Cheap PVC canister manifold for two tanks

[nc0gnet0]

Sometimes those of us in the DIY world become so caught up in a project we forget to step back and take a look at the bigger picture (I am the most guilty of this)

Gunner, your forgetting (or not mentioning) that combining the two tanks via one filter essentially makes the two tanks one. Even if your succesfull, If one tank bcomes diseased, so will the other. This is the one big benefit of seperate tanks.

Next of all, even if you manage to overcome the potential overflow issue, how will you insure that each tank is recieving adequate filtration at a 50-50 level?

Thirdly, you have added head/back pressure to the fx5 which will diminish its total output, will this be significant?

When you consider these issues, wouldn't it be more cost effective to sell the two 80 gallon tanks and buy one 160 gallon tank? Problem solved!

 

[67chevelle]

No, not unless they were somehow coupled together.........and then you have just cut off all filtrtion to one tank until you notice it......

It would be easy to couple them together.and I would rather have a tank that is not being filtered for awhile,rather than a flood.

 

[67chevelle]

When you consider these issues, wouldn't it be more cost effective to sell the two 80 gallon tanks and buy one 160 gallon tank? Problem solved!

Bigger tanks are always better! Great idea! :thm:

 

[nc0gnet0]

It would be easy to couple them together

No it would not! Not with out expensive flow meters/sensors coupled with electronic valves and this would defeat everything.....think about it a bit more, not to mention check valves are mechanical one way devices, the only thing they would solve is backflow, which really isn't the issue in discussion.

I would rather have a tank that is not being filtered for awhile,rather than a flood.

And your point is? Personally, I would rather have neither........and that is the only real solution......

 

[nc0gnet0]

Bigger tanks are always better! Great idea!

Even that is relative to the species in each tank.........For instance I would not combine an 80 gallon tank with piranahs with an 80 gallon tank filled with tetras ;P Not without tank dividers which are effective, but not so asteticly appealing.......

 

[67chevelle]

No it would not!

Yes it would be easy to couple backflows together.Depending on what kind you are using,you could easily glue pvc together,or use a nipple for brass.I'm certainly not saying that backflows can't and don't fail,but brass ones are stong enough I would trust them.

Even that is relative to the species in each tank.........For instance I would not combine an 80 gallon tank with piranahs with an 80 gallon tank filled with tetras ;P Not without tank dividers which are effective, but not so asteticly appealing.......

Why even bring that up? Species of fish has not even been mentioned in this thread until now.:screwy:

 

[nc0gnet0]

Yes it would be easy to couple backflows together.Depending on what kind you are using,you could easily glue pvc together,or use a nipple for brass.I'm certainly not saying that backflows can't and don't fail,but brass ones are stong enough I would trust them.

And in the end what has this solved? Nothing. We are not talking about an overflow caused by backflow, we are talking about an overflow caused by overfilling, in which case the addition of a check valve would have no impact as it would still allow flow in its installed direction.

 

[67chevelle]

And in the end what has this solved? Nothing. We are not talking about an overflow caused by backflow, we are talking about an overflow caused by overfilling, in which case the addition of a check valve would have no impact as it would still allow flow in its installed direction.

Get off your high horse.After I have thought about this,and looked through it again,I can see what everyone is talking about.Sorry about the derail.

 

[nc0gnet0]

I apologize if you percieved a tone, it was not my intent, hopefully the mods can delete all post not pertaining to original subject matter......

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Im not concerned about the two tanks exposing one another no more then I'm concerned about the tank divider in my 80 tank not being watertight, for which you could pose the same disease augment.

Two identical 80 tanks as apposed to a 160 tanks is necessary in my case because these two tanks follow the contour of a 20 degree bend in the wall where room is limited and where a 6 feet strait tank without a 20 degree bend will not fit. So we can put that augment to rest as well.

As far as the difficulty and supposedly hard to find examples of coupling tanks I'm afraid that argument is not valid as well, as tank bridges have been around as long as aquariums have with nothing more then one large transparent pipe or as individual siliconed pieces of glass put together over the top rims that last for years without flooding using one filter. Something you and I and everyone else who is experienced keeping fish has seen and witnessed working perfectly with inflow into one tank and out flow in the other tank.

What is at odds here is a new idea that is outside the mainstream of what we are used to seeing (Warning Will Robinson!).

That alone makes it hard to accept as plausible and I understand becasue I am a skeptic myself. But its important to look at the problem without noticing its differences but more importantly how it is similar in application to what we have seen work.

In this project I see one glass full and one glass half full (not empty) , and I believe I can get the two to equalize without all the gizmos just like all those thousands of water bridges out there that work.

The only difference with mine is by having it pressurized, air accumulation can be avoided.