Theory Question

[Eugene]

Wondering if this could be done.Lets say you have 5 - 4ft tanks at the same level linked with plastic utubes connected to undergravel filters .Each intake has a filter and flows from one tank directly to the undergravel filter pushing water up thru the gravel.The very last tank has a water pump going to the first tank.Every second tank has a heater and every other tank is loaded with sand ontop of gravel and planted thick with only algae eaters like Ottocinclus and small plecos .if each tank had a valve to isolate if needed , you would have to add a temp bypass if needed.Would this work..Also if I had 4 ft by 12by 6inch tall tanks loaded say one with waterlettuce ,one with frogbite one with hyacinth and one with Crystalwort and used as a water purifier linking them together and useing this water for water changes once a week would it work .I'm planning on building a fishroom in the future and kinda thowin this out there.I'm thinking or hopein =this will work I'd like too have 2levels of 4ft tanks and the 4 pre filtertanks on top of one another plus one 4ft large below them all linked so 5 ontop of one another with a normal closed solenoid on each tank so if power goes out no floods and pump shuts off.What do you think Hope Mr. Howarth comments.

[Crystal]

You wish to have a planted tank to help keep the water quality up, connected to several other tanks. There are ways to accomplish this, some easier, some harder.

I will admit that you lost me at:

I'm thinking or hopein =this will work I'd like too have 2levels of 4ft tanks and the 4 pre filtertanks on top of one another plus one 4ft large below them all linked so 5 ontop of one another

1. Is the plumbing U-tubes going to be above the tank glass lip? (I am afraid the answer is yes...)

2. Are the tanks going to be the same height? Or will they be waterfall-staggered like the overflow plant displays you see in stores?

3. Or are you connecting drilled holes in tanks?

4. Is the water flow from side to side or top to bottom?

In theory, with no unexpected problems, yes.

In reality, it really depends on exactly what you are doing; it can be complicated and full of potential problems. It may work it may not, I am not entirely sure what you are trying to do.

If you plan to have the U-tube above the tank glass, you could be in for trouble trying to match water flow rates.

I know one person who used plumbing to connect 3 of his tanks together - and could never get the pump to pump at the right rate. If his tanks all had the same "max" water height on the same level it probably would have worked as he had drilled holes in the tanks - but his "sump" was lower by a foot or so and he always had overflows until he fixed it.

I had a planted above my main tank, the pump pushed water into the planted tank, which overflowed through a drilled hole back into the main tank. Worked well, but i had a small pump and a large drain (as well as a backup drain in case the one got plugged).

Edited April 6, 2012 by Crystal

[werner]

Never Change Your Fish Water Again describes something to that effect.

[Eugene]

All the tanks would be at the same level same size utubes and a pump undersized for the tubeing size.In other words the pump outlet and inlet would be smaller than the utubes.The ohter 5 tanks for water purifying would be staggered.

[jcgd]

If you have inverted U's from one tank from the next and suck all the air out you wont have any problems as long as the smallest U pipe can handle the flow rate. You could do a sump or whatever. I wouldn't do anything with undergravel filters just in case anything clogs.

The hard part is keeping the U's inverted and in place. You have to make some sort of bracket. To get the air out you stick tubing up the U into the air space and suck/pump it out. The big dangers with this method is a clogged pipe, water level dropping and breaking the seal of the U resulting in the U draining and cutting the flow, and making sure the U doesn't get loose and once again break the seal.

You can't use multiple pumps or anything like airstones with this method. A safer way do to the same thing is nipple all the tanks together will bulkheads and the water level will remain constant across all the tanks. Once again the nipples much be able to handle the flow rate so the water doesn't back up and flood one or more tanks.

On the last tank you can pump right back to the first or have an overflow to a sump and then pump back to the first tank. You also can't use U tubes to step down levels. The water level must be constant from tank to tank and to transition to different heights you need an overflow of some sort. With overflows you can step down until gravity isn't strong enough to keep the flow rate up to that of the return pump, unless you have a large tube were slow moving water would flow in great enough volume to satisfy the pump's flow rate.

http://www.plantedta...ish-bridge.html

Edited April 6, 2012 by jcgd

[Eugene]

Couldn't I put a screen with a sponge filter on the inlet of each utube?I wanna join all the undergravel filters together creating one big one.