[Gulfcoastguy]

Is this what you were looking for?
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals/148380-haha-more-tanks-4-dirt-tanks-5.html

 

[GeToChKn]

Yes, that was the idea. Going to give it a shot and see. Figured if I block off the pipes with some sponge/mesh, shrimp can't go between, use 2 sets of pipes per tank to account for clogging, should be good.

 

[randyl]

Yes, that was the idea. Going to give it a shot and see. Figured if I block off the pipes with some sponge/mesh, shrimp can't go between, use 2 sets of pipes per tank to account for clogging, should be good.

Two sets should be good, three is better ;-) The problem is I'd be worried all the time about that small chance when both fail, I'll have a lot of clean up to do.

I just did a 40G in three sections last week (I know you're against that ;-), I left 1" clearance on the bottom and have two sets of pipes connecting the 3 sections, 1 is the canister outflow (each sections gets a outflow), 1 serves the same idea as the u tubes connection all three sections. The water level is always the same in the three sections. And even if it still manages to fail, the dividers are 1' short of the top so the water can still flow to the next section. No chance to flood unless the canister pipe breaks outside of the tank, but then that can happen to anyone.

 

[GeToChKn]

Just did a test with 2 tank and 1 pipe, water level leveled out in about 30 seconds. Should work good. Now I have to switch a 10gal with somewhere because the one in the middle is 3/8" shorter than the other 2. lol. Different brands I guess.

 

[antiquefloorman]

Pictures!!! So what do you do, put filter discharge in one tank and return in another??

 

[GeToChKn]

Pictures!!! So what do you do, put filter discharge in one tank and return in another??

No, each tank can have its own filter. You just put a upside down U pipe in between the 2 tanks, I took a piece of airline tubing into the U and sucked until the air was out and a siphon was started. Then any changes in the 1 tank were reflected in the 2nd tank because of gravity and the siphon. I'll get some pics once I set it up and see how it works long term, and as soon as I get around to swapping out another 10gal with the one that is shorter. Driving me nuts being a tad shorter. lol.

 

[antiquefloorman]

What is this accomplishing??

 

[Soothing Shrimp]

I really like the idea of the stability of water params, but of course the danger is if something happens (Ie. bad bacteria), then all the tanks have it.

 

[GeToChKn]

What is this accomplishing??

giving 3 10gal tanks the water volume of a 30gal for param stability, etc while putting mesh on the U pipes will prevent shrimp from crossing sides, so I can have CBS, CRS, golden in 3 tanks with the stability of 30gals.

Yes, bacteria infections could be a problem but I think 30gals of water helps mitigate that as 10gal it is much more concentrated. I'm pretty up on watching my shrimp and my tanks all the time, so anyone that looked sick would be taken out right away, but I haven't had any deaths in months now and am slowing getting this hobby down. lol.


Plus I'm sick as hell today, not working, so just playing around starring at 3 empty 10gals on my shelf and remembering I've seen it done before.

 

[moosenart]

Bacteria infections is what I would worry about. I would want to lose 100+ shrimp instead of 1ish.

 

[GeToChKn]

Bacteria infections is what I would worry about. I would want to lose 100+ shrimp instead of 1ish.

No much different that having a 30gal tank and a 100 shrimp in it, get a bacteria infection, possible same outcome.

 

[wkndracer]

Where the heck are you guy's going to get all this bad bacteria or a killer bug from that you are worried about?

I quarantine all new stuff before it gets in my tanks and don't think I have that worry.
A contaminated food source will end up everywhere anyway so isolation solves nothing there.

Single 1" PVC will handle 265gph no problem. The 20g rack w/2 pipes is a 500gph sump pump return, I like it.

 

[GeToChKn]

Where the heck are you guy's going to get all this bad bacteria or a killer bug from that you are worried about?

I quarantine all new stuff before it gets in my tanks and don't think I have that worry.
A contaminated food source will end up everywhere anyway so isolation solves nothing there.

Single 1" PVC will handle 265gph no problem. The 20g rack w/2 pipes is a 500gph sump pump return, I like it.

I'm going to do 2-3 1" pipes as I have those sitting around and the elbows for it. Not doing a sump, just want to share the water between the 3 tanks, and doing 2-3 will allow for any being clogged, although I doubt that will happen, I check all my tanks everyday for filter flow, water levels, TDS, pH, etc so I should be ok with 2, but 3 if I have the PVC and elbows here. I like the idea of having stability of the params between the 3, especially for crystals and being able to separate them.

 

[[email protected]]

If you want to drill them, here's my solution to cheap bulk head fittings. About $1.00 for the three parts.
3/4" electrical conduit fittings and a #18 O-ring for the seal.
Instead of an intake strainer, use a jig saw and a thin blade to cut slits in the riser tube. Or a table saw and then slip a sponge over the end.

 

[GeToChKn]

I thought of drilling and connecting them. Never drilled a tank before though so not sure I want to do it. lol. Nor do I have the proper glass hole saw. If I can find, I might do that. I'm in no hurry to set this up, so just playing with how i want to do it.

 

[Gulfcoastguy]

There are several youtube videos on drilling tanks you can watch that are very informative on how to do it, finding the diamond bit hole saw to drill them is the money part I researched it awhile back the bits around 50 bucks. And I thought the only way for it to really work is you have to have water pumped in to the first tank the flow runs thur the tanks thur the pipes and the last tank has the water coming out back to the pump going back to the first you would at least have to have a small powerhead in the last tank pumping the water out and going back to the first in order to keep a *flow* going ..yes?

 

[discus fever]

I may have missed something, but without a pump moving water between the tanks you are not really increasing your volume. Each tank will evapoarate at approx the same rate and very little water will exchange. It wouldn't take much, just a small powerhead sucking from one end tank and discharging in the opposite end tank. The other possibility is only removing water duri ng water change from one end tank and only putting fresh water in the opposite end tank. However, between wc you really won't have any water movement.

 

[ramawo]

Here's my simple setup with double U pipes connect between 20g long to 25g cube.
-input ---> filters ---> UV ----> Chlller ----> output
HOB
1 x AquaClear 50 on 25g tank
1 x AquaClear 20 on 20g tank

 

[GeToChKn]

I may have missed something, but without a pump moving water between the tanks you are not really increasing your volume. Each tank will evapoarate at approx the same rate and very little water will exchange. It wouldn't take much, just a small powerhead sucking from one end tank and discharging in the opposite end tank. The other possibility is only removing water duri ng water change from one end tank and only putting fresh water in the opposite end tank. However, between wc you really won't have any water movement.

I do get your point. I can see how this would work better with a sump with drain on tank 1, return on tank 3 so the water ebb's and flows via gravity to keep all 3 tanks the same. I have a small internal Fluval filter that I can plumb a airline hose on to use like a powerhead, so I'm going to try that. Put the internal filter in tank 1, pump it to tank 3, which will cause the water level in tank 1 to drop as it pumps water out which will draw water from tank 2 to increase the volume in tank 1 and so on and should then help keep the water moving between the 3 tanks at a slow rate.