Do you know what this is?

Mirror Lake 444

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I build this recently and it's doing it's thing in my basement. Does anyone know what it is? Yes this is science related.

:D

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I love the pattern of the center of this thing.

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Hmmmm, looks like it could be propelled by water from the photo of the center part that you took the close up of...but from the angle of the larger shot it looks like it's resting on the green filtered spindle, so I'm really clueless what application that would be for or WTH it does.

But in my basement during the monsoon rains it could be an entertaining floatation device that might be absorbent too:confused:
 
Hmmmm, looks like it could be propelled by water from the photo of the center part that you took the close up of...but from the angle of the larger shot it looks like it's resting on the green filtered spindle, so I'm really clueless what application that would be for or WTH it does.

But in my basement during the monsoon rains it could be an entertaining floatation device that might be absorbent too:confused:

It does have something to do with water. Good deduction. You're getting warm. :D

If no one comes up with an answer in a few days I'll show it in action and what it does.
 
the center part looks like either an impeller or maybe a waterwheel of some sort, but the photo shows the pipe aimed the wrong direction for that. The ends look like a filter of some kind, but there is no case.

I'm stumped.

Is that cardboard or something similar in the ends?
 
It looks like a homemade pelton wheel set up but it's put in backwards--maybe to throw us off--for the direction of the wheel cups.
 
the center part looks like either an impeller or maybe a waterwheel of some sort, but the photo shows the pipe aimed the wrong direction for that. The ends look like a filter of some kind, but there is no case.

Excellent observation! Yes, I had the frame turned around the first time so it was backwards. The center is a waterwheel which turns it.

I'm stumped.

No you came pretty close.

Is that cardboard or something similar in the ends?

You mean the pink ends? No cardboard. Closed cell foam for flotation.
 
Is that a homemade water filteration system for a huge saltwater fish tank?

Close enough. I'm really impressed by the intelligence here!

It's known as an RBC (Rotating Biological Contactor). I'm using it in an RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) (Freshwater). It's a small scale system to overwinter some fish fingerlings and get some experience with this kind of thing. The tank is supposed to be three times the size of the one in the below photo. I got the plans out of a book called Small Scale Aquaculture by Steven VanGorder. Excellent book if you want to raise your own fish for food with limited resources.

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This one provides 600 ft2 of surface area for two types of bacteria to grow on via 50 fiberglass plates (cut from fiberglass roofing sheets) and 50 polystyrene plastic sheets. One type of bacteria changes harmful ammonia produced by fish to nitrites, which in turn the other kind of bacteria changes the also harmful nitrites to nitrates which are pretty much harmless to the fish in moderate quantities. It's known as nitrification and is a natural process in all outdoor waters.

A 55 gallon drum draws in water to the bottom of it, and waste particles from the fish tank (350 gallons) via a U shaped siphon tube. The water is then pulled up via a small 5 gpm pump at the top of netting bunched in the tank, and then the water makes it way to the frame of the biofilter where it drops down on the waterwheel, and turns the RBC. With the drum, which is known as a clarifier, the particles are trapped under the netting, and periodically sprayed off of the netting and flushed down a drain in the bottom of the drum.

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I have four ponds on the property where I raise fish in static and flow through ponds, and some in floating cages, and want to get my feet wet using a different type of system. I want to raise beautiful fish like this, in this kind of system, vs. one of my outdoor ponds this one came out of. Less water use, better biosecurity, temperature control, and no predators.

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It looks like a homemade pelton wheel set up but it's put in backwards--maybe to throw us off--for the direction of the wheel cups.

I'll have to look up what a pelton wheel is. I've never heard of that. But I didn't put it on backwards to throw anyone off. I just got it wrong the first time. :eek:
 
So, the water comes through the pipe on the right, then turns the wheel by spraying on the center wheel. It isn't a pump, then, but a water wheel. the force of the water spins the wheel, but for what purpose? The device must be stationary, as it has to be hooked up to the water supply. The wavy material on the sides is, what? That's the mystery.
 
So, the water comes through the pipe on the right, then turns the wheel by spraying on the center wheel. It isn't a pump, then, but a water wheel. the force of the water spins the wheel, but for what purpose? The device must be stationary, as it has to be hooked up to the water supply. The wavy material on the sides is, what? That's the mystery.

The water comes up to the frame of the biofilter via the white hose which is fed into the frame and comes out the male looking tube where it drops onto the waterwheel.

The filter is rotated to alternately expose the plates (green and white) to water and air. The bacteria needs a good supply of oxygen and exposing it to air allows that. However it's not exposed long enough to dry out.

The PVC frame is stationary but floats. The filter itself also floats due to the pink closed cell foam disks. However I now have the PVC frame also clamped to the tank which stabilizes the rotation keeping it more consistent.

Wavy material on the sides? Do you mean the green material? If so that is the fiberglass roofing cut into plates (circles) and with each one rotated ninety degrees to each other to create more spacing between the pieces.
 
I guess our posts crossed.

Now that is one fat brook trout! So, the device is to use bacteria to purify water and change what might be harmful to fish into something that is more benign, thus allowing more fish to be raised in a smaller area, correct?

The trout hatcheries I've seen involve concrete tanks near a water source, with water flowing constantly. The fish take up quite a lot of room, and are subject to predation by ospreys and other critters as well.

Does the department of fish and game know about this? As an avid angler, anything that could produce more trout is of interest to me.
 
I guess our posts crossed.

Now that is one fat brook trout! So, the device is to use bacteria to purify water and change what might be harmful to fish into something that is more benign, thus allowing more fish to be raised in a smaller area, correct?

You are spot on!

The trout hatcheries I've seen involve concrete tanks near a water source, with water flowing constantly. The fish take up quite a lot of room, and are subject to predation by ospreys and other critters as well.

Yes those are raceways. You need lots of water for those. I'm not sure why they aren't covering the raceways with predator netting?

Does the department of fish and game know about this? As an avid angler, anything that could produce more trout is of interest to me.

Yes. They are showing up more and more. There are other types of biofilters too.
 
Thanks for the explanation and the answer to those Green Plastic parts...I kept thinking that those sure looked familiar but I wasn't coming up with what exactly they were.

Isn't PVC the wonder of the 20th century...just imagine what Einstein/Franklin and Edison could have done with that stuff around...LOL
 
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Isn't PVC the wonder of the 20th century...just imagine what Einstein/Franklin and Edison could have done with that stuff around...LOL

Yes it is! You can make just about anything you want out of it with the right fittings and not just plumbing. And it's not that expensive.

Here are six of my floating cages in the biggest pond built out of PVC where I have sorted yellow perch and bluegill by size and sex.

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