Diy Fish Bridge Setup!

[Jethro]

***NOTE*** The bridge works on suction!!! It is basic physics and i KNOW that the bridge will actually hold water and it wont fall out. My main concern is how to properly filter this and set it up efficiently.


I have recently acquired 2 15 gallon tanks with no lids or anything else. When I got them my first idea was to have a community tank set up with a "fish bridge" linking the two tanks so they shared water and the fish could swim between the two tanks. They would sit next to each other on a long stand and have a sump underneath to filter and hold more water. I plan on building everything from scratch except the pumps to move the water to and from the sump. My plan for the bridge is to build it from plexiglass, it would be two U shaped sides then a top and bottom plate and sides going down (6 pieces total). I will of course have to build custom hoods with lights and a hole for the bridge. I do not want to put any holes in the tanks, so I want my lines going to and from the sump to simply go over the edge. I have drawn up a simple sketch of how I want the setup to look/work.

Since you guys like details here is what i have in mind:

• A tropical fish community with guppies, danios, tetras, corys, ect.
• a three inch wide/tall bridge connecting the two tanks
• a wet/dry filter underneath the tanks dripping to a sump
• custom hoods with lights and supports built on to hold the bridge
• more details to come.

and here is the initial sketch while im sure will change after suggestions from you guys.

and now for a few questions:

1. first of all do you guys think this will work?
2. would the wet/dry filter be sufficient/appropriate filtration for this setup?
3. how much water does my sump need to hold to support these 2 15 gallon tanks and the water in the bridge?
4. would it be alright to place the heater in the sump?

so please post here and let me know what you guys think about this idea. i am going to get everything perfected before i start building it. feel free to ask questions, give suggestions, or tell me i'm stupid for even trying this.

______________________EDIT 1__________________________________

ok after some thought, my original plan for the sump is not going to work because if one of the pumps fails i am screwed.

here is my new diagram for the setup

there is no sump only an external power filter in each tank. WILL THIS BE ENOUGH FILTRATION FOR THIS SETUP?


since im not using an undergravel filter i will probably make my first attempt at live plants.

the thing is that i REALLY want to have a sump underneath to keep my equipment in (heater, digital water monitor, ect)

so here is my slightly improved idea for the fish bridge with sump (minus one pump and wet dry filter)

with this setup if the pump fails then the water level can only drop to the top of the output line which is only about an inch below the water line and several inches ABOVE the bottom of the bridge. the only problem is i will have to drill a hole in the tank, but i dont think this will be too severe of a problem. i will have a sponge or something covering the top of the output line to ensure no fishies get sucked down to the sump. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON THIS THIRD SETUP?

 

[Schmill]

Love the idea... not sure how well it will work though...

Just a few thoughts that spring to mind...

- How do you fill the water bridge with water?
- If you do manage to get the water bridge completly filled with water, (and it will need to be 100% water / air tight to achieve this), should either end come out of the water, (during water changes etc) it will immediately empty into the tanks...
- What happens to any contaminants in Tank 2? Are you presuming that rather than them sinking to the bottom of the tank there will be sufficient flow to suck them over the water bridge, and into tank 1 ready to head to the filter? (Not sure what sort of flow would be needed to achieve this)
- I think your pumping and sumping would need some thought putting into it, (not saying you haven't), but you will need to think about what will happen if 1 of the 2 pumps fails. Also what happens if you get a complete power cut? From your drawing it looks like the tanks would just syphon down into the sump making a big puddle?

 

[Jethro]

Love the idea... not sure how well it will work though...

Just a few thoughts that spring to mind...

- How do you fill the water bridge with water?
- If you do manage to get the water bridge completly filled with water, (and it will need to be 100% water / air tight to achieve this), should either end come out of the water, (during water changes etc) it will immediately empty into the tanks...
- What happens to any contaminants in Tank 2? Are you presuming that rather than them sinking to the bottom of the tank there will be sufficient flow to suck them over the water bridge, and into tank 1 ready to head to the filter? (Not sure what sort of flow would be needed to achieve this)
- I think your pumping and sumping would need some thought putting into it, (not saying you haven't), but you will need to think about what will happen if 1 of the 2 pumps fails. Also what happens if you get a complete power cut? From your drawing it looks like the tanks would just syphon down into the sump making a big puddle?

-there would be several different ways to fill it. either use a hose to suck out the air or cap the ends after it is filled with water and remove caps once its in place.
-i have considered this and i dont see that actually happening since i will be monitoring it every day and will be very careful about water changes, but i was thinking of having alot more extra room in the sump tank in case of overflow. also capping the ends just in case when im doing water changes.
-good call. i thought of this also. maybe i should forget the wet dry filter and sump and have a power filter on each tank and maybe an undergravel system running in each tank (of course it would have to be on the far ends of each tank from the bridge. any other suggestions as to how to filter this???
-im very new to the idea of having a sump, it just seemed like the best way to add more water volume and a place to keep my equipment so there is more room for fish and decorations.

 

[Jim Curtis]

"-there would be several different ways to fill it. either use a hose to suck out the air or cap the ends after it is filled with water and remove caps once its in place."

