Chain of connected fish tanks

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NeedlsslyComplx

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Apr 10, 2006
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I have availabe:

1 55 Gallon (getting a second soon)
1 29 Tall
1 20 Long
4-5 10 Gallon
5 Gallon
2.5 Gallon

I intend to link them together to form a needleesly complex environment. (Why? Because I'm curious.)

I have plenty of filters and a few pumps.
I intend to pump water from one tank to the "last" in the chain, and have siphon/water bridges between the tanks.

I intend to have a "low" light planted setup in at least half the tanks (which would not necesarily be half the volume of water, though ideally everything would eventually be planted)

General idea (so far):

1 Main predator in a 55 (since they're messier). It will be solitary. (And the "show" fish if you will. Main idea with the predator tank is to fertilize the plants in the system)

I'm trying to come up with a list of small fish/critters that could breed in hard water with a pH of 6.8-7 - with the idea that they would breed and migrate between the water bridges and "balance".

Current thoughts:

Dwarf Cories (unsure of reqs)
Feeder guppies (almost guaranteed to be added)
Bristlenose Pleco (Maybe a pair in the second 55) - but fish that size I would feel a need to remove excess youngsters. I think they're pushing it size wise
Zebra Danios (maybe)
Ottos (maybe)
Ghost shrimp (maybe)

Does anyone have any ideas? My main interest is small, breeds easily/serves a unique function, and relatively hardy. I am morally comfortable with the concept of a system crash.
 
This could be an interesting set up, But It will probably be pretty difficult to do.

If you intend on having water bridges connecting all the tanks, You will need to build custom stands for every tank to keep them all level. If one tank isn't level the water will drain from every other tank into it. Also you will need to build each bridge to the size of the fish. If the predator fish can fit through the bridge to any other tanks they will eventually figure out that is were the food is, and go have a snack when they want.

You wouldn't need to filter every tank individually. You could make a sump that drains from the last tank and returns the water to the first tank. This would also keep the tanks less clutered.

You would also need a QT tank, becuse if you introduced a disease into one tank it will get spread into every tank.

Like I said it could be cool, but it will take a lot of planning.
 
Well, not really a great idea. The issue is that a disease in one tank will migrate to all the tanks, and you will have problems maintaining adequate water flow, not to mention all the issues related to the fluctuating water levels due to evaporation.

However, in terms of fish that might work out...The guppies are a good choice. Bristlenose would be a good option in the 55, but mainly, you can prevent breeding simply by keeping 2 females or 2 males. What predators were you thinking of? The bigger problem with trying to have the other fish serve as food for the predator will be that either the predator can move between systems--meaning they might be able to reproduce fast enough to maintain equilibrium--or, it remains in the 55, and it won't be too many generations before the reproducers learn to stay out of the 55.

And, of course, since not all the fish on the list readily reproduce in a tank without intervention, they migh tnot be adequate anyway. And, any fish that will take guppies will also pose a threat to all the other fish in the same size cateogy--cories, danios, otos, and shrimp.

Unfortunateky, 'natural' systems are hard to setup and maintain in a closed setup. The predator/prey balance is a tough line to walk, even without worrying about the carrying load of the filtration.
 
I've had the same thought about tank chained one to the other. My main drawback is I live in a seismic area, and even a tremor can dislodge the bridges and break all the set up.

If you live in a vere solid ground, you could do it. To make the bridges, I'd drill a hole, in the smaller sides of the aquariums, large enoug to fit and tread PVC fittings and the seal them with silicone. After that, use flexible hoses to make the bridges, so you can allow your tanks to move a little. If you use PVC you can break everything by moving one tank. A semi fine mesh in between the tanks bridges, can prevent fish from migrating from one tank to the other.

Also, not all your tanks have to be the same height, but all must be level at the top, not the bottom. This will require the specially designed stands OrionGirl told you.

About evaporation, it's unlikely to affect your system if you use a overflow system in the last tank. The water level will remain constant to the overflow level, and you'll see the reduction at the sump. Just refill it as required. However, if you maintain a good water change schedule, you'll never note a lot of evaporation (unless you live in the desert).

Water circulation can be difficult or easy, depending on what you want. If you pump water into the first tank, it will displace water to the next and so on, until it find the bottomless pit called the overflow. You could also add small powerheads pointing into the bridges to make water circulation better. This would be a nice trial/error experiment.

Diseases? It's a real PITA. If one of your fish gets sick, you'll have it spread all over the tanks. As stated, a quarantine/hospital tanks is a must have, and you should be prepared with a isolation method in case you have to take a tank out of the complex. It could be a along hose used to bypass a tank from the entire system. Also, you'll need a emergency filtration system for the isolated tank.

This would be a fun project, a little dificult to make and a lot of money to spend. Maybe, when I grow up, I'll do it.

Giving it a second thought, you could achieve a pretty similar result buyng a large tank and dividing it internally with egg crate and mesh.
 
