I had some glass around the house and wanted to try this. Here's what I came up with. It works well, but I'm dealing with the water in the bottomless part getting a bit stagnate. I'm working on some ideas of how to solve this. I'm going to try and glue some airline in the corner to the top and connect it to a small powerhead. It works, but the powerhead is WAY too powerful. I'm still working on it. It holds about 2 gallons. I had neons and a betta in there for a while, but I've since moved them and drained it until I get all the details worked out.
I don't see how you can keep the water in the center tank well oxygenated. It has no access to atmospheric oxygen, no way to get it from the surrounding water, and any attempt to supply it will drop the water back into the lower tank, possibly overflowing it. What is your objective with this?
The water fills the inner tank entirely. It's so that the fish could swim up out of the level of the tank, basically. Heck, what's the point of any of this? It looks cool.
I've considered doing something similar a few times, but I have kids and they are destruction-y.
If I'm not mistaken the bottom portion of the front glass of the inner part doesn't extend to the bottom of the tank, is that right?
If that's the case, you're going to need a powerhead of some sort to mix the water. You could try using the pump from one of those desktop fountains that you can buy at Target/Walmart. The flow rate on those is small enough that it shouldn't cause any issues, and it ought to come with tubing that connects the pump to the fountain fixture. You could also try something like an Aquaclear 10 turned down to its lowest setting. I use that in a 3 gallon jar without any issues.
If you can keep oxygen in the raised water portion it should work ok. I would make sure the bottom tank has enough extra room to hold all of the total water in the two tanks. But, I don't see how you can get oxygen to the high tank.
Wouldn't circulating the water with a powerhead/pump/circulator work to keep it oxygenated? It seems to me that as long as the water in the upper part continously mixes with the water in the lower part, they would stay similarly oxygenated, or am I missing something?
Check on youtube, there are a few people in Malaysia or Indonesia with these types of tanks. I would think that a TINY powerhead or a really small pond pump at the base of the center tank should be able to move sufficient water around. Water goes up and moves down the side of the inside tank, flows out and mixes with the outer tank water.
All you need is an Aqualifter pump to circulate water from the lower tank to the upper tank. I don't THINK this will break the vacuum you're using as long as both intake/outlet of the aqualifter pump remain under water, so air can't backwash up into the "upper" tank.
Uses normal airline tubing but pumps water at a fairly slow rate.
All you need is an Aqualifter pump to circulate water from the lower tank to the upper tank. I don't THINK this will break the vacuum you're using as long as both intake/outlet of the aqualifter pump remain under water, so air can't backwash up into the "upper" tank.
Uses normal airline tubing but pumps water at a fairly slow rate.
I was thinking of something much like this. If you put the inlet at the very top of the inner portion and the outlet outside, it should also be able to purge the inevitable bubbles that will form in this thing, as long as they aren't too large. I'd install a check valve with a very low cracking pressure on the inlet as well, but that's just me.
Well, I did some experimenting this weekend and I think a small powerhead should work. You know how powerheads can have a hose that pulls air into the tank? Well, that hose pulls enough air to fill and keep the vacuum in the upper tank.
There's really no "point" to this. I was just bored and wanted to see if I could do it.
Just keep the water circulated between the two tank you wouldn't have to worry about oxygen issue. A power pump will solve your issue. The trick is place the pump in the outer tank and pipe the outlet of the pump to exit to the top level of your upper tank. Since your pumping new water volume into the upper tank natural it will push the same volume of water inside the upper tank out toward the bottom of the tank out to the outer tank.
Similar you can do the other way around to pipe the intake of your power pump side of the upper tank and output the water to the outer tank. Since the upper tank is under pressure by physics it will suck back up the same volume your pumping out in the upper tank from the surrounding outer tank.
Just keep the water circulated between the two tank you wouldn't have to worry about oxygen issue. A power pump will solve your issue. The trick is place the pump in the outer tank and pipe the outlet of the pump to exit to the top level of your upper tank. Since your pumping new water volume into the upper tank natural it will push the same volume of water inside the upper tank out toward the bottom of the tank out to the outer tank.
Similar you can do the other way around to pipe the intake of your power pump side of the upper tank and output the water to the outer tank. Since the upper tank is under pressure by physics it will suck back up the same volume your pumping out in the upper tank from the surrounding outer tank.
^_^ have fun with your build. Let me reword my statement in my 2nd paragraph before i get slam by a physics nut hehe.. "Since the upper tank is below atm pressure by physics the outer tank (@atm) will push back in the same volume of water into the upper tank as the pump is pumping out."
Not all powerheads will be able to pump from water at below atmospheric pressure to a spot at atmospheric pressure. Those pumps are not good for overcoming back presssure. This setup would be the same as pumping water against a 12 inch, or whatever it is, head. The reverse should work though (pumping water from low tank to the top of the high tank. And, it would probably work equally well, to pump water across the bottom of the high tank, with it held up off the substrate to allow water to flow across it.
The water in the upper part will want to sploosh into the bottom part, if you allow air to flow from outside the upper glass into the water column in there. I have seen put put vacuum pumps and check valves to /suck the air out/ though.
+1
I would place like a tunze mini 5024 at the bottom with the intake facing the lower opening of the tower and the outlet facing up into it. All water is connected so everything is aerated in the lower compartment then circulated.
Totally wicked way to recycle old glass. :thumbsup:
If you could drill a hole and fit a grommet with a pump at the top with enough power to keep the upper tank from pulling in oxygen in through the pump then you could have a sort of waterfall/fountain on top and it would pull in fresh water from the surrounding tank water.
I would think that the weight of all the water in the top portion would create one hell of a vacuum and pull in all kinds of air through a grommet(or a pump going through it), and you'd have a huge rush of water out the bottom. This works because there is no way for air to get into the top portion to replace the water inside.
To see the theory in action, fill a bucket, bathtub, or other suitably large vessel with water, put a glass cup inside if it, fill the cup with water, turn it upside down(under the surface of the water), and lift it up. It will hold water inside of it until the point where the lip of the glass breaks the surface of the water, allowing air to rush in and replace the water. I remember being much younger and doing that with cups in the bathtub.
I had never seen a tank like this before, I have checked a few out google and they look great. I hope this project goes well for you and I'm looking forward to the final outcome : )
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