New pond design (airlift)

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vippymini
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Post by vippymini »

so using Al's uplift cleaning system how about using it for circulating the water round the pond.
all you then need is lengths of 2 inch pipe with no bends, it just flows over the top.

heres a couple of sketches. the water goes down the drain through the filters and into the trough. the wall between the trough and the pond are at or just above the water level. running the air then draws water through the filter and back into the pond.
if you need more flow you just add more tubes..


thoughts please.....
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Guy P
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Post by Guy P »

Hi Jane

I like your design and it would work great I think BUT (why is there so many buts in my posts :lol: ) can you imagine if one of my fish swam/jumped over the top into the airlift area thinking the grass was greener on the other side? They could cut themselves to pieces on the pipes, unless there was a lid over the top allowing a gap for water flow.

Ah no, looking again wouldnt the water flow over the top of the pipes and back into the sump area and not flow back to pond (much)? You'd just have water circulating around the sump area or the other way due to gravity pushing the uplifted water back down.

You'd have this sort of situation:-

[img]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/GuyP/pond1_145.jpg[/img]

Hmmm need to think a bit more about this one but hey ho off to do some more packing :roll:
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vippymini
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Post by vippymini »

mmmmmm!!
i see your point about it circulating around the end and not over into the pond. but as i see it if Al can get 2500gal in 30 minutes with only four uplift pipes then if you have 6 or 8 pipes thatll be close to 7500 gal per hour and there would be a natural difference in the water height in the trough and the pond so the water would flow pretty fast (in my mind anyway).
as for fish taking a leap into the trough you could always add a mesh fence to stop them..
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vippymini
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Post by vippymini »

0k heres another idea
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Al
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Post by Al »

Hi all,

Jane, the last diagram will work with the elbows on, ive tried it.... :D
The only other issue i can see would be suppling the chamber with enough water, you may well need 2x 4" feeds so the uplifts wont pull the filter dry. The other option would be to fit small airline valves to each uplift airstone so this could be regulated. Looks good though.... :lol:
Guy P
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Post by Guy P »

Hi Jane

Thats more or less what Im thinking of going with but with pipes through the wall and having a completely separate tank for the airlifts.

Hi Al

Mine will be fed from my Nexus 200 so I will be limited on how much flow I can produce. Will possibly only need 4 airlifts with possibly 2 FFs thrown in there.

Anybody got an idea how to incorporate a UV in an airlift only system? I think I will have to have at least one vortex running off my skimmer (as per first sketch) then pumped back to pond via UV.

Thanks for all your ideas/views so far
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