Aquarium Rack - Heating and Filtration Advice

Hello all, I’m hoping to get some advice on my upcoming aquarium rack build. To date, I have only had individual tanks in different rooms of the house with HOB filters, sponge filters, and an occasional sump. I just bought a home and will be building an aquarium rack in the basement. The rack will consist of three rows, with each row holding three 10 gallon aquariums. They will be on an automatic drip system with LED lighting, but I’m struggling to figure out the most energy efficient and logical way to heat and filter these aquariums. The small plecos I will be keeping will require a temperature of around 78F, and heating the entire basement to this temperature is unfortunately out of the question as others in the home also use that space. The room will likely be kept at 70F - 72F year round. With that being said, I can only think of the following three setups as options:

1. All 9 tanks utilize only sponge and box filters, getting constant auto water changes from a drip system and overflowing the waste water. This would be the safest way to prevent spread of disease, but would also require each tank to have a small heater, likely with a temperature controller on the outlet. I would however save on the cost of filters as one air pump would filter all the tanks. This setup would use 1 air pump and 9 smaller output heaters with temperature controllers.
2. All 9 tanks feed into one central sump for filtration, removing the air pump and sponge / box filters from the set up. The sump would house plenty of media and pump water to all the tanks, which would drain individually into the sump and not into each other. Still would utilize auto drip system. One heater in the sump would heat all 9 tanks. This runs the biggest risk of a disease spreading if something sneaks past quarantine. I would also have a UV filter follow the pump up to the tanks to help kill diseases. This setup would use 1 higher output heater with a temperature controller, 1 water pump, and 1 UV filter.
3. Each row of tanks feeds into a sump, meaning 3 sumps below, each maintaining 3 tanks. Still utilizing auto drip system. Same idea as my previous setup, but with some added separation to prevent a disease from hitting all tanks. This set up would use 3 medium output heaters with temperature controllers and 3 water pumps (no UV filter).

Please don’t hesitate to bring up another potential setup you think might be better. I’m hoping to pick your brains a bit and find out which system you think would use the least amount of electricity and make the most sense for the situation. Thanks!!

 

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

I have seen two fish rooms built into larger rooms were the owners have used cool room sheeting to make walls. That is 3 or 4 inches of white polystyrene foam with thin steel sheet moulded onto it. Making an insulated room inside the basement may be something you have not considered. Clearly if you could get the sheeting second hand it becomes financially viable.

Of the options you have written I vote for option one.

 

I have seen two fish rooms built into larger rooms were the owners have used cool room sheeting to make walls. That is 3 or 4 inches of white polystyrene foam with thin steel sheet moulded onto it. Making an insulated room inside the basement may be something you have not considered. Clearly if you could get the sheeting second hand it becomes financially viable.

Of the options you have written I vote for option one.

I had considered that, but for the time being I am stuck keeping the rack in the large, single-room shared basement that will have to remain around 70F. What are your thoughts of option 2? Do you think it would be enough to stop disease from spreading to all the tanks? It’s definitely the most attractive option energy-wise.

 

You ask what I think of options 2.
You yourself say it runs the biggest danger of “disease spreading “.
I have to hands on experience with that system but think you are correct in thinking the risk of disease spreading is the greatest with that system?

With just 9 small tanks I would do everything possible to keep each tank separate.
individual heaters and filters would be my choice.

Having the air pump in another room outside the house is a good system. If you can find a way of having the pump as far away as possible do it.

I still vote for option 1

 

If you drill all of the tanks and overflow them into a sump on the bottom shelf, then you only have to solve for heating/filtering/water changes within the sump.

It would be worth factoring a UV system into the sump to prevent spread of disease between tanks.