# Idea for filtering a few tanks with one filter



## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I did this on a small scale before, two tanks when I had to repair a large tank and only had two smaller ones to house the fish for a few days.

take five 10 gallon tanks in a row. Put a couple tubes connecting them together, using siphon power to keep the levels in all the tanks even and allow flow through all the tanks. Take a filter, ac 50 in this case, have the filter on one end tank, run a tube from the intake to the tank on the opposite end.

You suck water out of the tank on lets say the right end, and it flows into the tank on the left end, the siphon from the inflow tank to the next tank in line keeps the flow going through all the tanks.

Also should only need 1 heater

so tanks
1 2 3 4 5

tank 5 has the filter with a tube going to tank 1 to suck the water, siphon from tank 5 to 4 lets water flow into tank 4, siphon from tank 4 to 3 flows water into tank 3 and so on.

The theory seems good but anyone ever try this? when I did this with a two tank setup with rena xp3 filter I had many tubes to siphon water over due to the high flow.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Anyone try this before? Think it would work?

Worth a try?


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Someone on this forum did something very similar with 3 tanks, and I believe it was sometime last year. Had to be within a year because I have not been on here much longer than a year. I forget what size tanks he used, but they were not very large, 10 or 15 maybe ? He connected them with U tubes, IIRC. I don't recall exactly how he had them filtered, but I also don't recall there being a filter in each tank. 

So in theory it might work. I'd think you'd want a larger filter though, AC 70 at least, simply because circulation is going to be restricted by the tubes compared to the circulation you'd get with a single tank and filter set up as usual. Instead of the water volume going 'around and around' it going to go sideways, more or less. So I'd think you might have some sizable dead spots in each tank, unless there was a small circulation pump for each tank to keep the volume moving around as well as sideways. 

Single heater should work so long as it's rated for the total water volume.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I just might give this a try soon. It would be for separating neons to sex them for breeding. One in each tank. I'm low on heaters and a little low on filters.


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## colio (Dec 8, 2012)

This has some of the same issues as a sump sort of setup. The water is drawn from tank 1, and poured out into tank 5. If you do not balance the siphons very carefully, tank 1 will drain faster than it fills, and you'll cause a flood in tank 5 (as water doesn't drain out of tank 5 fast enough through the siphon). In theory you could cause a 10 gallon flood. 

If ever a siphon tubs gets blocked, insta-flood. 

It seems the best way to link the tanks would be something more complex and expensive, such as drilling them all and connecting to each other. But a lot more costly and difficult.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Its just for a short term thing, just more housing for single neons so I can fatten up the females to sex them easier. Right now I have 5 in different tanks but would like a few more.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

You could do something like all 5 10 gallons connected to a 55gallon bellow as a sump, PVC for each tank attached and used pure plants and sponge filters in the bottom tank.
This would give you the cleanest water, but could be complicated to build.

Each tank would have to have it's own valve system for suction and return as well.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Ryan's got a good point. If you didn't get the balance with the U tubes just right, you could have a flood. And there's a limit to how big the tubes can be and work well. Larger diameter tubes tend to get air in them, and that really slows them down. 

If this is strictly short term, with only one or two fish per tank, any chance of using smaller tanks or containers and handling them more like Betta tanks ? WCs every few days. Even better, what about just using sponge filters. All you need for that is an air pump and they could be small, DIY sponge filters. Put them all in a main tank to cycle, then set them up individually. With so few fish, you would not likely even have to clean them in the time you plan to use them.

If you didn't mind paying the shipping I have a couple of small 'hang on the inside' filters I'd sell very cheap. Tetra brand, good for up to 10 G I believe. Can use just floss in them. Only issue I had with them is that if you let the floss get too clogged it will rise and they can start to leak over the rear of the filter. Keep the floss rinsed and there is no problem. I paid about $15. each. I'd sell 'em for $5. I have two.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Just trying to be creative and work with what I have on hand instead of buying more sponge filters.

Budget recently got really bad, wife was sick for two weeks and couldn't work so next payday is a 0 day. And all just after we get lots of extra money and catch up on all the normal bills and buy a few extra things for ourselves and son.

So, buying a few extra neons right now isn't feasible which is what I was going to use the tanks for, separating to fatten up to sex. Maybe in another month or two when we are back on track


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Budgetary constraints suck. I live on a disability pension, so I truly get the limited funds thing. It's why I buy used gear instead of new, as a rule, and DIY a bunch of stuff too.

One suggestion for making really cheap sponge filters, when you can get the fish. Drill some holes in a short piece of PVC or even electrical pipe, that grey stuff. Might even be able to make holes in the grey stuff with a heated nail. Ten feet of that grey pipe is just a few bucks, and would make as many filters as you could possibly need.

Put an air stone inside and use a cheap cleaning sponge with a hole made in the middle, either upright or flat depending what you want. If flat, make the holes closer together and no higher than the thickness of the sponge. A bit of slate or a rock will weight them to keep them down. Commercial ones have a weighted bottom piece. 

You could even make it so the pipe had the holes at one end for the sponge, but was long enough to work as the uplift tube too. Put the airstone near the bottom of the pipe and have the sponge fitted snugly around it where the holes are drilled. Don't really have to close the top even if you make them short, if you use an airstone, it will still pull the water through the sponge. Don't make the hole in the sponge all the way through. Leave a quarter inch so it's got a closed bottom. I have not tried this, it's an idea I had when I read your reply. But it should work, it's based on one I have that is commercially made, from Lee. It has very fine pored bright yellow sponge that's flat, maybe two inches thick, similar to the cleaning sponges I have in mind. 

It worked fine, just needed cleaning more often than the black ones with coarser foam do. Lee makes a few of these, each size is a different shape, round, triangle, clover leaf. Ugly as can be, but they work. They use a smaller diameter uplift tube that has a little inlet near the sponge to attach the airline. Too narrow to add an airstone. So I replaced that tube with a wider one and ran the airline down that and added an airstone.

Cantire has bags of eight or ten coloured sponges that do not have the "don't use for aquarium" warning on them. I use them in filters as replacement sponges. Have to add an extra piece to fill up the AC 70 completely side to side and back to front, but the cut off pieces work in other filters. 

They are mostly ugly colours, and lately most seem to be finely pored. I'd prefer coarser ones, but aside from having to squeeze them out a bit more often, they work ok. Way cheaper than filter sponge replacements are. Anyway, just a thought.


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## Rigio (Jul 23, 2013)

My suggestion would be a more permanent one. 
Align the tanks from highest to lowest. (make different levels if u must) drill a hole for an overflow and add a pipe to guide the 'overflow' to the next tank and so on. Top tank has the filter output, while lower one has the intake. This way there shouldn't be a chance of it overflowing if say the power went out for bit.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

If the space and shelving was available to do this, I bet it would work. Might look kind of cool too. Nice idea Rigio.


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## Rigio (Jul 23, 2013)

Fishfur said:


> If the space and shelving was available to do this, I bet it would work. Might look kind of cool too. Nice idea Rigio.


Thanks, if you faced the tanks so that the 'depth' was facing towards where you stood it would conserve some space, each tank would only have to be approximately an inch lower then the previous one. Eg: tank 1 should be 1 inch higher than tank 2 amd 5 inches higher then tank 5. I believe the hardest part with the set up would be drilling the 'overflow' holes. If you were concerned with fish being sucked though the output one could add a sponge or mesh cover to the tube or pipe that's used to direct the output flow. If anyone tries this let me know how it goes.

I drew out a mini schematic, however I don't appear to be able to upload it from my phone.


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