Quote Originally Posted by ferfax
Oliver to make sure i understand set up say vertical tank with a syhpon at the top pulling the water. So build say a 6 inch by 3 foot box with a screen the bottom inlet with hyroton clay and a pump or syphon to the top? I read your guides learned alot I'm just trying to get this desgined in CAD so i can run some blue prints.
In my model, the vertical tank has an outlet near the top. You would probably need to put some kind of a strainer on the inside of the outlet if you are using Hydroton, as it floats.

I don't see the need or a practical way to incorporate a siphon. Just let the water being pumped into the bottom of the tank overflow out through the hole in the side near the top. Perhaps a bulkhead fitting would work. As for the water entering into, or very close to, the bottom of the tank, either a bulkhead in the side or a pipe coming into the top of the tank running all the way down on the inside to near the tank's bottom should suffice. The same with the air line.

Remember, if you run the inlet pipe up over the side of the tank, you will need to have a good flow rate in order to keep the solids suspended while going up to the tank's top before making the turn into and down to the tank's bottom. The smaller the inlet pipe, the higher the flow velocity. Ideally, a larger pipe through a fitting into the bottom of the tank would solve that potential problem.

As for the air, you will need an air pump with enough pressure to overcome the height of the water in the tank. You can feed the airline with aerator attached down from the tank's top inside as long as you have a cord of some type tied to it for removal for cleaning, as it will be in a lot of... fish poo. This can only be done if the Hydroton level is below the water level and even then it may be a challenge getting the aerator back to the tank's bottom once removed. You would want to put the aerator in and test it with the tank full of water to see if you have enough air power before adding the Hydroton. Be careful in adding the Hydroton, do so slowly, so as not to dislodge the aerator from its attached line.

Oliver