Connecting Two Tanks

[fatmrak315]

ok so i hopefully picking up two 4ft x 18 x18 fish tanks this weekend, i have just been reading about something called an aquatic water bridge. the tanks will be sat next to each other at the same level. with pcv tubing coming out of one tank and into the other. to create a flow i will being getting a water pump to pick water up from one tank and putting in the other, so water it forced the water through the tube to keep equilibrium.

questions
1.do i need a heater in each tank if water flowing between each tank.
2.stocking - do i stock each tank separately, while making sure no fish clash, because fish can travel from one tank to the other.
3.filters - one tank will have a hagen fluval u4 and a interpet pf4, and the other tank will have a interpet pf4. is this enough filtration. (don't really like external filters)
4.any suggestions would be great

http/www.bio-elite.com/waterbridge.htm

 

[Fishy friend2]

Interesting when you build it put up pics I would love to see it

 

[KkAaNnEe]

1. Its not about the tanks, essentially the tank will be 8 ft long, it will need at least two 300w heaters Id say.

2. Stock as one tank

3. Not sure, unfamiliar with those filters, depends on stocking

Good luck!

 

[fatmrak315]

will do, its going to take me a month or two to get both tanks set up and cycled first though.

 

[Gavo]

Very interesting

By the look of it, by far the best option would be to use a external filter taking water from one tank, returning to the other rather than just a pump.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Do the tanks have to be the same size

 

[Gavo]

The water level in both tanks will be exactly the same so height would be important

 

[Fishy friend2]

Okay

 

[Proxo]

I can just picture most of the fish going into 1 tank and the other been slightly empty lol.

 

[Sam-Baker]

will do, its going to take me a month or two to get both tanks set up and cycled first though.

I would agree on the 300w heater idea, You arent going to have much more then 600-700 litres so i would recommend using anyone of these filter setups below which I run personally on most of my tanks and would never look back,

2x Fluval G3 one connected to each tank, look at spec and you will see why they are so good, Flow is the mainpoint.
1x Fluval G6 one connected to both tanks, same spec as the G3 but with more media space and higher flow output
or
for the ultimate circulation and ease of maintenance (setup i use on my tropical pond which is 1200 litres and an odd shape)

1x Fluval FX5 ease of maintenance no more suction siphoning all down through the filter, its a dream, i cant imagine taking out 120 litres by bucket every week it would kill me as i have tanks in my bedroom and a entire fishroom to change lol

Look into both all three and if you have any questions why, what ,where as I already run the systems I would be happy to answer them.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Wat fish are you gonna get

 

[Gavo]

I can just picture most of the fish going into 1 tank and the other been slightly empty lol.

Thats what i 1st thought, but with careful stocking i think you could get fish constantly moving from tank to tank.

The only drawback i could see is if one tank gets contaminated with something all the fish get ill and if the water level drops below the tubing your floor will get soaked and your pump would empty one of the tanks and overfill the other

 

[MollyFresh]

This is AMAZING

 

[fatmrak315]

external filter are good, but very expensive. which is problem for me(less money the better). so prices of external filters would be great so i can get saving. need the filter to be quite and easy to use. could i run with the filter i got will low stocking and slowly change to external in the future to add more fish. or i love my Hagen Fluval U4. could i not just run four of these, for full stocking, it will be 4000lph for 523.8 liter tank, which is x 7.73. unless there an advantage of running externals.

no the tanks don't have to be same size, long as the water level at the top is level. i getting to the same size just so it matches.

stocking with my f looking at
1 x para pleco (in current tank)
2 x gold gourami (in current tank)
2 x festivum (in current tank)
2 x keyhole cichlids (in current tank)
2 x angelfish (1 in current tank)
2 x siamese algae eater (in current tank)
10 x rosy barb (4 in current tank)
10 x black widow tetra
2 x swordtails (in current tank)

with full filtration
1 x para pleco
2 x gold gourami
2 x festivum
4 x keyhole cichlids
4 x angelfish
4 x siamese algae eater
10 x rosy barb
15 x black shirt tetra
2 x swordtails
10 x tiger barbs
15 x bleeding heart tetra
8 x gaint danio

any suggestions would be great, can change what in the tank at mo because they will be transfer across.

really long post for me.

i do have a question i have two filter which are mature bar me change sponges. once there all pink again could i say take i/8 from each filter to make 2/8 in a new one and put in the second four foot tank and put 4 rosy barb in there. would this be fully cycle or just be a mini cycle or a whole new one.

 

[Whitey_144]

haha, what a great idea! i just have an images of tanks like a hamster maze!

How high up will the tube/bridge be, because if you want to do a large water change (past the bridge) effectively they would be seperate tanks again, but one filter would be pumping from one into the other? i guess until that tank then reaches the bridge again. just something to think about, i'd put the bridge half way up.

How about a transparent bridge? so that you can see them zip through! "beep beep, outta the way, i'm coming through!"

Have to feed alternating tanks i guess so that the fish dont prefer one of them?

will one be sand and other gravel?

you could put an aircurtain across one entrance so that the fish appear to come out of the glass!

....oh so many choices! i wanna see photos!