Settling Tank for Two Bottom Drains- How Beneficial?

[malatu]

It sounds like a settling tank is a good idea as a way of keeping trash from making its way to the bio filter. Are the benefits worth it? If so, what are folks using for a settling tank for bottom drains.

 

[DoDad]

It depends on how many BD's and How many gallons in the pond.

 

[malatu]

It depends on how many BD's and How many gallons in the pond.

Two bottom drains. I'm looking at 6000 gallons approximately. .... 7000 at most.

 

[malatu]

I think we've decided to get to tanks form Lowes and hook them up in series ..... gravity fed.... use the first tank as the settling tank and place the pump in the second tank. Should work ... shouldn't it?

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

How are you going to clean out that first tank? I'm curious.

 

[malatu]

How are you going to clean out that first tank? I'm curious.

We asked ourselves that question as well. Didn't have a good answer. I thought of making a screen or a basket of sorts that could be lifted out.

We were looking at using a basement sump tank at lowes. If I remember, it's 24" deep .... a long way to reach down! I am open for suggestions.

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

I told you on another thread about my decision to nix the settling bin for that reason. Go with an external filter, with a good leaf basket/priming pot, and I don't use a csettling tank., other than the bottom 4 or 5 inches of my biofilter.

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

Oh, BTW, with a bottom drain, a screen will grab some stuff, but that settling tank will slowly fill up with fish poop. Nasty cleaning job.

 

[malatu]

How do you keep the fish poop from being blended like a smoothie and being sent to the bio filter?

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

I don't. That's what the biofilter is supposed to do. I built a vortex biofilter in a 100g stock tank. The vortex is created in the bottom 4-5 inches, which are clear of media. I have a bottom drain installed, and a garden hose plumbed into my water supply to the filter. The filter's drain is a clear vinyl hose 5' long. Every couple weeks, I kill the pump, drain the filter, then start the pump again, diverted to my garden hose to flush out the filter. The clear vinyl hose lets me see what's coming out, and when it's clear, I stop, close the hose, reopen the filter intake valve, refill the filter, and let it go. That way, I get about a 5% water change every couple weeks. Do it right after a good rain, and it brings the level back down to normal.

 

[malatu]

Thanks for the info.... I don't remember reading the that particular reply ... but I'm sure I did. Lot's of stuff I'm reading and looking at. Got to give this more thought. I was pretty much sold on a settling tank.

With that said, if I decide to use a settling tank, it will be about 3 ft above the bottom drains at pond level. Using this gravity system, will there be enough flow to take the solids "up hill"?

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

BTW, collect that stuff and it's liquid gold for your plants.

 

[hewhoisatpeace]

I guess first, have you decided on a pump? Or rather, style of pump?

 

[cauzeneffeckt]

For your settling tank, create a bottom drain or lower drain with a valve so you can just dump it out..

also settling is pretty difficult to achieve with just 1 55 gal tank... I would create a micro screen on the outlet of your settling tank and that will do the trick...

SO you have some what of a true settling tank and a method of cleaning

 

[DoDad]

With any gravity fed filters or settling chambers you need a sump.
I have a 18" x 18" x 24" deep one. I have a harbor freight sump pump( about $50)
Works great!
If you have your pump first you puree the poop and that is hard to settle.