I have two ponds. Each has a vortex filter. One has the W Lim large vortex
and one sequence pump pumping about 3500 gallons and it works well. The
exit pipe on this one has a piece of hardware cloth covering the exit pipe
to keep frogs from taking the ride to the pump. The other has a different
vortex, about the same size and has two sequence pumps, handling about 2
times the flow and it does not provide enough settlement time. This one I
use a piece of Matala to cover the exit pipe and it collects a lot of the
algae and other debris before it goes to the pumps. There are a couple of
microstrainers out there that are pressure washed from the inside to keep it
a hands free cleaning, supposedly, but I think they are more than I want to
spend. I have had small fish take the ride to the vortes filters, but a
small net gets them out and back to the pond. I don't think that I have had
one make the trip twice.

--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html
Zone 7A/B Virginia
"Pond Addict" wrote in message
...
Sorry, yeah I'm all over the place with the ideas on this thread.

Right, I was thinking of adding a fish catching basin+settlement tank,
open and pond-side, rather than a sealed tank by the pump. That would
save having to carry critters out of the basement, and would give me a
chance to add a bottom drain shutoff valve outside which I kind of
wish I had, rather than just the pump area ones. Of course the digging
4-6' down is a drag, but I'm focusing on design rather than my back at
the moment.

Basically, I don't want to end up pulling so much with the pump that
there's no settlement occurring. It seems to me like a good approach
would be to have a "fish catching basin" that feeds in a fish-proof
way to a settlement tank/vortex rather than combining the two into
one. Or doesn't it much matter?

Dave