Umm... theres a thing called gravity that is making your fish bridge totally impossible. You could fill it. I think the problem is keeping it filled. Your ideas simply will not work.

Why not just drill holes in the tank and buy a clear acrylic plastic tube, use silicone to attach them? Better yet why not just buy a bigger tank?

http/www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=462&

 

[Tolak]

That bridge certainly will work, but any air leak will break the siphon, causing a really big water problem. I agree with drilling.

I saw a setup where the breeder had 6 10 gallon tanks bridged with tubing, and a large canister filtering the whole thing. The last tank in the series was packed full of driftwood.

 

[fifefish]

but there is a thing called pressure..try this experiment for your self
get a sink fill it with water
then take a bottle and put it in the water making sure no air is in and only water then lift the end of the bottle up and see how no water falls out..

look at the poorly drawn diagram and it works

 

[Jethro]

yes i am positive that the bridge part of this setup will work. and thank you to the others who explained it for me, pressure and suction are what keeps the water in the bridge. and also buying a bigger tank defeats the purpose of having a fish bridge. i am not just doing it for a bigger tank, i am doing it because it is more gimmicky and original than just having a big tank.

my main questions/concerns are how to properly filter this setup.

after some more thought i am thinking of a power filter on each tank and also an undergravel filter in each tank (making sure the bubbles dont get near the bridge.

i have also considered drilling, and if i decide to do that it will be cheaper and also easier to work with and i can drill one extra hole on the bottom of tank 1 so i can use gravity to power one side of my wet dry filter/sump situation.

i will give this some more thought and sleep on it and make some new diagrams and post more ideas tomorrow.

THANKS SO MUCH for even reading my thread and thanks even more for posting anything on it. i would like as much feedback as possible!!!!

 

[Lateral Line]

There are several bridge threads, if you search you will find them. There is one here for example. I have seen an external link to the "grand daddy of all bridges" where some guy had these things running all over his apartment, damned if I can find it right now!

You have obviously seen the danger with the original plan. Any problems and you end up with one empty tank and the other flooded.

Under gravel filters are out of favour these days. With a power filter on each tank, it would be superfluous anyway.

 

[huckFIN]

Doesn't water always find it's own level? Looking at your diagram I get the idea that the water in the bridge will just fall into the tanks so that both bridge and tanks will have the same water level. If the tank's water levels are close to the top in the first place, they will be pushed even higher by the water from the bridge and overflow.
Personally, I'd drill/cut the glass and have a clear pipe as a bridge beween the two tanks sealed with silicone.

 

[Jethro]

Doesn't water always find it's own level? Looking at your diagram I get the idea that the water in the bridge will just fall into the tanks so that both bridge and tanks will have the same water level. If the tank's water levels are close to the top in the first place, they will be pushed even higher by the water from the bridge and overflow.
Personally, I'd drill/cut the glass and have a clear pipe as a bridge beween the two tanks sealed with silicone.

please look at tolak and firefishs posts

There are several bridge threads, if you search you will find them. There is one here for example. I have seen an external link to the "grand daddy of all bridges" where some guy had these things running all over his apartment, damned if I can find it right now!

You have obviously seen the danger with the original plan. Any problems and you end up with one empty tank and the other flooded.

Under gravel filters are out of favour these days. With a power filter on each tank, it would be superfluous anyway.

yes before i posted i searched this forum for "bridge" and mostly got non fish related posts, but thanks for the other link im going to check it out right now. so do you think that just having a power filter in each tank will suffice??

the other link had a GREAT idea with the FISH TOWER! i am going to put one of those in my 10 gallon betta tank!!!! he will love it!!!!!!

 

[silkiechicken]

I like the plan with the two power filters as I'd be concerned that if a pump failed, you'd lose all the water to the sump.

The bridge should work no problem. Just suck out the air from the tube, which can be a darn challenge, but is do able, and as long as there are no air leaks into the tube, it should hold just fine. It's just like a siphon except you aren't moving water any more. Anyone can show that it would work to themselves. Get a clear piece of tubing. Fill with water, and hold up the center without letting the ends out of the tube. This is just on a larger possibly more challenging scale since you have to pull out the air against the force of all that water you'd need lift up though the vacuum you'd be creating when pulling out air.

 

[Jim Curtis]

I shouldn't have said impossible, I should have said impractical. Maintaining this tank is going to be a total pain in the ass.

 

[shelaghfishface]

is this based on the same theory as the "bottomless tank" that was posted about yesterday ( i think in disscusion)
great novel idea, but i reckon totaly impractical,how would you get it all cleaned?

 

[smegforbrains]

I doubt there is any way that will work However, please prove me wrong



Would it not be a lot better cutting the sides of the tank and creating a viaduct between them? Although I do realise this would be a permanent addition.

 

[Truck]

for addequate filtration i recomend you have one tank higher than the other.have a pipe going from the higher one to the lower one and then a pipe into the sump, and a power head with a tube to send it back up to the top tank. that way you will also have better water movement