My main concern at this point is getting a list of species of fish. I seem to have distracted people though (I checked, I was not clear in my last post, sorry), so I'll quickly make some notes:

1: I can handle building my own stands etc. Water levels evaporation, filtration, water flow, all things I can handle and I am not worried about.

2: The flexible hoses is a really good idea. I'm not so sure I should cut glass in my aquariums though :) I may just take tubing for bridges. The issue is water balance, and I will not want the predator moving between systems. (Tubing is also cheaper than making PVC)

3: The main predator won't be moving between tanks. I don't intend to use large enough connectors.

4: The tops of the tanks don't have to be level, because I am willing to not fill all the tanks all the way to the top. I have even considered making onestage shallower water intentionally.

5: Diseases. Scoop out dead fish, and don't spend a lot of money of fish. Let the young die of disease, so the survivors have resistance. Heck, let the parents die of disease so they don't pass their weakness on to the children. I am willing to accept the risk of a massive fishkill from disease. It is fully expected.

6: I intend to feed the main predator from outside sources. I don't expect it to live off of guppies that voluntarily swim over to be eaten. The size of a predator I would want in the main show tank would require much more than the 200 some gallons I could (at maximum, which is unlikely) support.

7: I expect, eventually, to stop feeding the rest of the components of the system. I hope for enough plant growth, eventually, to support enough micro-munchables to support a small colony of guppies or other small fish. (If I went with dwarf cories or something else neater than guppies I imagine I'd continue supplements, due to the limitations in variety such a small system could offer)

I hope that makes my position a little more clear to give an idea of what would fit my goals. Does anyone have any fish suggestions?
 
NeedlsslyComplx said:
I am willing to accept the risk of a massive fishkill from disease. It is fully expected.…
I expect, eventually, to stop feeding the rest of the components of the system. …Does anyone have any fish suggestions?
Click to expand...
Plastic?
 
I have seen this done several times...

http://www.bio-elite.com/waterbridge.htm

http://www.fishighway.com/

and chefkeith has done this with his tanks.

It looks pretty cool but I am sure it comes with a fair share of problems. Just remember, if you don't prevent fish from traveling from one tank to the other, they will and eventually you will lose a fish you really like to the predator!
 
They're going to be siphons more than water bridges. But I expect to use wide enough tubing that a particularly adventurous guppy / shrimp could migrate.

There won't be any "show" fish in the rest of the system. Whereas in the predator tank the "show" if you will, is the predator, in the rest of the system the "show" is the community of fish.

I'm not going to have any trophy fish in this setup. As was previously mentioned, disease could easily brutalize the entire system. There will be no really expensive fish.

Does anyone have a constructive suggestion? (Obviously not plastic..)

Keep in mind that I don't intend to put 200 feeder guppies in the system, or 20 cory's, or 10 plecos.

The fish stock will be *light*, and will, to others, look understocked. I had a 55g freshwater setup once that had a grand total of 10 inches of fish, and the biggest fish was 1.5" long.

And I will feed the fish until I see enough of background to support them. Background means probably having a nested component with *no fish*.
 
I've got a couple of 10G tanks hooked to my 29G display tank. When I'm finished using my 3rd 10G tank as a QT, I will hook it up as well. I have room for two more, but my wife is not pleased with that idea. I use 1 1/2" PVC on the 10G's as a syphon. I've got pantyhose screening the syphons so fish don't travel from tank to tank. My mollies are quick to move that way.

I use an Eheim canister with another pump on the intake to boost flow with a 3' rise. It flows into the intake of a modified HOB filter so I can easily add carbon when I want. The 10G's are on the upper level, and it uses an overflow that empties into my display tank. I have to leave the level down about 2" on my display tank to hold the water when I turn off the pumps (a lesson learned the hard way). I marked the spot with a magic marker so I can easily know exactly where to top it off.

One caution is that you have to regularly check the syphons for vacuum leaks. I had the vacuum fail on a syphon while I was at work. It poured almost 30G of water into my living room carpet. You also have to be careful that your overflow handles the rate at which water is pumped into the upper level.

I'd suggest using guppies as your feeder.
 
What you are talking about is a "circulating range", a concept which has been around since the 1960s-70s. I have been operating such for the last 30+ years. The first tanks listed in my tank list at:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33393&highlight=RTR's

are the current range.

This is not a "balanced system". Tanks are individually fed and the sytem is partialled and vac'd as if it were individual tanks. Some tanks have small-fish transit between the tanks, some do not. Numbers 1/2/3 interconnect freely; 4->5 & 7->8 allow transit of fry to the higher numbered tank but not adults, and no return.

Absolutely neurotic QT is the primary requirement. Other than that it is not so big a deal.

Several of these tanks are pictured at:

http://www.gwapa.org/articles/august2005/index.html

labelled as the Wall-O-Tanks.
 
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