darkwolf29a

I have a rack, 5 shelves, that holds my new guppy breeding program. LOL It's one strain of guppies.

What I'm trying to do is set up a system of small overflows to allow for filteration and water changes.

I've figured out the method of getting water out of multiple tanks. What I'm planning is something like this:



The overflows would be made from 1/2 in PVC pipe. I understand that shape makes for a very quiet overflow.

But, my problem is getting water back into the tanks.

Right now, I have 5-2.5 gallon, 4-5 gallon, and 2-10 gallon tanks that will, ultimately be part of the rack.

I have a 20 gallon tank I can use, but I'm not sure of the pipe set up... I'm not sure.

So....I'm looking for ideas.

Thanks in advance.

timg

Hi Darkwolfe! I might be able to help you here with some suggestions, but need to know a little more about the idea you have.

Are you looking at the overflow as a siphon, or are you drilling the glass at water level? There is a vast difference between the two methods of water extraction, and care will need to be taken on both methods. Also, what type of filter will you be using for this rack?

A siphon is a good way of removing water from a tank, but is very difficult to control. A half inch pipe will empty a 2.5 gallon tank in around 45 seconds! (Not very good for the fish in there!) It will also stop working if air gets in, and won't start again until it's re-primed, so unless you can balance the flow in with the flow out, you're in major trouble, and probably a big puddle too!

Drilling glass is not an easy choice either. Old glass doesn't always take well to being drilled, and will often crack during the attempt. A water level overflow system is much easier to control though, so this might be your best option. However, something that is very important here is the viscosity of the water.

On the overflow, whichever method you use, you will need some sort of filter or screen to stop the little beggers shooting down the pipe! For guppies, the screen will need to be pretty fine, such as a stocking, but if you put a stocking straight over the end of the pipe, nothing will come out! The surface tension on the water stops it from going through the stocking unless the pressure is sufficient to force it through. a similar problem arises when using foam as a screen. So, as you can see, the problem is not as simple as it looks.

Please, don't let this put you off! ways can be found to make it work, it just needs a little planning and thought. I mention these problems because I have already hit them and worked out ways to overcome them. If you want to do this rack, give me a better idea of how you plan to run the water, and we can solve these and the other challenges along the way.

Getting the water back to the tanks is relatively simple in comparison, so don't worry about that for now, we'll work that out at the same time.

While I'm writing this, my mind has already come up with a couple of workable ideas, such as placing the small tanks on one shelf, with a siphon connection between the tanks in line, one outlet at the end and a circulation pump to return the water to the first tank. But that's dependant on what you have and how you want to put it together. Let me know what you have in mind and we'll work together to make it work.

Tim.

darkwolf29a

There is the filter I'm using now for them. The drawing is one I made awhile ago to explain the workings of a homemade filter. I've also thought about getting sponge filters instead. I'm still tossing around that idea.


And here is a drawing of the current rack.




What I'm doing now works. It's just a lot more work on my part. I am doing water changes for all those tanks individually. If I can come up up with a method of making my life a bit easier..I'm all for it.

Thanks

timg

do you have a filter in each tank like this? I'm guessing you do. Ok, the problem is still there, as to how to get the water out in a controlled manner.

Instinct says to take a look at the plastic tank option. This has major advantages to a DIY racking system like you have here. They are cheap to buy, easy to work on and hold a good capacity.

In this project, I would look at the option to buy 6 45L storage boxes which could sit two per shelf. They can be drilled easily to insert plastic tank overflow fittings at water level and work really well. The total capacity of the rack would be double what you have now and the whole lot could be sump filtered using one of the 5 gallon glass tanks at the bottom. A pond pump could be used to return the filtered water to the tanks through control valves. The result would be a 275L (72 Gallon) system, with a sump filter to keep maintenance to a minimum.

The sump is easy to make, using the same media as your DIY filters use now, gravel and floss. The heater could also live in the sump, reducing the need for heaters in each tank.

Guppies need a strong current to help them toi develop so this would give that current as the water falls into the tank. By having the feed in at the front and the return in the opposit back corner, circulation in each tank would be created too. A pump capable of 500GPH would be needed for the inflow and brass washing machine taps could be used to control the flow into the tank. The return piping would need to be 22mm to handle the gravity return volume of water to the sump, but this is cheap and easy to obtain, as are all the fittings for it. In the UK, this system would cost a total of around 75 pounds sterling to complete. Having a glazier drill holes in old glass would cost nearly as much!

Water changes would be done from the sump, simply by diverting the return flow away from the sump and running fresh water into the sump well as the pump moves the water up to the tanks. use a small bore tubing to vacuum the bottom of each tank and remove the excess foods etc. Levels would be maintained at all time in the tanks, the only area that would need to be watched would be the sump levels. Topping up is also through the sump. (You may need to stand the sump inside the 10G tank just in case of overflow if the pump stops.)

It's basically a small version of the fish house setup that I'm working on!

Here's a detailed schematic of the idea:

Attached Images

demorack.jpg (57.0 KB, 26 views)

darkwolf29a

I knew you'd have a good answer. I certainly didn't.

Thanks, man.

I'm going to take this and run with it.

timg

You're welcome! Glad I could be of assistance.

When you have all the bits and pieces, I'll give you a few ideas for stopping the fry from escaping! (As a hint, save your food tubs!)