Tank 1
Water flows from the conical tank into a 2 inch bulkhead and through 2-2-inch valves which allows the drainage of the sump. The water enters the first of two biofilters, and passes the rack and filter medium to flow out a 1 inch bulkhead into a side pipe. The water is pumped by a 5MD 110hp pump that pumps 675 gal/hr. The water flows through a 1-1/4 inch pipe to the other biofilter. The water flows out of the filter into a 2 inch pipe which branches into a 2 inch pipe to the main tank and 2-1 inch pipes which lead to the top 2 of 4-50 gallon tanks. One of these has a 12-inch standpipe and the other has an 8-inch standpipe. The water in these tanks trickles down into two lower 50 gallon tanks which have 2-1/2 inch standpipes. The water goes into 2- 2 inch airlifts and back into the tank. There is a jump screen with PVC tubing and netting positioned over the top of the main tank, which keeps the fish from jumping out. The ends of the netting are weighted to keep the net secure. This system currently contains catfish, bluegills, large mouth bass and terrapins.
Biofilter 1 (Upflow Filter and Sump)
The Upflow filter and Sump have two jobs. The barrel is the Upflow filter, which is the first in a series of biofilters. Water from the tank enters the barrel from a 2-inch bulkhead at the base of the barrel.
Just above the bulkhead near the bottom of the barrel is the rack. The rack is made of four PVC elbows for the corners, three tee fittings for the legs, two tee fittings for the center support and a sufficient 1-inch pipe to join these couplings. 2-inch holes have been drilled into the PVC pipes to make sure that the pipes will not float. 1-inch plastic mess screen sets the legs and supports the bird netting filter medium. Water flows upward through the barrel that hosts both Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter bacteria.
Biofilter 2 (Trickle Down Filter)
Half-inch pipe connects the pump to the next Biofilter. This Biofilter is set on a platform so that the bottom of the barrel is higher than the top of the tank. Water flow to the barrel is controlled by a 1-inch ball valve. Showerheads above the barrel sprinkle the water onto the filter medium, which is black bird netting.
Contents of System
The tank system has 4 satellite tanks which rest on a platform next to the larger tank and biofilters. The upper two tanks contain fish, a frog and crayfish and have stand pipes which allow water to trickle down into the lower two tanks which hold turtles. There is a pump at the bottom of each group of one upper and one lower filter which pumps the water back into the large tank.
Electrical System
Electricity is provided by the breaker which is mounted along the side of the system. It branches into 4 outlets and there are two sockets for heat lamps for the bottom 2-50 gallon tanks. There are 4 light fixtures, two above each set of 2-50 gallon tanks. The upper two fixtures are sunlight bulbs, and the bottom two are regular fluorescent lights.
