A mate of mine has +- 35000lt pond. He has 5 settlement chambers of just under 1000lts each. The bottom drain flows into the first chamber (110mm) this chamber fills up and flows into chamber 2, then chamber 2 flows into chamber 3 via 50mm holes at the bottom, then chamber 3 fills up and flows into chamber 4 via the top overflow then chamber 4 flows into chamber 5 via 50mm holes at the bottom of chamber 4. Then the pump sucks out of chamber 5 and back to the pond.

Now this is a whole new setup, the oke would like to know the best setup with regards to material\plants etc etc. What and how would be the best way to filtrate his pond via these settlement chambers.

Just want to know what would be the best material to put in chamber 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5.

Please advise ASAP as he needs to get this done this weekend so he can go get his 2 fish from Chris

This sounds like a up and under filter. - http://www.koicymru.co.uk/filter5.htm

Normally you leave the first chamber open then put some mechanic filtertation in the first 2. Something like brushes, metala or static kaldness From one gradient to the next.

Then it the chambers that follow you put your bio logical. Anything like Jap matting, matala, bio balls or aerated K1 Kaldness.

Usually people leave a chamber open for oycter shells or carbon.

Hi Wayne,

Here is my iput and it works well for me.
1. Baggs with plasic shavings (to help spread the water flo)
2. Filter brushes. hanging
3. Baggs with plastic shavings
4. can be used for shells or mix baggs again with shells
5. Alfa grogg to polish

nothing must lie on the bottom to enable sediment settlement area
although I believe your sediment should not get to the bio filter

This will not cost him an arm and a legg
nearly forgot he can plant some hyacinth in all the cambers just make sure they dont block the outlets (I use plastic mesch). I have plenty for him

What do u think
p.s.
next time u go to midas look at the ribbed tubing they sell for wire harnesses. I also like this stuff comes in different dia.

Hi Neville, i wont putt he plastic shavings first but thats just me.

Mechanical filtration first and then biological. I see plastic shavings as biological. The open chamber is for settlement - where the solids can sink and settledown....if its designed like that.

Wayne that stuff works very well for the mechanical side as well.

I would just not fill the first chamber to capacity.

Amazing Cliff, lol. You got the same advise on koi-bito aswell i see.

wayneb wrote:

This sounds like a up and under filter. - http://www.koicymru.co.uk/filter5.htm

Normally you leave the first chamber open then put some mechanic filtertation in the first 2. Something like brushes, metala or static kaldness From one gradient to the next.

Then it the chambers that follow you put your bio logical. Anything like Jap matting, matala, bio balls or aerated K1 Kaldness.

Usually people leave a chamber open for oycter shells or carbon.

schildkoi wrote:

That being said, I would set up the first chamber as pure settlement. The second with brushes for additional mechanical, the third as a moving bed bio with K1, the forth withairated J-Mat and the fifth as settlement again.

Have similar set-up on a 40000l pond, 1st chamber with brushes, then chamber 2 and 3 are fitted with Tower media from Trebor Plastics
(http://www.terboplastics.co.za/index.htm) They did the filter media for UShaka down in Durban......important part I learnt, flow between chambers needs to be sufficient to feed the pump, without water level dropping.....

Adi, you are correct. One has to calculate the flow rates carefully with a filter like this as everything is working with gravity. The setup looks roughly like this Pond -> Filter with 5 chambers -> Pump -> Pond

If one has a 15 000l / h pump then one needs make provision that the pipes feeding the filter from the pond can feed the filter with atleast 15 000l/h. Then in the filter itself one has to do the same planning as the water needs to flow from one chamber to the next fast enough so that the last chamber does not get sucked dry.

A 110ml pipe provides about 15 000l /h flow, every bend and 1 meter of piping reduces the amount of water that it can do per hour. Running a 0.75 kw pump that does (24 000l/h) on a filter setup as above with just 1 bottom drain feeding the filter will never work as the BD line cant provide water fast enough to the pump. People usually plumb their weir line into the filter to increase the flow.

If one is feeding a filter with a pump meaning that the setup is as follows pond -> pump -> filter -> pond. Then one has to realise that although water might be pumped into the filter via 50ml pipe it needs to flow out of the filter with 110mil pipe, otherwise the filter will overflow.

also keeping an 90deg etc you might have in the system in mind, then 50mm + 50mm does not equal 100mm, learnt the hard way and had to make some changes, when the pump was sucking more then the pipes could supply

It is also not ideal to suck water very fast through a filter like this as there is the contact time that one has to take into considuration and for gavity filters slower is better. Its difficult stopping a grain of sand with a brush when its coming at you at 100 miles an hour.

The up and under filter design is very popular n the UK and they usually implement a filter like that for every bottom drain in tandem. The keepers in the UK also do not use swimming pool pumps but slower energy effient pumps sometimes even submersibles.

saw that in one of the lastUK Koi magazines, they are extreemly big into submersible pumps. Have got a submersible on my smaller 2500l tank, and in 6 years have not had a single problem.

Hi there all ,

I will just like to know more how does a settlement camber work?

