Project Log - 1000 Gallon African Cichlid Pond Revamp (Active)

[kris2341]

This is one of my eldest systems and truth be told, it is a HUGE pain due to how much back breaking labor is involved in keeping it clean that I actually just gave up on the waterfall filtration and am looking into alternatives.

The cichlids inside wound up being so prolific that I wound up seeing some inbreeding problems and cannot introduce any new blood without breaking the bank as the fish in the pond are too big and growing out fish to their size would take a year at least. Due to being unable to maintain the system and waterchanges being unable to do anything to the gunk building up in the falls, I lost a few beautiful specimens.

Details on this in the future.

Plan summary:

1. Clear all the crud outta the waterfall.
2. Empty waterfall and/or replace the waterfall filtration system with a more manageable alternative.
3. Switch the electric heater array to a gas heat exchanger setup.
4. Potentially find new fish to put in there to add blood variety and restore livelihood.
5. Consider a continuous water change system.

As far as water changes go, I have been using this cichlid pond as the discus water dump for my grow out tanks recently. I just cant dump 100 gallons a day on the ground with a clear conscience anymore...

[kris2341]

Update, as the weather is starting to get cooler, the issue of heating this pond has been pushed to top priority.

the plan to integrate a hydronic heating system into the 1000g pond is now underway!

Current actions:

1. Bought stainless steel 155k BTU pool heat exchanger off of ebay to be my main heating element, mainly to get it and look into the types of fittings i will need to integrate it into my system as well as how to clean it.
   Link for reference: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151062531023...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
   
   
2. Emailed Jehmco earlier today to discuss the purchase a linear air pump for the tank rack and a temperature controller for the pond. No response as of this evening, hopefully I will get a response tomorrow! If they don't or the controller is not rated for outdoor use, I will buy the Aqualogic controller from MarineDepot as I expect this system to be done by next weekend.
   Links for reference: http://www.jehmco.com/html/temperature_controller.html http://www.marinedepot.com/Aqua_Logi...FITETC-vi.html
   
   
3. Looking into hot water recirculating pumps for the pond and am heavily considering a Watts pump from Home Depot, mainly because it would be easy to replace if an issue arises, just pull it out, box it, and bring to the Home Depot. Thankfully the timer can be disabled, making it perfect for this duty.
   Link for reference: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Watts-Hot...stomer_reviews

[DC Discus]

I'm pretty sure the Jehmco and Aqua logic are the same controller, you should check though. I've had an Aqua logical chiller outside in the sun and weather for 6 years now uncovered. I usually make plexiglass covers that are hinged to keep the water off them though (have three setup this way). You can get cheap plastic collectable containers and cut them in half and use it upside down with hinges at the top as a good cover, that way you can read the display easily;

http://www.lnt.com/product/food-cani...utm_medium=cpc

Please let us know how the heat exchanger's quality is and if you're happy with it. I'm always interested in heat exchange systems. Also, a lot of the koi pond people have been switching to DIY K1 Kaldness media filters using food grade 55 gallon drums, might be easier on the maintenance.

Cheers,
DC

[kris2341]

thanks DC, the controller electronics are the same, but the probe on the Aqua logic is changed to a titanium waterproof probe and is a Nema 4x rated enclosure

but John at Jehmco said that the probe on their ranco controller has been holding up under water just fine, even though its not rated for it. So i just took his word on it.

[kris2341]

hydronic heating system finally in place!

to be honest, I am utterly amazed at how capable the heat exchanger is...

it is a 155k BTU unit but to actually feel it, the hot water PEX pipe going IN is extremely HOT as it goes to the heat exchanger, the PEX pipe going OUT, going back to the water heater is barely warm to the touch...

That means the heat exchanger is really doing its thing in there... I am very happy with the results.







now to fix up the filtration and make it NOT green so it would actually be a worthy feature to show off....

[kris2341]

Pond is now sitting at 78F, it was 73F when I first installed it earlier today at 2:30 (when i posted the pictures), the weather was definitely overwhelming the few functioning tube heaters left in the pond.... Sure am glad I managed to get the new heating system up and running today before it truly gets cold...

this is some powerful stuff! brought up about 1000 gallons 5 degrees in 2 hours!

