Considering making a cascading aquarium? Any ideas?

[spankey]

I have two ten gallon tanks laying around. Both are in brand new condition.

I am considering doing a cichlid setup maybee housing 3 in each. But placing one about 8 inches above the other and cutting a hole in the side and adding a water shute to the upper one to run into the lower one.

Then placing my older magnum 200 canister on them to filter them?

obviously placing the intake in the lower tank and the return in the upper one...

My question is this. What material could I use as screening that would NOT rust on the upper tank to keep anything from going into the lower tank?

Any ideas...

Also anyone have any links to sites with cascading tanks on them for ideas???

Thanks

Spankey

 

[125gJoe]

You mean like this?

Here's a LINK...

 

[GulfCstAquarian]

Sounds like a neat idea. What would be cool is to have one side heavily planted for nutrient export, etc. and house non-plant-compatible fish in the other such as the cichlids you mentioned.

For a screen to keep fish seperated from one tank to the other, check out your local Hobby/craft store for some of that hook and loop mesh. It's plastic with small squares about 1/8" apart and should offer almost uninhibited flow.

 

[BK]

i have found the 1/8th mesh to inhibite water flow quite a bit. I have found that the largest size of that plastic stuff (about a 1/4") to work the best but you may have a hard time gluing it. it is like that "greasy" plastic that milk jug caps are made of. That lighting grid that lots of people use for various things in there aquarium might work as well and be a little easier to glue.

 

[RTR]

Cool setup 80gJoe -

 

[spankey]

Thanks Joe-

Thats what I am thinking about but not as huge nor as technical..

The plant Idea is out because I want to house cichlids and from what I remember some of them require a slight salt content. Thus killing off the plants... Although a great idea for other non salt needing fish..

Thanks..

Spankey