CROCLIST: External Pump/Filter

Tue Dec 12 01:35:05 CET 2006

Its a indoor enclosure about 15 x 8, water area is a pool about 7ftx5ftx1ft, Trying to maintain air temps as high as possible but with how cold it is up north air temp highs now are only about 75* ish by way of 2 big red heat lamps and normal furnace heat, lows at night are staying right at 70* ..... These are ambient air temps, temps under the heat lamps (basking area) would be higher.  I'm keeping the water temps right at about 79/80* I know this is slightly high but I though this would be best for winter, I just cant get the air temps I want in the 80's and I dont want to drop the temps and winterize them as they are adults and even though they have lived there entire lifes up north they have never experianced no heating or food supply through the winter.

The more I think about your idea's the more im thinking I should just go buy a canister pump/filter and the lifegard heater module, this would probably be my best bet as its sure to work better than anything I can come up with and a lot less hassle.  I saw that lifegard has 3 differant heat modules available: single, double and tripple ........ what type of canister filter would you recumend and which size heat module do you think I would want ??

I want to set up the caniter set up outside of the enclosure so that its easy to maintain and also so its not such a hassle and the crocodiles dont have to be disturbed so much during maintance, the pool now has a drain run with pvc tubing and I dont think it will be any trouble at all to convert this drain tube to a water inlet to the canister filter, then i would only have to run a water outlet from the canister to the pool which would be nothing

Do you think the heater in the heater module would still heat the pool as good as the heater being placed directly inside the pool as it is now?  The heater is set at 85/86* now and this keeps the water 79/80* but the heat can be set as high as 90*

I appreciate your help and input with this!!

Best Regards,
Donny

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: John Paner 
  To: croclist at lists.gatorhole.com 
  Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 9:09 AM
  Subject: Re: CROCLIST: External Pump/Filter

  Hello -
    There are a number of variables that need to be determined before going further.    How large is the enclosure?  What is the air temp you are trying to maintain?  Is this indoors, if so what is the air temp there?  

  My suggestion is to buy commercially available products that already exist and will cost you about the same if not less.   A large canister filter and a heater module from rainbow lifeguard will run you about $125-$150 (depending on what you buy).  The rainbow lifeguard units take submersible heaters and hold them in a position to allow water flow completely around the heater, making it very efficient.   I have also built several of my own filters for large aquariums but this volume of water it just doesn't seem worth it.   I have used Rubbermaid totes placed above the water level of the pond.  Water is pumped from the pond into the tote.   The tote is separated into layers by eggcrate. At the bottom I have placed multiple submersible heaters.  The center is filled with bioball media and the top I layer filter pad material.  Including the pump I could guess a setup like this would cost about $250 plus. 

  John Paner

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Donny 
    To: croclist at lists.gatorhole.com 
    Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 5:07 AM
    Subject: CROCLIST: External Pump/Filter

    I would like to build a external canister type pump/filter that can be located outside of animal enclosure.

    I am thinking a a 5 or 15 gallon plastic bucket or drum and 1 inlet from the pond to the bucket and 1 outlet from the bucket to the pond .... inlet/outlet would be pvc and or rubber tubing.

    I would also like to add heating eliment to the pump/filter, I was thinking one or possibly two 250watt stealth aquarium water heaters.

    Can anyone give me some ideas and or pointers on designing this, it doesnt seem like it will be to hard but still id like to get it right and get it the best I can the first try.

    What type of pump should I use, will I need 1 or 2 pumps, 1 to get the water from the pond to the bucket and 1 to get the water back to the pond ..... or can this be done with 1 pump

    The pond is only about 150-200 gallon (estimated) 

    I originally installed PVC tubing for a drain which I dont really even use, I was thinking this could be used to move the water from the pond to the bucket

    I would like to keep cost to a mininum and use supplies that I already have if possible, stealth heater(s) and pond pumps

    Ideas, first hand accounts and suggestions would be appreciated

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    _______________________________________________
    Croclist mailing list
    Croclist at lists.gatorhole.com
    http://lists.gatorhole.com/mailman/listinfo/croclist
    Croclist Image Website: http://reptilians.org/croclist/ 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    No virus found in this incoming message.
    Checked by AVG Free Edition.
    Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.9/573 - Release Date: 12/5/2006

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  _______________________________________________
  Croclist mailing list
  Croclist at lists.gatorhole.com
  http://lists.gatorhole.com/mailman/listinfo/croclist
  Croclist Image Website: http://reptilians.org/croclist/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.gatorhole.com/pipermail/croclist/attachments/20061212/317e7a76/attachment-0001.html