Two Exturnal Filters

[rabbut]

Hi there,
As the title realy. I only have space for one set of inlet and outlet pipes on my aquarium, and I want to run two exturnals, so I was wondering if it is possible to connect two exturnal filters to one set of pipes. The only issue I can see, as I will be running two of the same filter, is getting them both primed.. I'm thinking though, that I could use valves to isolate the filters individually, so that the inlet and outles pipes can in effect sudenly bocome connected to one filter only while I am priming one.

Would this work?

Does anyone acctualy run filters like this on here?

I work with two engineers at work, and they both say that this should work. They are both fishkeepers also and are formiliar with the filters which I am planning to run.

I was origionaly going to run them in series, but they advised me that this may caurse pressure issues in one, or both filters, as one or them would have to become a pressuriesed system. Instead they surgested taking the inlet and outlet pipes after they come out of the tank, and splitting them into two using a y junction.

Thanks in adance
Rabbut

 

[st24rsap]

i have thought about this previously and using 2 identical ehiem external canisters, and with the shut off valves you can get for the ehiems as far as i can see there would be no issues with running both filters using the same inlet/outlet pipes. obviously the single inlet/outlet supplys wouyld need to be bigger bore to cope with the flow of water for the 2 filters. as long as all the pipes to the 2 seperate filters were the same length and internal bore so not to cause any flow restriction or pressure drops to 1 filter it should be fine in my opinion

 

[rabbut]

Ok thanks for the input st24rsap, it's good to know that someone else thinks it's possible

Anybody dissagree, and if so why? Also, anymore agreeing that this is possible, your views would be greatly appreciated

All the best
Rabbut

 

[waterdrop]

Hi rabbut,

Hate to be vague, but I could swear I read a long thing somewhere where a guy wanted to do this but eventually got talked out of it - I think it was on a different site out on the web somewhere and I have no idea where - I might have been researching "weirs" or "overflows" and running down results from google-images, best I can remember.

I wonder if it was something about the difficulty of cascading the height of the two filters and regulating the pressures and yes, I think the guy had even constructed Y connections and all and it didn't work out. Hope I'm wrong, but that is just what I remember...

~~waterdrop~~
edit: ps. maybe it was this one:
http/www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118638
note that it has several pages of thread -- I did not re-read it, maybe the guy was trying to do something different than you, seems like maybe he was trying to go parallel and should have gone serial like you are trying to do, so maybe ok after all..

 

[rabbut]

Well, I tryed it, and it worked....sort of.....

The running in parallel went ok, but I was using the wrong fittings for the job, and thus they leaked Wasen't too bad though, considering i was clamping the flexible hose into a T pice that was intended for ridged pipe. I will get to a plumming shop soon, and modify things a little to make my contraption a bit more water-proof Once that is done, I may write a little guide on how to do it, just in case someone else has the same idea

All the best, and thanks again to all whom answered

Rabbut

 

[Dan81192]

i have thoguht about this, im sure if you double the bore of main pipe then uses 1/2 bore into the filters liek normal they would run correctly, then normal bore out until they meet the double bore,
should work fine but needs to be tried,

 

[rabbut]

Well, I've fixed the leaks, and it's all going good now Unless it leaks tonight..... 335l of water on the floor. That sounds like fun...

I've not used thicker pipeing to enter the tank, as the filters already have the thickest pipe the holes in my stress bars would accomodate, so unfortunately that wasn't an option for me Considering this was my first ever plumming job mind, that may be a good thing. More joints, the more chance of leaks Anyhow, the main thing is that it is working a treat. Thicker pipes entering and leaving the tank would be easy to do with reducers though

If pics of my rig would help, Dan81192, would you like me to take some to give an idea of how I've done it?

All the best
Rabbut