Aquarium idea

My fish breeding has been expanding rapidly. Just 2 months ago I only bred endlers, but now I breed endlers, Black C ShultzeI (juveniles, not old enough to breed yet), Aspidoras Albaters (just now getting to breeding age), Hawaiian Blue Cobalt Moscow Guppies, rabbit snails (again, too young), and I sort of do golden mystery snails.

This is about the mystery snails!

I would like to set up a breeding tank, but I do not want to set up another one of my 10 gallon aquariums and have a filter and heater running. So, I thought of an idea.

My idea is with two 5-10 gallon storage tubs. I'll try and be as clear as possible . I would set the one tub 6-10 inches above the other. Then, I could start using an aquarium vacuum instead of a filter. I'd just place filter media in the vacuum. Now, so that the water can get back to the tub that is higher, I would make holes in both of the tubs and put a PVC pipe connecting the two tubs. If it isn't air tight, I could put some silicone around the hole opening and piping. The pipe would probably have to be around the top of the lower aquarium to connect to the middle or lower part of the higher aquarium.

Would that work? Would the two tubs level out or would the lower tub still over flow?

By the way for the heater I would either just have a heater running or I would keep the tubs at a hot enough area.

Thanks!

 

I don't think that would work... you would need a motor in there somewhere. If that did work people wouldn't buy filters but in order to have a machine or cycle keep going perpetually, you need to add energy. It is some kinda law of physics I heard about. But just to answer your question more simply no, you would need a pump or filter.

 

I see 2 problems.

1) You're going to need to somehow calibrate your flow from the upper tank to the lower tank. Otherwise you're going to have either a faster flow than the vac can handle which will cause the lower tank to overflow, or a slower flow which will cause the upper tank to overflow. The flow rate between tanks will need to be matched exactly to the GPM suction rate of the vac for this to work.

2) Gravity still applies even during a power outage. If you ever lose power, or your vac fails, the upper tank will still flow into the lower until it drops below the level of the plumbing and your lower tank will overflow.

Really with the vacuum there's no need to elevate one of the tubs. Just connect the two tubs with some PVC and give it a water tight seal. Put the vacuum inlet in one tank and the water outlet in the other. The two tanks will naturally level as the water is sucked from one and pumped into the other.

Good luck.

Edit: I'm assuming you planned on using some type of powered vac and not a siphon type .

 

When siphoning a tank, the water will not flow if the end is above the tank water level, so even if you filled the tube in your original idea with water the top tank would soon be empty and the bottom tank would over-flow.
If you placed the tubs next to eachother, you could potentially have the water from one tank go into the filter and out into the other tank, and have a pipe or 2 keeping the water levels even between the 2 tanks.

 

When siphoning a tank, the water will not flow if the end is above the tank water level, so even if you filled the tube in your original idea with water the top tank would soon be empty and the bottom tank would over-flow.
If you placed the tubs next to eachother, you could potentially have the water from one tank go into the filter and out into the other tank, and have a pipe or 2 keeping the water levels even between the 2 tanks.

How is it going to siphon if the water levels are exactly level?

I actually had in mind using a siphon, not a powered vac.

Whtmex: You would be using some type of powered vacuum -such as a battery powered- with the level tubs, correct?
Thanks a lot everyone!!

 

How is it going to siphon if the water levels are exactly level?

tub1 -> filter->tub2
tub1<- tube <-tub2
the tube provides a way for water to get back into the original tub. otherwise, by simply pumping water from tub1-tub2 with a filter, tub 2 will overflow and tub 1 will empty.

 

Yes. With the level tubs you would need some type of powered suction. I assumed you were talking about using a powered vacuum even for the set-up you described.

Honestly I can't see how this would work without some type of powered suction.

I think I understand what you're are proposing, but the water pressure in the lower tub wouldn't be enough to propel the water high enough in a siphon to empty into the top tub (if I remember my physics correctly...it's been quite a few years).

 

By filter, are you meaning a power filter, or a gravity aquarium vacuum?

Whtmex: I was thinking instead of using 2 siphons, just have one siphoning water from the high tub to the lower tub (so Physics would work), and the water circulating through the PVC pipe would possibly be enough to keep the water levels both acceptable, not one overflowing. I wasn't sure about the idea from the beginning.

 

by filter I mean power filter. a tube will act like a tube regardless of any sponges in it.

 

Ok, here is my idea... have a filter or pump attached to the bottom tank that pumps water from the bottom tank to the top tank. Then have the tube go through the wall of the top tank towards the top and flow down into the bottom tank. The filter pumps water into the top tank and the excess that ordinarily would overflow the tank runs off down the tube to the lower tank replenishing the place where the water was taken from. If the power goes out... all that happens is the filter stops and no more water moves. Maybe the little bit that can will flow out of the top and into the bottom tank but since the outtake tube entrance is at the top of the tank, no water will flood the bottom tanks and there are no spills. No siphons necessary. And siphons only work when the place where the water is coming out of is lower that the place where you are siphoning the water from... in other words you can't siphon upwards.

 

can you do a sketch of your proposed design? What I'm reading could work but it all depends on the setup of it, and placement.

 

I would, but I'm not sure how to do the sketch. I'll look around.. I failed to put the one tub higher than the other, use your imagination

 

Here is a sketch I came up with...

Ok, just realized that you really can't read what it says. I guess you could try saving it or copying it and pasting it to word or something and enlarging it. I don't think it can go any bigger because of Fishlore's size requirements. Sorry.

 

I tried Daac, but it just made the words impossible to read.

You actually could get it larger. When I saved it, it was only at 300 pixels. FL allows much larger. I'd try upping it to 600 or 800. Thanks for trying, though!

 

How's this?

 

What kind of filter would I have to use for that? An underground? Thanks again Daac!

 

Sure thing... I'm not sure on the filter but I would assume some kind of canister-like filter. I don't know how big you want these tanks so it might not work if you want really small tanks unless you can find a really small canister filter. I have always wanted a small one for my 2.5 gallon because I'm weird like that but yeah so if you are going for smaller tanks and you find a minI canister filter let me know.