Welcome to Koi Forum. Is this your first visit? Register
TuffX Glass
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 24
  1. #1
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    N.Wales.
    Posts
    8,700
    Thanks / Likes
    15243

    Ready to fit my new Solum 25 drum

    Had this drum sitting in the garage for nearly a month now while i made a tank for my mature k1.

    Made from 18mm hardwood ply three coats of 450 mat fiberglass and two of top coat held together with 60 three inch screws and angle brackets on all corners so it isnt going anywhere.

    Enjoyed doing it all and hopefully got all the heights correct before i disconnect the nexus 300 and put these in its place which i will hopefully be doing on Monday,got everything i hope rubber boots pipework etc just my luck something will go wrong.Attachment 22352Attachment 22353Attachment 22354Attachment 22355Attachment 22356Attachment 22357Attachment 22358Attachment 22359Attachment 22360

    Looking forward to the Solum 25 Dracodrum doing its job,will put more pics up when up and running.

    A nexus 300 will be up for sale soon.


    John

  2. Thanks Designer1, freddyboy, Andre Asagi, milaz, lee63, imc28, RichardMoore Thanked / Liked this Post
  3. #2
    looking good, whats the volume ?
    I have to admit, the mind boggles what some folk pay for a chamber to put k1 in, talking about hundreds of pounds as if its cheap.!
    All it is, is an aerated chamber, with a little imagination and a bit of work you can make something just as good for peanuts in comparison.

    David

  4. Thanks Andre Asagi, john1, freddyboy, lee63 Thanked / Liked this Post
  5. #3
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Grand Champion Andre Asagi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Tosche Station....Picking Up Some Power Convertors
    Posts
    2,560
    Thanks / Likes
    1160
    You rock at DIY ! If i tried that then the wood would splinter when the first screw went in, then i'd get annoyed and smash it up.

    Much like my skimmer. I converted mine to 4 inch quite well by my standards. I carefully cut receses into the skimmer. Then carefully glued stainless steel bars into the recesses to make a skimmer guard. I made sure they were flush, so that the face plate would sit against the skimmer still.

    Yet for whatever reason, no matter how many times i tried, the face plate wouldn't screw down. I was covered in the black stuff and after a good 45 minutes of trying, my legs cramping and my back aching from cramping my giraffesque legs into a tiny gap while leaning over the pond wall at the same time, my body contorted in multiple painful directions, i got so vexed i threw the skimmer at the fence. It fell down next to one of the filters and i went inside in a huff.

    The skimmer remains next to the filter....because due to all the black stuff all over it, it's now glued to the side of the filter.

    Much love for your DIY moving bed box mate. Top marks. I was going to suggest making those grooves in the 4 inch pipe a bit wider but if its after your drum then nothing should trap in there.

  6. Thanks john1, Feline, freddyboy, lee63 Thanked / Liked this Post
  7. #4
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    N.Wales.
    Posts
    8,700
    Thanks / Likes
    15243
    Thanks for the replies,David i think it is 80gals not the biggest but i havnt the room but it wasnt that cheap when you tot up all the bits,and yes really it is just a box but i enjoy doing it all the time now retired.

    Thanks Andre,the grooves are fine any bigger and the k1 will be a problem.
    John

  8. Thanks lee63 Thanked / Liked this Post
  9. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by john1 View Post
    Thanks for the replies,David i think it is 80gals not the biggest but i havnt the room but it wasnt that cheap when you tot up all the bits,and yes really it is just a box but i enjoy doing it all the time now retired.

    Thanks Andre,the grooves are fine any bigger and the k1 will be a problem.
    John1, I will be watching this thread carefully as I have just got the Solum 16, and I am scratching my head a bit about levels. Why did you not have the drum feeding the nexus, was it just down to space. I only ask as I am planning to have my drum feeding my nexus 220?



    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  10. Thanks john1 Thanked / Liked this Post
  11. #6
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    11,123
    Thanks / Likes
    17023
    nice one john. get in there.

