TRICKLE TOWERS

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TRICKLE TOWERS BAKKI SHOWERS

• by Noel L Shaw
• AKCA Koi Health Advisor
• koifixer_at_noelshawdc.com

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WHY WE DO IT
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OVERVIEW

• 1. Bioconverter Basics
• 2. BioConverter Design
• 3. Water Flow
• 4. Oxygenation
• 5. The Ideal BioConverter
• 6. Things that can go wrong
• 7. Summary

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1. BIOCONVERTER BASICS

• The purpose of the BioConverter is to convert
  nitrogenous waste (ammonia excreted through the
  gills) to relatively harmless compounds via the
  nitrite / nitrate cycle.
• In addition, the ideal bioconverter will convert
  organic (carbon containing) compounds in solid
  fish waste to an oxidized state - ultimately
  carbon dioxide - which will then gas off to the
  atmosphere.
• Its job is NOT to remove solid waste (fish or
  otherwise) from the water.

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• Bioconverters work because of the actions of hard
  working, middle class bacteria, which, like koi,
  have basic needs
• a) A home (usable surface area)
• - gravel
• - matting
• - ribbon
• - beads
• b) Food exposure to nitrogenous organic
  compounds
• 1) stuff in water
• 2) exposure to water
• 3) appropriate flow rate - fast vs slow
• c) Oxygen supplied by O2 dissolved in the water
  

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2. BIOCONVERTER DESIGN

• A) Pre-Filter
• Catches the big chunks to help avoid clogging
  bioconverter media
• - Settling chambers
• - Coarse matting
• - Should not be relied on for bioconversion
• - Should be easy to clean / flush
• The pre-filter is the first line of defense for
  the bacteria in the bioconverter, to keep them
  from being smothered in solids.

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• B) BioConverter Media
• Home, home on the range Where the Nitrosomonas
  and Nitrobacter (and Aeromonas) play
• - Adequate total surface area?
• - Flow capacity
• - Maintenance of design flow - will media settle
  together, plug easily, or clump?
• - Contact time with water
• - Biggest possible for space and budget
• - No such thing as over - filtration

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BIOCONVERTER TYPES
Fluid Bed Filter
Matting Filter
Bead Filter
Maximum O2 level possible 9 ppm
Maximum O2 level possible 9 ppm
Maximum O2 level possible 9 ppm
The DO concentration for 100 air saturated water
at sea level is 8.6 mg O2/L at 25C (77F) and
increases to 14.6 mg O2/L at 0C.
Moore, M.L. 1989. NALMS management guide for
lakes and reservoirs. North American Lake
Management Society, P.O. Box 5443, Madison, WI,
53705-5443, USA (http//www.nalms.org).
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OTHER POSSIBILITIES
Maximum O2 level possible 9 ppm
AquaScapes type filtration - gravel / rock
surface area matting
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3. WATER FLOW

• Flow rate
• Turnover time (all pond water passes through
  bioconverter) of at least once per hour
• General plumbing considerations
• - Pump size (design flow rate)
• - Actual flow rate design flow rate minus back
  pressure due to height and back pressure due to
  friction in plumbing, fittings, and other
  restrictions
• - Pipes never get bigger, they get smaller with
  buildup
• - Pressure of media (draw through or pressurized
  filters and bioconverters)

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• Bioconverter plumbing
• and flow considerations
• High flow rate is OK and even great if
• a) the water is clean and wont plug up the front
  line of the media, and
• b) bacterial colonies wont be mechanically
  knocked off by excessive turbulence, and
• c) there is a large frontal cross section of
  media (water can flow through gently and equally
  as opposed to being pushed through a small
  opening through multiple layers)

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Consider trying to push a certain volume of water
through a certain amount of filter media,
represented by the media filled cylinder, open at
the ends.
All of the water needs to go through the first
layer of media (shown in green). If it plugs,
all water flow ceases.
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Now consider trying to push that same volume of
water through the same amount of filter media,
but the water is flowing through the sides.
The water has a much larger surface area to
spread out over as it passes through the media.
This filter design will flow with less
pressure, and will be much more difficult to plug
up.
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4. OXYGENATION

• Oxygen is our friend.
• - Higher levels of oxygen can support higher
  densities of bioconverter bacteria.
• - Goal of water flow is O2 saturation at all
  levels of pond activity (top, bottom, in
  bioconverter)
• - Bioconverter bacteria, even more than koi,
  function best at high O2 levels.
• Oxygenation of pond water
• - Bring the water to the oxygen (flooming,
  streams)
• - Bring the oxygen to the water (waterfalls, air
  pumps, turbulence)

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Water, when cold and highly tumbled, holds, at
best 9-10 ppm of dissolved oxygen. Air, by
contrast, holds about 21 (210,000 ppm) oxygen.
If we can get the media (and thus the bacteria)
into the air, and still provide the bacteria with
food and moisture to do their duties (or is that
doodies?), they stand a much better chance of
being at O2 saturation, and their populations and
therefore productivity should be much greater.
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5. THE IDEAL BIOFILTER
What Kind Of Bio Converter Enables Maximum
Oxygenation Can Handle Huge Water Flows Has A
Huge Media Surface Area Has Little Or No
Restriction Has Rapid Biological Start Up And
Recovery And Will Not Go Septic After A Day
Without Water Flow?
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Bakki Showers
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THE Bakki Shower 5000.00 ish
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Trickle Towers
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Shower Filter
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Barrel basin
Ventilated milk crates
4 pond outlet to pre-filter
Pre-Filter
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Cover (evaporation, shade, and splash)
3 pump outlet to 2-2 valves
Free flow water return
Four 1-1/2 spray bars per tray set
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A means to hide the Shower Filter This is a
temporary pond, above ground, built to avoid the
trouble and expense of dealing with a built-in in
a few years. The filter cover is for water
loss, and does little to camouflage the filter.
The screen in front helps a little.
Youll also need huge plumbing, lots of space
above water line (this is a gravity return
system) , a BAP (large pump), and ...
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Lava Rock Tray after six months
Spray Bar after six months
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6. WHAT CAN GO WRONG....
Just kidding
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Potential Drawbacks
Shower Filters are large. They are gravity
return, so they need to be above the water level
of the pond. They require massive water
flow. They splash a fair amount. They lose
water to evaporation. They can cool the water
too much in winter. They are loud (a pleasant
sort of loud).
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Potential Solutions
Hide the Filters behind a screen or a faux rock
waterfall. Use the gravity return to further
direct water flow in the pond. Use large
plumbing to flow huge water and minimize friction
and power losses. Cover to minimize splashing,
water loss, and excessive cooling in winter.
Install an autofill. Enjoy the extra water
noises.
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7. SUMMARY
Efficiency of oxygenation. Great water
movement. Organics and nitrogens are broken
down very rapidly. Cooling effect in summer.
Soothing effect on fish. Except for Bakki
Shower, each pond / filter setup needs to be
specifically engineered.