Veggie Filter Depth

[HTH]

What is a good depth for a veggie filter ?


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

[Ka30P]

From Ingrid's post on veggie filters:
>>"It needs to be only 8-12" deep so it doesnt go anaerobic."<<


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[GrannyGrump]

>From Ingrid's post on veggie filters:
>>>"It needs to be only 8-12" deep so it doesnt go anaerobic."<<

Won't it go back to aerobic if bouncing over the waterfall rocks?

[Snooze]

"HTH" > wrote in message
...
> What is a good depth for a veggie filter ?

Depends on how many birds you intend to kill with one stone. I use two 55
gal drums, those are about 4ft tall, this setup lets me have a bio filter,
settling chamber and veggie filter all in one enclosure.

Also consider what kind of plants you intend to keep in the bio filter, and
what their preferred depth is. Remember you can always raise the pots by
placing them on bricks, upside down pots, etc, but you can't make a water
filter deeper.

Snooze

[Benign Vanilla]

"HTH" > wrote in message
...
> What is a good depth for a veggie filter ?

My VF is in two sections. One section is less then a foot deep, and the
other is a bowl shape that goes down to about 18 inches. This is part by
design, part by newbie mistake. Someday I plan on tearing it all out and
redoing it, but for now it works great.

This depth makes it easy to clean, and maximizes the root mass to water mass
ration. I get very good fallout using this setup.

BV.

[HTH]

I have an initial sketch of how the VF would
fit into my pond system.

http://www.howardthehumble.com/pondsketch.htm

Howard


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

[[email protected]]

the water bouncing over yes and that is fine for water moving over rocks. I guess I
dont think it needs to be any deeper. and my waterfall doesnt go over rocks. Ingrid

GrannyGrump > wrote:

>
>>From Ingrid's post on veggie filters:
>>>>"It needs to be only 8-12" deep so it doesnt go anaerobic."<<
>
>Won't it go back to aerobic if bouncing over the waterfall rocks?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[RichToyBox]

It is not whether the water will change going over the waterfall, but the
action of the type of bacteria, and the waste products produced. Aerobic
digestion does not produce hydrogen sulfide or methane which smell bad and
are toxic to the fish.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
"GrannyGrump" > wrote in message
...
>
> >From Ingrid's post on veggie filters:
> >>>"It needs to be only 8-12" deep so it doesnt go anaerobic."<<
>
> Won't it go back to aerobic if bouncing over the waterfall rocks?

[GrannyGrump]

>It is not whether the water will change going over the waterfall, but the
>action of the type of bacteria, and the waste products produced. Aerobic
>digestion does not produce hydrogen sulfide or methane which smell bad and
>are toxic to the fish.

So how would a 4 or 5 foot deep veggie filter be created to not have
this happen?

[[email protected]]

those gases are light and quickly dissipate if the water is going over a waterfall
with lots of rocks. I doubt it would be toxic at that point. but it does smell bad
while in the veggie filter. I just dont know why anybody would make it deep when
shallow does great. Ingrid

"RichToyBox" > wrote:

>It is not whether the water will change going over the waterfall, but the
>action of the type of bacteria, and the waste products produced. Aerobic
>digestion does not produce hydrogen sulfide or methane which smell bad and
>are toxic to the fish.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[[email protected]]

drop in an airstone. surprisingly enough, the only luck I have had over wintering
water plants is when the water was aerated. Ingrid

GrannyGrump > wrote:

>
>>It is not whether the water will change going over the waterfall, but the
>>action of the type of bacteria, and the waste products produced. Aerobic
>>digestion does not produce hydrogen sulfide or methane which smell bad and
>>are toxic to the fish.
>
>So how would a 4 or 5 foot deep veggie filter be created to not have
>this happen?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[GrannyGrump]

>those gases are light and quickly dissipate if the water is going over a waterfall
>with lots of rocks. I doubt it would be toxic at that point. but it does smell bad
>while in the veggie filter. I just dont know why anybody would make it deep when
>shallow does great.

