OK, crud was the wrong word. It acts like the hyroponic systems where the
plants are grown on ropes with a water trickle: the roots draw out the extra
nutrients to feed themselves, the stuff you're trying to filter out anyway.

This type of system works exactly the same way as the lava rock, just
lighter (and it won't clog, as eventually, the rock will when the pores all
fill up). In fact, if you want to, use the same idea, just fill it with the
rock instead of the bioballs! That way you don't have all the tedious
business of gluing the rocks together. Or glue the rocks to the framework.
But the less time spent glueing rocks together means the more time you can
spend digging holes G! By the way, the best way I've heard of to
clean/renew lava rock when it's all gunked up is to put it in your BBQ and
light a fire under it! The heat will sear the stuff out, and you won't have
to scrub it. When it's cooled back down, rinse it off and reuse it where you
need to.

Lee

"John Rutz" wrote in message
...


Lee Brouillet wrote:
Not that you want to hear this now, John, but you can greatly lighten
the load by making,snip

while increasing your surface area and decreasing
the effort to clean it. Just a thought!

Lee


ah but thats an addded benifit of the TT as water runs through it at a
fairly fast rate it does'nt build up crud on the inside, it constantly
washes itself clean.
its jsut a home for the bio bugs so its actualy a bio converter( my
term ) not a filter per se

where the water annd stone meet on the outside surface it builds a
verdigris like layer of algae which acts as a mini veggie filter

I havent had to touch the thing since I put in in the place where it
looked the best




John Rutz
Z5 New Mexico


see my pond at:

http://www.fuerjefe.com