2 more degrees until it hits 80F, the temperature i set it to.

Considering just how powerful this is, I probably should look into getting a 2nd controller. If this thing fails, it would only take one night to boil my pond with the rate it is going... Ranco or not, it still has a possibility of failing.


On another note, I havent been able to find my oscar for 2 days now, I wonder if he made a jump for it... One of the neighborhood cats probably had a feast if that is the case, he was pretty huge....

[kris2341]

Its officially 80F now, good lord this thing is powerful... 2 and a half hours to go up 7 degrees huh? Even if the pond was double or triple the size, that is still a fearsome amount of heating power to use... I am actually somewhat afraid of this thing...

[Disgirl]

You better stay up all night and keep checking the temp. Wouldn't want to get up in the morning to a pond that is hot. What kinds of fish are in there?
Barb

[kris2341]

ok so 2.42 watts of power is required to raise 1 gallon of water 1 degree

this is 1000 gallons raised 7 degrees so (2.42watts)(1000gallons)(7degrees)=16940watts of power used not factoring heat losses and temperature differences...

16940watts/2.5 hours = 6776 watts/hour or 6.776kWh

not sure if the math is right but the calculation seems more or less correct, I essentially strapped a 7kW heater to my pond.... oh boy..

[kris2341]

You better stay up all night and keep checking the temp. Wouldn't want to get up in the morning to a pond that is hot. What kinds of fish are in there?
Barb

The fish are mainly african cichlids, Lake Malawi Mbuna cichlids and the odd hap here and there and 1 tropheus as a survivor of a cichlid war (long story). I had an oscar but I dont think hes around anymore because I havent seen him in 2 days.

The Ranco controller I got from Jehmco is keeping the temperature solid, but that is the only thing controlling this monstrosity....

[rickztahone]

Can't view pics here at work but I will definitely check it out when you get home!

I've said it before, and I will say it again, you are a busy bee .

Thanks for sharing.

[kris2341]

Haha thanks Rick, Ive been in this hobby a comparatively short time compared to most old timers but I have my own unique experiences under my belt!

I consider this project to be a complete success! A 155k BTU tube in shell heat exchanger hooked up to a water heater with recirculating pump proves to be an extremely powerful heater with the equivalent heat power output of 7kW

There are two glaring problems with this however, the recirculating pump is controlled by one mere controller, if that controller fries, it will only take 3 and a half hours for the pond to hit 90F, very bad... It wont even stop there as I am sure if the pump keeps circulating, the system will eventually approach the same temperature as the hot water itself, which is about 180F... So I plan to get another controller very soon.

There is also the matter of the pumps, the recirculating pump and the circulation pump in the pond can potentially fail, causing the unit to go cold. A way to deal with this is to use recirculating pumps in series and have parallel circulation pumps with check valves in the main pond.

[kris2341]

Found my oscar, looks like he wasn't appreciating the cold weather we've been having lately... But he came up to eat good again now that the pond is warm. Pond temperature has been sitting steady at 80F like a rock, this controller is really something! The system doesnt even use much of the hot water either.

I honestly can't wait for it to get truly cold so I can show a picture of the pond producing a fog over everything, its a very interesting and cool looking effect!

[MKD]

It looks good so far, can't wait to see its completely running. does the heater require GFCI breaker? Man, man, man i can't imagine your electric bill will be.

[kris2341]

It looks good so far, can't wait to see its completely running. does the heater require GFCI breaker? Man, man, man i can't imagine your electric bill will be.

its not electric, its GAS! so it should be quite manageable.

At the very least, it should be a lot better than before when i was running 8 Via Aqua 300w heaters in here...

A GFCI is always a good idea, but the recirculation pump that drives this system doesnt use much power at all.

Running aquarium heaters in here was awful, because the pond is something about 3 feet deep, having the heaters next to the pump at the bottom caused them all to eventually leak and corrode. Basically on top of a fairly high amount of power being used, I had to replace the heaters annually.

sure they are about $10 each but thats $80 a year on top of power costs.

Now I think there will be much less hassle heating the pond and I wont need to be buying anymore heaters.