Maybe because deep is available whereas shallow isn't?

[Benign Vanilla]

"GrannyGrump" > wrote in message
...
>
> >It is not whether the water will change going over the waterfall, but the
> >action of the type of bacteria, and the waste products produced. Aerobic
> >digestion does not produce hydrogen sulfide or methane which smell bad
and
> >are toxic to the fish.
>
> So how would a 4 or 5 foot deep veggie filter be created to not have
> this happen?

The key design measurement for a VF is not depth but surface area. You need
to maximize your surface are in order to maximize the number of plants you
can float in it. More plants, more roots, more cleaning. A five foot deep VF
is probably no more prone to going aenerobic then an 2 foot deep one, but
over time you are more likely to clean the 2 footer then you are the 5
footer. Once signifigant mulm builds up, then you start having the aenerobic
problem. What I am saying is that it is not the depth that causes the
problem it's the depth causing you to not clean it that causes the problem.

Beside what would be the value of a 5 foot deep VF?

BV.

[Bonnie]

wrote:
> those gases are light and quickly dissipate if the water is going over a waterfall
> with lots of rocks. I doubt it would be toxic at that point. but it does smell bad
> while in the veggie filter. I just dont know why anybody would make it deep when
> shallow does great. Ingrid
>
Mine is deeper because I wanted it to drain into my raised
pond.
I guess I could have just filled in the bottom with dirt but
I was running out of dirt ;-).
--
Bonnie
NJ
http://home.earthlink.net/~maebe43/

[Benign Vanilla]

"Bonnie" > wrote in message
...
> wrote:
> > those gases are light and quickly dissipate if the water is going over a
waterfall
> > with lots of rocks. I doubt it would be toxic at that point. but it
does smell bad
> > while in the veggie filter. I just dont know why anybody would make it
deep when
> > shallow does great. Ingrid
> >
> Mine is deeper because I wanted it to drain into my raised
> pond.
> I guess I could have just filled in the bottom with dirt but
> I was running out of dirt ;-).

Oh sure, I am not saying it's bad...just that for filtration it's not
neccessary. Biomechanical filters need volume, VF's need surface area.

BV.

[Snooze]

"GrannyGrump" > wrote in message
...
>
> >It is not whether the water will change going over the waterfall, but the
> >action of the type of bacteria, and the waste products produced. Aerobic
> >digestion does not produce hydrogen sulfide or methane which smell bad
and
> >are toxic to the fish.
>
> So how would a 4 or 5 foot deep veggie filter be created to not have
> this happen?

Besides using an airstone, have the pump bring the water into the bottom of
the deepest part of the veg filter, and rain from near the top of the other
end. This way it helps ensure there is a good bottom to top waterflow.
Otherwise the water at the bottom of the filter tends to become stagnant.

Snooze

[GrannyGrump]

>Besides using an airstone, have the pump bring the water into the bottom of
>the deepest part of the veg filter, and rain from near the top of the other
>end. This way it helps ensure there is a good bottom to top waterflow.
>Otherwise the water at the bottom of the filter tends to become stagnant.

Well, I had intended to have the water go from the top to drain out
the bottom....would this prevent anerobic problems?

[[email protected]]

no still water, no bottom water, no anaerobic fermentation. Ingrid

GrannyGrump > wrote:

>
>>Besides using an airstone, have the pump bring the water into the bottom of
>>the deepest part of the veg filter, and rain from near the top of the other
>>end. This way it helps ensure there is a good bottom to top waterflow.
>>Otherwise the water at the bottom of the filter tends to become stagnant.
>
>Well, I had intended to have the water go from the top to drain out
>the bottom....would this prevent anerobic problems?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[GrannyGrump]

>no still water, no bottom water, no anaerobic fermentation. Ingrid

Thought this was what I intended to do, thanks.