount of room a pair of 2" drains take up in the barrels. Stick something that big in there and it messes with the boil. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't ever stop, but it could be better. The idea I had for a remedy would be to to stick bulkhead fittings in the bottom and run pvs up the side, vent at top then dump it in the wet dry. Problem is I don't know what a drain this style would be able to flow. May end up with 3 drains/barrell for it to keep up? Sadly I was about ready to add another pump to this system too. Was hoping to try to shove 5K gph through each barrell.

I'm with you on the humidity. I have my barrels sitting in the pond that is my sump. I have no choice put to cover the whole thing with a pond liner. This is my main reason for another rebuild. That and with the flowrates I'm trying to use I fear the barrells may end up being too small after all the drains and giant strainers needed for high flow rates.

I think the ideal setup for a square tank would be bottom drains UNDER the diffusers. You'd have to run lines back up the sides of the tank to dictate water level and vents so it doesn't siphon, which is another battle cause drains this style don't flow crap compared to standard drains. This drain location would keep media away from the strainers. Dump incoming water down the sides of the tank and you should knock the media down the sides of the tank and the diffusers would bring it back up in the center. If you use falling water to knock it down and air to bring it up it's not too tough getting a nice boil, but plumming interferes...... Drain plumming, even the air lines going down to the disks/diffusers screw with the boil. IF you could get all the plumming out, and no air lines, results should be phenominal......

Not sure what to think about bottom drains in these things either. IS it even worth the headache? If so is it worth it to try and concave a barrell? Pput a drain dead center in the bottom? Not as easy in a tank...... "V" the bottom? Drain on one end Korilia on the other? Should sluff that crap out in seconds, but more room taken up in the reactor by stuff that decreases overall volume. Do you just drop a big ol pump in them and suck out the bottom mum? Seems like it might be easier???

I've been thinking this stuff over for weeks and it seems like as soon as you get a good plan then you explore other options then all of a sudden the new idea trumps the old. Been ready to build for a while but can't make up my mind which direction to go.

Got to have a plan. Without a plan there can be no attack. Without an attack there can be no victory........ lol

 

[snake8myelbo]

The only thing that is stopping me from blue barrels is that they aren't clear also how to attach plumbing inside the barrel. I am thinking of using my drain to put threw the barrel .... let everyone know what's up

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[DB junkie]

The only thing that is stopping me from blue barrels is that they aren't clear also how to attach plumbing inside the barrel. I am thinking of using my drain to put threw the barrel .... let everyone know what's up

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Bulkhead fittings??? The barrells flatten out when you tighten the fittings. I've used both 2" floor drains from the hradware store and standard bulkhead fittings. The floor drains need a pretty nice hole to seal right. But they do work. Never had an issue with standard aquarium bulkhead fittings.

They aren't clear, but use enough air/water and you'll be able to tell by looking at the surface that it's definetly boiling..... Use enough air and water and it doesn't have a choice but to boil.....

 

[Miguel]

Onw thing DB mentions i confirm.

Every piece of anything, be it an air tube, an electrical cord, whatever, is enough for K1 to start accumulating around it...

 

[snake8myelbo]

cool ill be ordering bulkheads and strainers?

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[DB junkie]

cool ill be ordering bulkheads and strainers?

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Most strainers you can order don't seem to work real well in reactors.

Best bet is to fashion some yourself..... The smaller the strainer the more suction it will have. IF you use typical strainers not only does it cut down on flow but the media will stick to them..... IF you have significantly more surface area on your strainer it creates less suction and in turn it's less likely for media to stick to it.

Think of it this way..... IF you use a typical strianer that you'd order with bulkhead fittings that screws directly into the bulkhead fitting you might have the same % of open space as the hole in the fitting, media is gonna stick to it like crazy. Now thread a fitting into the bulkhead fitting, and run a foot long piece of slitted PVC as a strainer and you should have so much more surface area that the media doesn't have as much of a tendancy to stick to it. I had WAY better luck cutting 2" PVC in a chopsaw, cut a slit almost all the way through it, leave a sawblade width, take a sawblade width, etc, then I ever had even going up to a 4" boughten strainer from the 2" drain.

Crappy part is if you're using 55 gallon barrells there's no decent way to just stick a mesh screen or anything in there to keep all the media off the strainers..... At least that I could get to work. At least with a square tank you could install a mesh baffle and bam, problem solved.

 

[Reedmaster16]

Sometimes the bio chips can slide into the slits if they are too large.

This is another option.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/1611/Mesh-Tubes-Plastic

 

[Miguel]

Mine keeps aboilin'a away, fervorously!

Of course, aside the cables, the drain protector, etc, small traffic jams continue...

will those bloody K1 eventually loose their buoyancy?

 

[snake8myelbo]

I was worried about clogging strainer. That is a perfect idea and I have a chop saw. Thanks DB! I don't like the barrel too much either but I like the roundness. Gonna use 1 30 gallon blue barrel on each drain.

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