bell syphon flow rate

[Scott Hay]

Hi i am bran new to this. This is my problem i have a grow bed on top with a bell siphon it drains to a 10 gallon tank then the ten gallon tank is on a constant siphon to a 50 gallon tank, the 50 gallon tank pumps to the grow bed. I have a gate valve on the constant siphon and i can get the flow of the whole system running the same but the bell siphon drops different amounts of water every time. I was wondering can i tune up the bell siphon were it will drop exactly the same amount of water every time or should i ditch the middle tank?

 this is a crappy video of what me system looks like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G9rtNohbW8

[Helratz]

Where are you planning on putting your fish in the 10 gallon or the 50 gallon tank?

[Helratz]

Also if you're putting your fish in the 50 gallon tank what were your thoughts behind the 10 gallon?

[Scott Hay]

well i was planning on putting sucker fish in the ten gallon and catfish in the bottom and the transport the baby catfish to the ten gallon.

[Helratz]

Okay so you do have a use for the 10 gallon. That's all I needed to know. You have two choices you can increase the size of the siphon going between the 10 to the 50 this may help to balance it or your best solution is to have the bell siphon drain directly into the 50 gallon tank. That in imbalance you're seeing at the 10 gallon tank is caused from that siphon going between the 10 and the 50 gallon. Also you don't need that black hose on the bell siphon and make sure it's weighted down so it doesn't float up a bit. This could also change your flowrate.

[Helratz]

Keep in mind the bell siphon will always cause some imbalance of flowrate in the system. With the growbed filling up and then draining all at once you're going to see that. However the first solution will alleviate some of that, but the second solution will transfer the imbalance seen in the 10 gallon down to the 50 gallon.