Chris, please keep us upto date with its performance. I have also been looking at this item for the last 3-4 months but what i am concerened about it wether the filter is going to get clogged with time.

I did some reading about this filter and according to what i have read it has small holes in the top of the see through section that creates small vortxes...i am worried that these holes are going to get clogged with time.

If it workes perfectly in the next 2-3 months then i will also buy one as i can see it saving me water.

Just getting back to william and the dinosaur pump issue. Can someone please tell me if you get a self priming low wattage pump? This is one of the main reasons why i am still using high wattage swimming pool pumps, i need it to be self priming. My setup is so that i cannot have my pumps below water level...so is there a power saving option for me? or am i stuck with the self priming dinosaurs?

Hi,
Some more feedback on the multi cyclone -

It works really well. A cannot get a decent photograph of the pond because of the reflection but my water was always clear and now it is definitely clearer. The sand filters do not block up so quickly and the crust that forms on the top is definitely less. (Not that I use my hands in the sand filters but rather air bump them with a Jacuzzi air blower)

The Multi Cyclone appears to be removing a lot of solids before the sand filters therefore the sand filters are taking more of the fines out of the water.

I think the Multi Cyclone would work really well on bead filters as well.

Here are some pictures of the Multicyclone used in Aquaculture applications.

Regards,
Chris

It's official -

We were sitting at the edge of the pond yesterday evening. My wife says my pond is much clearer now. The water has an extra sparkle. If my wife says the pond is clearer then it is, so it's official now.

The Multi Cyclone is not clogging up in any way and is certainly doing its job. There is a maintenance tip - flush it regularly. The majority of the water that enters the bottom clear chamber remains there as the solids and organics settle to the bottom. This water is only removed / replaced when you flush the Multi Cyclone.

Stagnant water + organics = not a good idea.

The same applies to all filters. When you trap organics they must be eliminated from the system regularly. As they degrade they negatively affect the water quality in your system because they are still in contact with the passing water.

Also place a valve on the other side of the Multicyclone so that you can close it every now and again when flushing as this will give the bottom chamber a really good blast of water to clean it.

My wife also mentioned that my pond was much cleaner and much clearer than our near-by swimming pool.

Oh well - you can't win them all ...

Regards,
Chris

Chris yor email made me laugh, thanks for that.

Will you say that the multi cyclone can replace the need for a swimming sand filter?

Hi Wayne,

I tried running the cyclone for a few days without the sand filter and it worked. Then I ran it before the sand filters and it worked better. Remember I have sand filters on my surface skimmer only.

In the above pictures you can see they have used Multicyclones without sand filter in aquaculture applications. However, the standards of clear water are much higher in koi keeping so the original concept of using this with sand filters is probably they way to go.

This is the way I figure it -

The cyclone was designed to be operated with a sand filter. It was designed to trap solids before the sand filter and reduce the solid load.

On a koi pond it traps a lot of the solids, that would go through to the sand filter, in a place where you can see them and they are very easy to discharge to waste.

This reduction in solids load enhances the sand filters performance. The sand filter then has an increased capacity to remove finer solids and the water becomes clearer.

Because of the design the Multicyclone can be fitted before any filter on a koi pond. This could be a bead filter the answer filter, the old green boxes with sponges etc.

It is far more efficient than a vortex settling tank as it removes more solids in less space and with less water to clean it. As it is pressurised it can be placed anywhere and does not necessarily have to be on ground level and gravity fed.

It seems to extend the time between back-flushing sand filters and I am sure it will extend the time in between cleaning other types of filters.

I emailed the designers with queries and they were extremely helpful and honest. They mentioned that some new larger Multicyclones will be coming on the market for industrial use. They did not say when.

In the mean time this is working very well.

Regards,
Chris

Hi Chris

if my calculations are correct 2 months has gone by now since our last discussion of the multi-cyclone.

You still happy with it? Anything new you have noticed regarding the unit.

Wayne

Wow, I don't know how I missed this post.

Please let us know, because I will be very keen on buying on.

Latest pricing and the supplier names too please ?

i'm waiting in anticipation over here.

They are quite expensive. At the Gauteng show they went for about R 4500.00. Supplier unknown.

I found it online here for 225 Pounds

http://www.absolute-koi.co.uk/subcat1294.html

Hi Wayne,

Yes its is working really well. I am very happy with it.

I would definitely install it with a valve immediately after the multicyclone itself. You can then close this valve from time to time and give the settlement tank a good flush.

It certainly collects a large amount of solids each day and I flush every two to three days. It has never blocked up in anyway. It is very easy to clean by just opening the waste valve.

The material used to make it are of good quality and it should last a long time.

It has extended the backwashing time on the sand filters. I do believe it has improved the clarity of the water.

Recently I have also, as a test, removed the sand from the filters (remember I have the sand filters on the skimmer only) and replaced this with zeolite.

I am using zeolite, not for removing ammonia (which it will do anyway) but as a cheap mechanical filtration media. The individual granule size is slightly larger than 3 - 5 mm gravel and it is much lighter. This makes the back flushing much easier for the pump you are using.

Many of my friends have been using zeolite in thier snad filters for along time and have been pestering me to change as they are really happy with teh rsults. So now we try it.

Chris

Hi,

Where did you buy it from and how much did you pay as a matter of interest?

Your opinion on it removing blanket weed and not becoming clogged?

What is your opinion on purely using the multi cyclone and removing the sand filter?

Cheers,
Cameron

Hi,
I bought it from Petmasters. Paid R5500. Adrian said the first batch was expensive as he flew them in. The new batch is being shipped out (it may have arrived already) and should be cheaper.

It was designed as a prefilter to swimming pool sand filters. Blanket weed is a big problem in ponds when it gets out of control. I wonder how it would react with the mulitcyclone?

I have mine on the surface skimmer but Ernst has his on another part of his pond. Perhaps Ernst can help us here.

The valve after the multicyclone may be the answer because when this is closed the full force of the pump blasts through the multicyclone. This would clear any leaves and algae.

I also recall Adrian at Petmasters ran one on his duck / koi pond - if I recall correctly. That's a lot of solids to contend with. And it worked well.

I see in the pictures I posted that there is a bank of multicyclones on an aquacultural facility - with out sand filters. I will contact the manufacturers and ask for more info for us.

I did run the multicycolne for two weeks with my sand filters by-passed and that worked. Long term it would be very interesting to see if the multicyclone can keep a pond as clear on its own without a sand filter. But if you are using a sand filter as a biological filter and a mechanical filter you would have to replace the gravel in the sand filter with something else to give the nitrifying bacteria a home.

Regards,
Chris

I just spoke to them. They said the next batch is coming into the country end of June at around R5k a piece.

I honestly do not believe this should be priced past R2.5k.

What is the minimum flow required for this item.

I read on a site minimum flow is 3m³/h and max is 30m³/h under 4 bar pressure. So in normal terms that is how many litres per hour?

And what would be the smallest pump to suffice?