Skimmer and Bottom Drain to Settlement Chamber(?) to Bog Filter

[jgell]

I have plans for a 180 sqft garden pond (2225 gallons) with an 64sqft bog. The plan is to keep koi, turtles and ducks. Ducks poop a lot but my experience with domestic ducks has shown they actually spend most of the time out of the water and doing their pooping on the patio. My question is do you think I need a settlement chamber? I plan on running 4000gph so from what I've read a 400 gallon SC would be the minimum size. I plan to use the aquablox system and I'm wonder if that space serves as a SC? If so, then would it make a difference using the large blox as opposed to the small ones?

 

[combatwombat]

Most folks here do not have a bottom drain at all and will tell you they don't miss it.

If you're going to have one, though, then a settling chamber is the preferred way to run it. Next "best" is plumbing it to a sieve. Maybe some would argue the sieve is better than the settling chamber. You could get away with a smaller settling chamber if you do not plumb your skimmer to it.

I plan to use the aquablox system and I'm wonder if that space serves as a SC?

Not sure what this is referring to. Aquablox get used for a lot of different purposes. If you're referring to a bog w/ aquablox at the bottom, that is essentially putting your settling chamber after the pump, which will work but is not ideal.

 

[jgell]

Thanks combatwombat. I was referring to using the aquablox at the bottom of the bog and that space being the settling chamber. I have had ducks in the past and when they are in the water they do make a mess. On my previous pond I didn't have a bottom drain at first and later put one in. I preferred having it. However, that pond was deeper than this one is planned to be.

 

[GBBUDD]

I do have a main drain two actualy which is code in my area as they are both on the same line so if one gets blocked by a person they do not get held under as the other drain will take the full drain of the pump.
That said here's my pros and cons to the main drain.
ConS
I have lost too many fish to getting sucked in or stuck to the side of the drain as i have one that is the raised bladder for air.
Secondly in the winter the main drain draws from the deepest part of the pond thus mixing and removing the warmest part of the pond where the fish want and do hang out.
In the spring it works very well pulling in leaves and plant matter and is collected in the basket strainer to the pump requiring daily if not twice a day cleaning
Having to cut the liner at the bottom of the pond is a place where the seal can fail.

Pro's
It pulls in leaves and plant matter and is collected in the basket strainer to the pump
My bottom has very little build up of any kind.
I have witnessed whirl pools at the surface from 6 feet below sucking in any debris that made it past the skimmer or negative edge.

Would i go with another main drain in my pond the answer is half yes and half no. so this is what i would do. I would before the liner is installed i would dig a trench across the bottom where i want the drains and have that trench run up the side of the pond . but again this is before the fabric and liner is installed. So once the trench is dug install the fabric running into the trech and across the entire pond. then run the liner in the same manner where it to i tucked into the trench where it was dug wide enough to except the fabric liner and the three or four inch pvc pipe. this way there is no penetration through the liner and where a simple ball valve can be installed to re direct the draw from the skimmer or negative edge.

 

[Laaf]

The ducks make more mess if they have dirt by the pond since they bring dirt to the pond as they are eating and filtering food with water. If you have gravel deep enough instead of dirt around the pond it will keep the water cleaner. Ducks indeed are messy with water.

 

[jgell]

That is a good point. I planned to have the gravel extend a good distance from the pond for entirely different reason. I have a boston terrier who doesn't like to go in the water but like to run circles around the pond barking at frogs. My temporary pond has a dirt/mud race track around it.