whats your opinion on this filtration "technique"?

[sibernation]

Concrete does crack... you'll have to build it like a pond/pool i would think :|

correct, its in the nature of the cement to crack. though, it can be kept into a minimum thru proper curing. besides that, there are lots of ways to counter act this problem on using concrete. for example, applying 3-4 coats of fiber glass, weather proof paint and many other sealant variations.

the shape of the tank being deeper in the middle causing waste to collect ther is actualy a good idal i personaly wouldnt use a ball valve like you intend to flash out the waste. youl have to worry about water levels and such throughout time accounting how much is evaporated and how much is flashed. if you use salt it doesnt evap so if levels are down you just add treated water if you open your valve may cause confusion of how much salt and whatnot was let out if that makes sence. id have a large powerhead in the centerpoint where waste is collected running to and above ground bio filter. very easy to build i did mine for 25 bucks pm me and ill show you how. thats what i use on my pond and its crystal clerar no wait. extrememly crystal clear! water pumps through it and pours right back into pond/tank similar to hob but terrific bio and polishing as well. no maintnance except pull top off and squirt off filter pads. bio stays put. youl also get great aeration from the spillway back into the pond/tank. concrete does crack over time. use pondoat at least its rubbery so if you get cracks theres give and take on the sealant. good luck with the project sounds fun!

im guessing your assuming that the tank will be marine, am i correct? the fact is it will be used to house a single arapaima, 10 silver dollars and an albino pleco.

you said ball valve is not good to use? considering now that your aware that is fresh water tank... do your suggestion still stand? if not, what would you recommend for me to use as a "switch" for the daily flushing out of waste? maybe something durable and easy to use.



i know that the bottom drain is traditionally the intake for the vortex then to the 3-5 step filtration then a spillway that runs thru a plant filtration then back to the pond again. though, the input pvc halfway down the tank would still undergo such water filtration

I dont see why this should not work. This is no different than a pool drain, Right? Just higher slant. However, I would go with earlier post and stick a pump in the middle. This would be pain to fix if you ever have drain pipe issues like clogging.

thanks for the appreciation of the design. exactly, no different that a pool drain. as for clogging, i dont think i would have that problem because i wont be using any gravel or any subs for that matter. but just to be sure. i will be putting 2 pvc lines per inlet and outlet. i mean 2 pvc lines for the center drainage to sewage, 2 for filter inlet and 2 for the return from the filter. the spare will be sealed and will only be used in case clogging occurs. though, im positive it wont.

@all
given the dimesion i mentioned, what would be the minimum dimension of the sump for proper filtration?

 

[qguy]

Nice idea, get the days waste out of sight and out of the system....

I would tend to go with using a pump in the bottom rather than the drain pipe with a valve, no substrate but smaller fish may die and get sucked in...

 

[jcardona1]

It's not a new idea...it's basically a vortex setting chamber that's used a lot in koi ponds. Only your 'settling chamber' is the aquarium itself. I would think the tank itself would need to have an extremely low current throughout to allow the waste to settle. If the flow throughout the tank is strong, it will get pushed out to the filter, defeating the purpose of the design.

Why don't you make a seperate vortex settling chamber?

 

[sibernation]

It's not a new idea...it's basically a vortex setting chamber that's used a lot in koi ponds. Only your 'settling chamber' is the aquarium itself. I would think the tank itself would need to have an extremely low current throughout to allow the waste to settle. If the flow throughout the tank is strong, it will get pushed out to the filter, defeating the purpose of the design.

Why don't you make a seperate vortex settling chamber?

@jcardona

yeah, i know that design. that diagram is missing "plant filtration". its placed after all the filtration but before it re enters the water.

does vortex setting chamber really work? i mean can it settle all the fish waste on the bottom? i went creating my design because i really dont want fish poops to get suck into the filter. thats why i siphon almost everyday. i really want to find a way to flush out the waste on a daily basis. so the load of the filter would be kept into the minimum rather just for polishing the water. not that i will be lowballing myself on filter construction. its just the peace of mind that yesterday's fish poop will be gone today. if you know what i mean. we both know, cleaning the pond scaled filter on a daily basis would be crazy. any suggestions man?

 

[EOD]

Hmmm. I don't know if this is a stupid question but don't you want fish poop to settle a bit? Isn't it the fish poop that create bacteria in the tank? (cycling if you will)
I understand that your concrete aquarium (pond) may flush poop more easily if it is shaped the way you want it but it also doesn't help much as far as creating an interesting habitat for your fish. You don't want to have any plants? It's just fish living in a concrete chamber?

 

[sibernation]

thanks for asking that question EOD. yes fish poop builds BB aka good bacteria colony. though, we need bb's to neutralize ammonia, nitrate and nitrates in the first place. and, the fish poop will settle atleast a day on the bottom. some traces of the waste will still be incorporated in the water.

as for the design, i am designing this as a semi-permanent grow out tank. im still living with my parents. a year from now, i will be getting married and will be having my own house. on that house, i will design that interesting habitat that you are talking about. but for now, i want to design it for efficiency. so, i can power feed my fish and only minimal concern on what would it do to the water parameter.

 

[jcardona1]

@jcardona

yeah, i know that design. that diagram is missing "plant filtration". its placed after all the filtration but before it re enters the water.

does vortex setting chamber really work? i mean can it settle all the fish waste on the bottom? i went creating my design because i really dont want fish poops to get suck into the filter. thats why i siphon almost everyday. i really want to find a way to flush out the waste on a daily basis. so the load of the filter would be kept into the minimum rather just for polishing the water. not that i will be lowballing myself on filter construction. its just the peace of mind that yesterday's fish poop will be gone today. if you know what i mean. we both know, cleaning the pond scaled filter on a daily basis would be crazy. any suggestions man?

They absolutely work, if set up correctly. These chambers are gravity fed the whole way, then the water is pumped back into the pond. The slow flow through the vortex chamber makes it so that heavy solids sink to the bottom, while the slow moving water continues to the next chamber.

Another option is a parabolic screen filter that can filter out particles down to 200 microns, but these things are not cheap!

http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategories/1773/Parabolic-Screen-Filter/

 

[jcardona1]

Another option would be to set up a pressurized bead filter for your mechanical filtration, then a bakki shower afterwards for your bio. This would keep any large debris from clogging up your bio media.

 

[sibernation]

i see. now i fully understand how vortex chamber works. i was assuming the water in there would be turbulent, the poop will be flying around and eventually into the filter. i might be doing the traditional pond build after all. do you know where i can find an excellent design for a vortex chamber? will really appreciate it. thanks man!