OttawaPonder
01-06-2006, 07:20 PM
I have three 100 gal rubbermate stock tanks on one side of my indoor pond room.
I have one tank for a settling chamber and a place to over winter some of my out door pond plants. I also wanted all 3 tanks tied in together while at the same time to be able to use one of the two main tanks or both fro new or sick fish. A QT - while still having the rest of the system up and running as it was if needed.
I knew I wanted bottom drains!! However, I did not want to put any holes in the bottom of the tank. This way if I stop having fish or we move far away - I could have more options to whom I could market the tanks and that should help me unload them faster. I could not picture anyone other then a PONDER - wanting to buy stock tanks after I had put holes in them.. LOL
So picture a U shape layout. At the bottom part of the "U" is my settling chamber. On either side I have the main tanks. One for new or sick fish and the other one as a back up - That way if I have new fish arrive and some that are sick and needing QT during the same time frame I can do it with the same set up.
Now the bottom drains exit each of the two main tanks from the hole that was facture supplied if one wanted to use a heater. That way I did not have to drill any other holes - So far - fingers crossed. :grin:
With the two main tanks sitting across from each other I staggered the plumbing so one attaches to the bottom drain pipe work a few inches before the other one. I used "Y" for both - one in line just before the other. Then the pipe work which is in between the two main tanks leads down to the bottom of the "U" shape set up to the third tank or the settling chamber. In side the settling chamber I placed a 90deg and either 45s or 22s to rap it back around to the same side in which it entered the tank and made it run along one side wall on wehile laying on the bottom of the settling chamber. I did this so the water coming out of the pipe from either or both of the main tank's bottom drains would flow over/around the 300 watt heater I use to heat up the water. This helped to protect the heater from over heating. And by putting it in the settling chamber I no worries now - about fish being around it.
Now you might be wondering how I made the BD's? I first used a PVC male threaded connector (srry don't know it's name) that has a little lip of PVC male pipe on the end. It took a little time to rework the threads so it would thread into the female threads already part of the stock tank. Then I used a street 90. I slide the female part of the 90 over that little pvc lip I spoke of above. That left me with another male end, off the first street 90, to which I used yet another street 90 to slip over the first one. LOL With me so far. :grin: Then I used a female connector to slide over the male part of the last street 90. That left me with a female connector - so I cut some pvc pipe long enough to be glued inside the last female connector with just enough of the pipe left over so I was able to glue on a T fitting and have none showing. This also placed the bottom part of the "T" right in the middle of my 100 gal stock tank. You must use a "T" fitting that has a sweep leading to the side part of the "T" fitting and NOT a straight one!! The reason for this - to have better flow.
So picture if you will a "T" which is placed so that the bottom is now the side and that is the one with the sweep - which becomes the exit part of my bottom drain system. And for the bottom drain it self I used a 1.5" to 3" reducer made to fit by cutting off about half of the 1.5" side. You might be wondering why use a "T"? What is the other connector going to be used for? That other connector is now sticking striaght up from where I have the bottom drain. I placed a dishwasher connector there. So now If I want the bottom drain to flow out of the main tank and go to the settling tank I smiply use a rubber plug to block off the dishwasher connector. HOWEVER - if I need to use one of my tanks as a QT - I close the ball valve - oh thats right - I have a ball valve just out side all three tanks. So I close the ball valve to whichever of the two main tanks I want to become a QT and I remove the rubber plug and I simply slide the hose of one of my large canister filters over the dishwasher connector. That hose becomes the inlet to my filer and yet it still uses the BD. That way that tank becomes a QT and the water gets pulled up from the bottom drain to the canister filter and then back to the tank. With one, or only a few fish, the filter does not need cleaning that often. And when the filter goes back online with the entire system and the inlet is placed back in the settling chamber - the filter needs even less cleaning then. GOT to like that!! less maintenance.
Now when the main tanks are used for healthy fish - Like when I over winter my out door pond fish - I put the rubber plug back on the dishwasher connector, I open the ball vavle and I place the hose that is the inlet to the canister filter back in the settling chamber. That way the water and debis leaves the main tank by gravity and the inlet hose of the filter draws its water from the settling chamber now and not the one tank as above. Then after it passes through the filter it returns back to the main tank. And it goes around and round and around again and again. LOL (being silly)
I hope to post pictures srping/summer 2006
PS gving my weee lil brain and eyes a break - so I will have to reread this another time. Hope it is understandable.
