The thread below was taken from Water Gardening Magazine's website.
Click on their banner above to check out their site.
Author
Topic: Lava Rock Fountain Bio Filter POWER!!!!!!!!!
Griff Member
First
let me say that I am new to ponding . Since July
1 of this year . I have studied a couple of hours
each night and have gotten a pond mentor. I had
a low level nitrite problem this summer for 15 days
. I did the salt to 0.3% and fish were OK. I did
not want to have this problem again so I did some
research . Ammonia and nitrite eaters need oxygen
to function !!!! The fact that air is 30% oxygen
and water is around 8PPM got my attention!!!!! Trickle
towers got my attention but they are not good looking, I
checked out DOC CONRAD,s site and saw his Lava fountain
> I checked out Nevada Water Gardens as that
they make them the price is around 400.00 delivered.
I decided to build one . I purchased 4 bags of LAVA
rock from LOWES . Spread rock on drive way and
washed it off. Let dry for a day when I picked
out the big pieces, about 2 5 gal buckets full.
I set up a card table in front of the TV with a
piece of scrap plywood . Plywood function as to
not mess up card table. I drew out a 16" x16" square
and used a hot glue gun. and started glueing pieces
together to form a basket of lava. I put a 2" piece
of pvc pipe in the middle, My mentor says that 1"
would do just fine. Hint get long glue sticks from wally
world they save a lot of time. After glueing up the
bottom ,sides I added reinfroceing SP rock incorners and
around bottom. Height of fountain is 22" . I placed
fountain in pond on flue tiles . I have a beckett
535 pump with a bell nozzle . Pump set under fountain
with 3/4" pipe through 2" pipe with larger pieces
on lava place around top to hide pipe. After fountainwas
placed into pond on tiles I filled it with the remaing
pieces fo washed lava rock. TOTAL COST 4 bags of
rock @ 4.00 ea or $16.00 , Big glue gun $10.00 ,
5 bags of glue sticks $15.00 , 22"piece on 2' pipe
$1.00 for a total of $32.00. Time to build approx.
8 hours. Since fountain was completed I have had
perfect water quality . If backing soda consuption
can be regarded as an indicator of now well this
Bio filter works , mine went from about 2 lbs of
soda /week to maintain KH values to around 5-7 lbs
per week !!!!!! My pond is a 5500 gal ststem and my
fish load is 55 fish from 30"in length to 5" . I have
tried to over feed to see if I had another nitrite spike
and did not. I would HIGHLY recommend this fountain to
anyone. It does the job!! Looks nice( See photo.)
Is very cost effective!!!!!!!!!!! Does not need to
be cleaned!!!!!!!!!!!Since this photo was taken the
fountain has developed a nice green patina. | From:
Hubert, N.C. 28539 | Registered:
Thursday, 12 July 2001
Griff Member
Building
this was like putting a jig saw puzzle together
with out a photo. Fish love the tiles!!!!! The large
one hangs out inside one of the tiles with his tail
sticking out most fo the time. The others fight
for position in the other tiles. You can just make
out pump under liles. | From:
Hubert, N.C. 28539 | Registered:
Thursday, 12 July 2001
Lynn Member
Looks
good, Griff! And it's a great winter pass time too!
We too run a trickle tower on the koi pond, and
it does seem to make a difference in the nitrite
levels.
Lynn
Johnstown, PA
The United States...we live as many, we
stand together as one.
| From:
Johnstown, PA USA z5 | Registered:
Thursday, 11 January 2001
Dell Member
Amazing
job. Griff!! Well done. What do you use for your
main filtration system? Do you have a picture of
your whole pond so we can see where you have the
fountain in relationship to the other parts of
your pond? you have probably already shown us pics,
but I'm lazy tonight and don't want to do the search.
I have my big pond the way I want it right now.
Falls really pour the water at one end, but the
middle and far end are still. I would like to add a
trickle fountain, but like you said they aren't very
attractive and I don't want to have more movement in the
other part of the pond, so I'd like to see how yours
fits in.
Thanks for the great instructions. We all love
DIY projects for our ponds and save money to boot!
Dell | From:
Elgin, Texas | Registered: Sunday, 10 June
2001
Griff Member
Over
all shot of pond
Dell here is a shot of my pond showing the relationship
on lava fountain in pond . Where it is placed is
a still area. Plans are to add the small pond areation
system from aquatic eco systems before next summer
. I plan on building a goldfish pond this winter
and will put a lava fountain as the sole source
of filtration (Bio). | From:
Hubert, N.C. 28539 | Registered:
Thursday, 12 July 2001
Main
filtrationDell the white box at
the top is my main filter. It is a two chambered
affair loaded up with mat . Also 3 cu ft of scrubbies.
That box does OK but I must put in a settlement chamber
before the pump.Thinking about a 950 gal cone shaped
tank and 2 of Genes Vortex filters for mech. filtration. | From:
Hubert, N.C. 28539 | Registered:
Thursday, 12 July 2001
Dell Member
your pond
is lovely, Griff, and seeing the whole thing puts
it in perspective. the lava fountain does not look
ugly or out of place at all like I thought a trickle
fountain would. One last question...where do you
have the pump plugged in?
