Need Help Making A Water Bridge

[fish-r-fancy]

I don't know if this can be done but I'm open to any suggestions. I want to make a water bridge to connect a 55 gallon with a 40 gallon. The tanks are not level so I don't know if this will work. I have a 55 gal. and 40 gal. on the same stand. The 50 gal. is o the top part and the 40 is on the lower part. Is it possible to make a waterbridge go out from the top tank and down to the bottom tank? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank You

 

[And_Hef]

The tanks have to be level for a water bridge (at least pretty close). If the tanks are "one on top of the other" you'll end up siphoning all of the water out of the top tank and overflowing the bottom tank.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

make a DIY stand that will fit both of the tanks.

 

[Lord Zogat]

I don't know if this can be done but I'm open to any suggestions. I want to make a water bridge to connect a 55 gallon with a 40 gallon. The tanks are not level so I don't know if this will work. I have a 55 gal. and 40 gal. on the same stand. The 50 gal. is o the top part and the 40 is on the lower part. Is it possible to make a waterbridge go out from the top tank and down to the bottom tank? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank You

The tanks must be level in order for both tanks to be full.

Check out my water bridge project thread for some ideas, I have lots of pictures.

Water Bridge Project Progress

I bridged a 10 gallon and 20 gallon. The 10 gallon tank was 4 inches lower in height than the 20. I placed it on a slightly higher table and then made a spacer from 2x4 wood to make up the difference in height. The spacer is made from 2x4 wood so its sturdy and strong and able to hold the weight.

Here are some examples of tank placement and what would happen:

If at any point the water level drops below the end of the bridge in either tank, the bridge fails and empties.

If the levels of the bridge ends are level, but the tanks are not, the water will flow into the lower tank until the water levels balance or the upper tank empties completely, thus causing the lower tank to over flow.

Ideally you want the tops of both tanks the same height and the water bridge ends the same depth into the water.

This way you can get them exactly level on the same stand. Can the stand hold the weight of both tanks?

The tanks must be level or close enough that the water level in one tank will never be allowed to go higher than the lower tank top.

 

[fish-r-fancy]

The stand I had would safely hold both tanks on top of one another, so I think I will buy a cheap secondhand 55 gal. place one on one wall near the corner and the other kitty corner at the other corner. I would level both tanks vecause I definitly like that waterbridge idea. would a waterbridge be able to make it say 5-6 feet from 1 level tank to the other or do I need the tanks closer? THank You everybody for the help.

 

[LiveLifeGoJump]

Shouldn't matter how far apart as long as the tops are level but remember that the longer the bridge is the more water there is in it and you would need the make sure that either tank had room for the water from the bridge 'just in case'.

Other than to use 1 large filter to handle a number of tanks (i.e. draw from last in chain and return to first in chain) why would you use a bridge?

 

[Lord Zogat]

The stand I had would safely hold both tanks on top of one another, so I think I will buy a cheap secondhand 55 gal. place one on one wall near the corner and the other kitty corner at the other corner. I would level both tanks vecause I definitly like that waterbridge idea. would a waterbridge be able to make it say 5-6 feet from 1 level tank to the other or do I need the tanks closer? THank You everybody for the help.

Also keep in mind, the larger the water bridge, the more the weight increases. This may drastically effect your construction as a proper support system will be needed on the tanks to support the weight.

My bridge is small enough that 1/4 plexi glass 4 - 5 inches wide, that fits on the tanks trim is enough to support my bridge weight, if it was longer I may need to design brackets to disperse the weight. Large weights should not be supported by the glass walls of the tank.

As LiveLifeGoJump stated the distance doesn't matter, and the bridge could actualy go in different directions, heights etc etc, so long as the tanks are level and the water bridge ends stay below the water line your fine.

The ONLY way you could have a bridge from one tank to another where the tanks are one abover the other is if the lower tank is completely sealed so no air can leak in or water leak out. It would be a bugger to clean.

 

[fish-r-fancy]

Thanks for the help everybody