  12. Thanks john1, lee63 Thanked / Liked this Post
  13. #7
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    N.Wales.
    Posts
    8,700
    Thanks / Likes
    15243
    Gary it was really down to space as i have a manhole in the garage next to it all and i cant cover that,connecting to the nexus would have been a lot easier and you could use the vortex part as a bio,there are some good deals on the Solums at the moment i intended going for the 16 but i got a good deal on the 25.

    Thanks Fred,hopefully all done tomorrow be an all day job disconnecting nexus and dragging it out of the garage and connecting all the new up,only hope all my calculations are right must have checked them 100 times.
    John

  14. Thanks freddyboy, milaz, lee63 Thanked / Liked this Post
  15. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    11,123
    Thanks / Likes
    17023
    Fingers crossed for you john

    Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

  16. Thanks john1 Thanked / Liked this Post
  17. #9
    John, after reading the Solum installation manual, I am a bit puzzled as to how to figure out the water level in the moving bed tank (or nexus is my case) in relation to the drum? Any advice or pointers?

  18. Thanks freddyboy, john1 Thanked / Liked this Post
  19. #10
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    11,123
    Thanks / Likes
    17023
    Quote Originally Posted by garyscad View Post
    John, after reading the Solum installation manual, I am a bit puzzled as to how to figure out the water level in the moving bed tank (or nexus is my case) in relation to the drum? Any advice or pointers?
    With the draco drum in my nexus. The water level with the pond is the waste tray. On the new type. I don t know. I would e mail tony. If i was you. Hope this helps mate.

    Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

  20. Thanks john1, garyscad Thanked / Liked this Post
  21. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by john1 View Post
    Thanks for the replies,David i think it is 80gals not the biggest but i havnt the room but it wasnt that cheap when you tot up all the bits,and yes really it is just a box but i enjoy doing it all the time now retired.

    Thanks Andre,the grooves are fine any bigger and the k1 will be a problem.
    80 gallons isn't bad at all, that's 360 litres so you could probably get up to 200 litres of k1 in there .
    David

  22. Thanks john1 Thanked / Liked this Post
  23. #12
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    N.Wales.
    Posts
    8,700
    Thanks / Likes
    15243
    Quote Originally Posted by garyscad View Post
    John, after reading the Solum installation manual, I am a bit puzzled as to how to figure out the water level in the moving bed tank (or nexus is my case) in relation to the drum? Any advice or pointers?
    Gary,i havnt got the instructions here but the top of the drum has to be 16cms or whatever it says higher than the top of the nexus or media tank nothing to do with water levels.I was a bit confused myself and spoke to Tony who confirmed it,so the drum has to be scaffolded up a fair bit!!!

    On checking once again and for the last time before the fit tomorrow i think i have made a blunder,i have done the water level to midway up the waste shute as instructed but i have done it static water and it should be running water level,anyway i am leaving it and hopefully i will be able to adjust it with the probe if not it means cutting a bit off four 4ins legs,so read it well Gary.

    Dave,i had hoped to get 200ltrs in as that is what i have but if not i will get what i can in.
    John

  24. Thanks freddyboy, garyscad Thanked / Liked this Post
  25. #13
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    11,123
    Thanks / Likes
    17023
    Quote Originally Posted by john1 View Post
    Gary,i havnt got the instructions here but the top of the drum has to be 16cms or whatever it says higher than the top of the nexus or media tank nothing to do with water levels.I was a bit confused myself and spoke to Tony who confirmed it,so the drum has to be scaffolded up a fair bit!!!

    On checking once again and for the last time before the fit tomorrow i think i have made a blunder,i have done the water level to midway up the waste shute as instructed but i have done it static water and it should be running water level,anyway i am leaving it and hopefully i will be able to adjust it with the probe if not it means cutting a bit off four 4ins legs,so read it well Gary.

    Dave,i had hoped to get 200ltrs in as that is what i have but if not i will get what i can in.
    best of luck tomorrow fitting john. same with you gary best of luck.