Thanks for all the info..you've definately got my
brain working away...
Dell | From:
Elgin, Texas | Registered: Sunday, 10 June
2001
Dell Member
Me again,
Griff. Inquiring minds want to know! I tried to
find the trickle fountain on Nevanda Water Gardens
and it looks like they don't have an online store.
Did you have to call them or did I look in the wrong
place?
thanks,
Dell
| From:
Elgin, Texas | Registered: Sunday, 10 June
2001
Griff Member
Call Nevda
Water Gardens they will build and shinp in the
off season. The main advantage to their fountains
is the natural mined lava is high in trace minerals.
The pump has a 16' cord and is plugged into the
main pump GFI outlet. | From:
Hubert, N.C. 28539 | Registered:
Thursday, 12 July 2001
Roddy
Conrad Member
Lava
rock fountains
As Griff indicated above, lava rock fountains
are the most powerful biofilter you can have in
your pond. My wife and I also think they look good
in the pond on top of chimney tiles. We use the
Nevada Water Gardens commercial lava rock fountains,
and have 6 of them servicing all our ponds. They
do not sell on line, you do have to phone them to
place an order. I recieved three more of them this
week for next year's ponding season.
Roddy Conrad
Charleston, WV
| From:
Charleston, WV USA | Registered:
Friday, 09 November 2001
Betty Member
I have
a long stream to my pond that, due to one reason
or another, has diminished to almost a trickle.
I was wondering if lava rock placed strategically
there would do the same job as a TT filter or at
least contribute to the reduction of nitrates. Any
advice would be appreciated.
Betty Bellefonte, PA~Zone 6
| From:
Bellefonte, PA USA | Registered:
Saturday, 06 January 2001
Dell Member
I definately
want one. The only place that I could put it with
a cord from the pump would be right off the falls
where the pump house is located which has the electrical
outlet in it. I just don't know if I can pay $400
for one right now. I guess I could try to make
one like yours, Griff, but I have this visual of
me and my house covered with hot glue and red lava
dust!
Dell | From:
Elgin, Texas | Registered: Sunday, 10 June
2001
Geoff
U Member
Dell,
build one, they are cheap to build and very efficient.
I have a lava rock trickle tower on each of the
ponds and have not had a nitrite problem in the
3 years they have been operating. | From:
Zone 4-5 | Registered: Sunday, 09 September
2001
Roddy
Conrad Member
Lava
rock fountains
The delivered price of lava rock fountains from
Nevada Water Gardens varies from around $200 to
$400 apiece, depending on the size of the fountain.
Or you can build them yourself, no argument. The
commercial lava rock fountains are the least expensive
good biofilter for the capacity on the market from
my tests.
Roddy Conrad
Charleston, WV
| From:
Charleston, WV USA | Registered:
Friday, 09 November 2001
Roddy
Conrad Member
Waterfall
I forgot to say, that I also use lava rock in
waterfalls very successfully as additional trickle
tower filters. The key is to have the lava rock
wetted but submerged under water to get optimum
performance from this type of biofilter. I designed
my own waterfall especially for this purpose.
Roddy Conrad
Charleston, WV
| From:
Charleston, WV USA | Registered:
Friday, 09 November 2001
Lynn Member
Hi Doc,
I have tried to display your photo of your waterfall
and lava rock several times (on cyberfins) but
cannot get it to download. Could you post a pic
of it here?
Lynn
Johnstown, PA
The United States...we live as many, we
stand together as one.
| From:
Johnstown, PA USA z5 | Registered:
Thursday, 11 January 2001
Roddy
Conrad Member
posting
pictures
I would post a picture of my lava rock waterfall
if I could figure out how to do it. I will try
copy/paste and see if that works. Nope, can't paste
here it seems. I looked for picture posting instructions,
could not find them anywhere, at least could not
find them connected to this message board. Must
have something to do with HTML and UBBCode, guess
I am computer illiterate on this subject.
Roddy Conrad
Charleston, WV
| From: Charleston,
WV USA | Registered:
Friday, 09 November
2001
Griff Member
Lava
rockFound a source for
natural lava rock at ACE hardware. I is sold in 7 lb
bags for about$3.79 a bag for grills . I added a bag
of it to my fountain today.
Dell they are not hard to build! If you can plumb
your pond you can build a lava fountain. I got no
glue on my new recliner when I built mine . That
is the reason I put a scrap piece of ply wood on
top of the card table. I had no red dust . I washed
it all off on the drive way . Let it dry , picked
out the big pieces in buckets , then sholved the rest
into a wheel barrow and washed the drive off. | From:
Hubert, N.C. 28539 | Registered:
Thursday, 12 July 2001
Dell Member
This has
really gotten my attention and I am going to try
and build one following your instructions, Griff.
I think that the only place I can put it is right
below the falls since that is the only electrical
outlet out there in the pump house. Oh, boy....another
pond project..won't my family be happy! Just when
they thought I was through. Thanks for all the
advice from you guys.
Dell
ps...I would really like to see yours Doc if you
can figure out how to post it
| From:
Elgin, Texas | Registered: Sunday, 10 June
2001