I have one tank for a settling chamber and a place to over winter some of my out door pond plants. I also wanted all 3 tanks tied in together while at the same time to be able to use one of the two main tanks or both fro new or sick fish. A QT - while still having the rest of the system up and running as it was if needed.
I knew I wanted bottom drains!! However, I did not want to put any holes in the bottom of the tank. This way if I stop having fish or we move far away - I could have more options to whom I could market the tanks and that should help me unload them faster. I could not picture anyone other then a PONDER - wanting to buy stock tanks after I had put holes in them.. LOL
So picture a U shape layout. At the bottom part of the "U" is my settling chamber. On either side I have the main tanks. One for new or sick fish and the other one as a back up - That way if I have new fish arrive and some that are sick and needing QT during the same time frame I can do it with the same set up.
Now the bottom drains exit each of the two main tanks from the hole that was facture supplied if one wanted to use a heater. That way I did not have to drill any other holes - So far - fingers crossed. :grin:
With the two main tanks sitting across from each other I staggered the plumbing so one attaches to the bottom drain pipe work a few inches before the other one. I used "Y" for both - one in line just before the other. Then the pipe work which is in between the two main tanks leads down to the bottom of the "U" shape set up to the third tank or the settling chamber. In side the settling chamber I placed a 90deg and either 45s or 22s to rap it back around to the same side in which it entered the tank and made it run along one side wall on wehile laying on the bottom of the settling chamber. I did this so the water coming out of the pipe from either or both of the main tank's bottom drains would flow over/around the 300 watt heater I use to heat up the water. This helped to protect the heater from over heating. And by putting it in the settling chamber I no worries now - about fish being around it.
Now you might be wondering how I made the BD's? I first used a PVC male threaded connector (srry don't know it's name) that has a little lip of PVC male pipe on the end. It took a little time to rework the threads so it would thread into the female threads already part of the stock tank. Then I used a street 90. I slide the female part of the 90 over that little pvc lip I spoke of above. That left me with another male end, off the first street 90, to which I used yet another street 90 to slip over the first one. LOL With me so far. :grin: Then I used a female connector to slide over the male part of the last street 90. That left me with a female connector - so I cut some pvc pipe long enough to be glued inside the last female connector with just enough of the pipe left over so I was able to glue on a T fitting and have none showing. This also placed the bottom part of the "T" right in the middle of my 100 gal stock tank. You must use a "T" fitting that has a sweep leading to the side part of the "T" fitting and NOT a straight one!! The reason for this - to have better flow.
So picture if you will a "T" which is placed so that the bottom is now the side and that is the one with the sweep - which becomes the exit part of my bottom drain system. And for the bottom drain it self I used a 1.5" to 3" reducer made to fit by cutting off about half of the 1.5" side. You might be wondering why use a "T"? What is the other connector going to be used for? That other connector is now sticking striaght up from where I have the bottom drain. I placed a dishwasher connector there. So now If I want the bottom drain to flow out of the main tank and go to the settling tank I smiply use a rubber plug to block off the dishwasher connector. HOWEVER - if I need to use one of my tanks as a QT - I close the ball valve - oh thats right - I have a ball valve just out side all three tanks. So I close the ball valve to whichever of the two main tanks I want to become a QT and I remove the rubber plug and I simply slide the hose of one of my large canister filters over the dishwasher connector. That hose becomes the inlet to my filer and yet it still uses the BD. That way that tank becomes a QT and the water gets pulled up from the bottom drain to the canister filter and then back to the tank. With one, or only a few fish, the filter does not need cleaning that often. And when the filter goes back online with the entire system and the inlet is placed back in the settling chamber - the filter needs even less cleaning then. GOT to like that!! less maintenance.
Now when the main tanks are used for healthy fish - Like when I over winter my out door pond fish - I put the rubber plug back on the dishwasher connector, I open the ball vavle and I place the hose that is the inlet to the canister filter back in the settling chamber. That way the water and debis leaves the main tank by gravity and the inlet hose of the filter draws its water from the settling chamber now and not the one tank as above. Then after it passes through the filter it returns back to the main tank. And it goes around and round and around again and again. LOL (being silly)
I hope to post pictures srping/summer 2006
PS gving my weee lil brain and eyes a break - so I will have to reread this another time. Hope it is understandable.