  26. Thanks john1 Thanked / Liked this Post
  27. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by freddyboy View Post
    best of luck tomorrow fitting john. same with you gary best of luck.
    John,
    Good luck with today's install, keep us all informed. It's this kind of thing that makes your hair go grey ��.
    Freddyboy, thanks for the words of encouragement. Will update this thread when I get the courage to start my install. ��

  28. Thanks freddyboy, john1 Thanked / Liked this Post
  29. #15
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion freddyboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    11,123
    Thanks / Likes
    17023
    Quote Originally Posted by garyscad View Post
    John,
    Good luck with today's install, keep us all informed. It's this kind of thing that makes your hair go grey ��.
    Freddyboy, thanks for the words of encouragement. Will update this thread when I get the courage to start my install. ��
    yeah gary when my draco got installed. i ended up buying new pumps. lost all my hair. haha. thought my original pumps where to powerful. as nexus just emptied real fast.so bought a new pump. it took two days to work out the problem.
    what it was. the mesh had a protection coat on it. so once blasted with pressure washer. it started to work ok. apparently the last part of mesh has protection on it. for when they transport the rolls of mesh.
    did me a favour though as the new pump was less cost to run. so it has probably paid for its self now. so good luck when you get round to it. at least john will be there for advice. all the best fred

  30. Thanks Scamp, john1 Thanked / Liked this Post
  31. #16
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    N.Wales.
    Posts
    8,700
    Thanks / Likes
    15243
    Well i havnt finished the install yet,had enough for today i know if i carry on i will make mistakes.

    Everything is connected up just to finish one pump,had to move the interior tap as i didnt like where it was so that set me back a bit luckily i had all the bits,so it will be finished tomorrow.

    Got a right thirst on,so will have to rectify that now,will take some pics tomorrow.
    John

  32. Thanks freddyboy, garyscad, Goonerharwood Thanked / Liked this Post
  33. #17
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    N.Wales.
    Posts
    8,700
    Thanks / Likes
    15243
    Attachment 22386Attachment 22387Attachment 22388

    All up and running ok now,first wash was 15mins inbetween now on 19mins is that ok?

    Gary,apparently the static water level should be nearly overflowing the waste but when running it should be about half way up the waste,my water is a bit low in the drum but if i put more in the pond it will overflow seems to be working ok though.

    Only have one pump pulling at the moment as thats what i normally have in the winter,so come spring i will use larger pipe on the skimmer and get that going.

    If you notice i put a T on the waste so that i can look down and see what crap im getting rid of,only because i had one spare really.
    John

  34. Thanks familyman, garyscad, freddyboy, milaz Thanked / Liked this Post
  35. #18
    John, it's all starting to look good now. As regards to wash cycles, I believe depending on the clarity of your water, you really need to let it run its course for a couple of days to settle itself down, before starting to take much notice of the time between cycles.
    Is the drum on setting 1 on duration?
    Can you gauge how much water is used each flush?
    Have you a picture of what the drum is sat on, to sit at the right level.
    Moving bed is looking good, you must be happy with that. ��
    Is there any words of warning, or do's and don't ?
    Reward yourself with a couple of cold ones tonight.
    Keep the info and pics coming pls.

  36. Thanks john1, freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
  37. #19
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Supreme Champion john1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    N.Wales.
    Posts
    8,700
    Thanks / Likes
    15243
    Thanks Gary,yes its set on duration 1 and it doesnt seem to be on long for a wash i thought it would be going like the clappers.

    Its basically sat on a frame Gary,i bought a 4"x4" tanalised fence post for the corners,if you look closely at the drum as it has a curved bottom it stands on its own corners,so i used the post for the corners then used 3"x1" to join the corners together its very strong,i also made a small lip round the top to stop the drum sliding off in case of any accidents.
    Only thing i can advise is use rubber boots,e/a are quite cheap believe it or not and free del over £25,to join to your nexus you are going to do an S shape pipe run a few bends needed.
    I got my bends on ebay can give you the link used 4ins pushfit.

    You will be fine Gary,plan it well and i will help if you need it.
    John

  38. Thanks garyscad, freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
  39. #20
    John,
    Much appreciated for the info and the offer of advice. Everything is easy once you have done it. ��
    Yes I planned to use rubber boots for connecting, for when.......oh no I mean just in case I make a mistake!
    Cheers
    Gary

  40. Thanks john1, freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
 

 
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:21 AM. Online Koi Mag Forum
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3
Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.

vBulletin Improved By vBFoster® (Lite Version), © UltimateScheme, Ltd.