Regards


Quinten

Hi my Darling Q!
How is my precious GR?
Darling SC is a round shaped container like a vortex or a box like SC.
The solids inside settle by gravity. For that to happen U need to have the volume/length and flow rates correlated...for short the size of your SC has to be such that the particles have enough distance to settle.
Because of that the size of your SC will depend on your flow rate...The larger the flow rate the larger the chamber..
Some people say rule of thumb is 10% of the flow rate shoulbe the volume of your SC, or the detention time should be 5 min at list.
To calculate the detention time U divide your flow rate by the volume of the chamber ( I hope I am right, i get confused some time) I will check it and correct if not OK.
That is for pure SC ( no additions added to assist mechanical filtration like brushes, where settlement is by gravity only.
The idea is to settle the largest particles here before they go to your Mech filter that will remove finer and suspended particles.
People can put brushes, in it to reduce the size of the SC.
I put in mine izeki netting (my own invention or interpretation) and I am very happy with it.
Easy to clean, does not clog and is very cheap!
For short I am the Izeki lady! Every thing almost is izeki in my pond....Have a filter with 3 bio chambers of 10 000 Liters. First chamber sticks and stones ( He he he!) on a serious note just large hand made bricks with finer gravel and sand over it...with an air manifold under it all, for cleaning, second chamber my izeli frames, which some veteran Koi keepers in the USA tried also and are very happy with, and the 3rd chamber plastic shavings in onion sucks...But honestly speaking dont like the plastic shavings...hard to clean...U need to remove them and wash them...I am changing them soon to izeki, which is much better and it takes 5 min to clean.
In order to make the SC smaller try to put something inside to slow the speed of the particles so U need less volume for the SC.
Dont forget to calculate your dynamic and static loss, and if U need help just shout, I can do it for U.

I forgot to tell U Kent Walis has another way to use plastic shavings, a DIY simple prefilter, that is very good, and easy to make...If U need the link I can email it to U.

Hi there Neli ,

Alexander is done fine , he is growing so fast.

Thank you for the info.
I am just trying to understand the sc camber more. IT looks so easy but i am not to sure.

REgards

Quinten

Q,
It s a simple thing but has some logic and principles behind for it to work well.
I hope I explained what u wanted to know....
I am also not too good at explaining...that is why I am asking...
There are lots of formulas also to calculate the sedimentation rate of different particles, and deduce from it the size of the chamber needed....but I think the rule of thumb applies better here.
Kiss mama GR and GR from me.

Thank you Neli ,

How do you post a picture here?
I have draw a sc camber and just want to know if i am correct?

U need to post it on Photobucket or something like that, and then just put the link (paste) where U want it to appear..the bottom most link under the picture...(forgot what it was called) IMG link... Got it...

The latest for SC is to use pipes inside like a tube settler...U cut pipes and put them over each other like a box at 60 degree angle...But in SA I saw at the show...something used for cooling towers....they use it as media too...it is like a block....that is actually the correct thing to use...Nev showuld know where to get it from, since his friend Bernard is using it at the farm....but I took a picture of it when I was there so I will email it for U...It is very good, easy to clean, and it was around R700 for a big block.
Just google tube settler...A friend of mine is using it now...and he is a pro...on sewerage...and things like tube settlers...He made his from pipes...just chopped them and put them at an angle on top of each other...I will send U the link if U want.
What happens inside is that the particles conglomerate and drop by gravity into an area where they are easy to flash...very easy to maintain.
But now that I connected my sand filter to a compressor I like it a lot.
But the latest again is to build your pond stream flow desigh, put the BD like boxes at the end of the pond ( deepest part) and have the waste sedimented there and removed by a timer or air lift every one hour...
very good system...

Hi Quinten

The basic idea of a settlement chamber is that it is a "BIG" chamber where the water slows down and all the big heavy solids in the water settles \ filters out in this chamber. Basically gravity makes it sink to the bottom cause the water moves so slow. Then one can easily flush the chamber to get rif of the big solids.

There is also the opposite of a "Settlement chamber" - that is a vortex. It is more useful than a settlement chamber when space is an issue. Water gets sped up in it to settle the solids out.

Have a look at his site. http://koicymru.co.uk/construct.htm

Wayne

Hi Wayne,
Thanks....I always considered a vortex in principle a SC since:
It settles particles...
and it is used for the same purpose...
But yes...U make sense...The way they do it is different: in one the water is fast and in the other is slow...

Very often, a SC is too small and creates too much turbulence due to the water rushing into the chamber and the solids can not settle. A mistake I have seen often is settlement chambers without a flush valve.

The greatest advantage of the SC is that it catches the solids before it reaches the pump. Without the SC, the solids will reach the impellor of the pump, converting a large particle into many small ones, which will then pass your filters and find it's way back to the pond. (Pumping directly from your pond)

The other great advantage and reason why I will never go for any system without a SC, is that you can use submersible pump with a lot of saving in electricity. A submersible pump just don't work without a SC and therefore is a pre-requisite to me.

I have drawn a diagram of how I think it should be done. Sucking pipe maybe a bit lower. You can always add a piece of pipe upwards to get the best results, but you can not lower it afterwards. Any comments on the drawing welcome.

Admin,
What do U think of the estimates I have given regarding the size of SC on the previous page?

I agree with you. The rule is more or less 10% of the flow

I would say:

10 000 liter pond should ideally have a 10 000 liter/h pump with a 1000 settlement chamber

20 000 liter pond should ideally have a 18 000 liter/h pump with a 18000 settlement chamber

30 000 liter pond should ideally have a 25 000 liter/h pump with a 25000 settlement chamber.

Alteratively a smaller SC but then you bypass some of your flow to prevent solids running right through you SC and chambers back into your pond.

Thanks! I also feel SC is a must! I was forced to use the SF since I have no BD and used a flexible perforated pipe on the bottom...but if I make a new pond a SC for me will be a must...
The flow problems I see is:
U have to have enough flow for the BD pipes not to clog, or have a provision to flush them...
I did not understand why do U want to put a submersible pump in the SC...is it not better to feed by gravity to the rest of the filter chambers, and put the pump in the last chamber...to pump to returns?