# One filter, Multiple tanks. Can it be done?



## Burks (May 25, 2006)

Again, sitting in Biology, I was thinking of some different things to do with tanks.

Would it be possible to have six, 10g tanks all hooked to the same canister filter? Like an XP3. Would this even be a feasible idea?

I have a whole 2 outlets in my tank room, one of which is completely dedicated to my computer. The idea of one filter, six tanks, is interesting. Lighting wouldn't be a problem though. Couple of shop lights over the tanks.

Any ideas?


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

What is the GPH of that canister filter?


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

350 GPH. Recommended up to 175g tanks.


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

Burks. If you put them side by side in sequence, you can add "U" tube PVC or ABS fittings or acrylic tubes between all the tanks. Have the input to the filter in the first in the line and the outlet in the last of the line or visa versa. The"U" tubes must be filled with water at all times and you may have to install screening to prevent fish migration from tank to tank.
Please google image of "Fish Highway" to see the basic principle.(fish highway is super duper cool if you have never heard of it before , Believe me!) It is a simple syphon and i guess it could be super affordable.

Hey! When u are sitting in biology, aren't you supposed to be thinking about biology?


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

It can be accomplished quite easily but with some potential pitfalls. 

U-Tubes between the tanks. 

Tank 1 has the return from the canister. between tanks 1-2. 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, and 5-6 there is a U-tube. Tank 6 houses the drain to the filter. 

A U-Tube could become clogged allowing the preceding tanks to back up and possibly overflow. Redundant U-Tubes, careful level adjustment, and a siphon break on the drain are tool's that mitigate disaster.


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

I got ninja'd!  Or... never mind. Like gnatster said!


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## Burks (May 25, 2006)

Chris S said:


> Hey! When u are sitting in biology, aren't you supposed to be thinking about biology?


Well don't fish belong in Biology?  The topic was on ATP production today, boooooring.

This might be a possible thing down the road. Just kind of tossing ideas around. What limits me more than money is electrical problems.


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## Dewmazz (Sep 6, 2005)

With properly sized hose splitters from a hardeware store, it seems feesable. Though leaks would be threatening with all those hoses. Not to mention possibly oveflowing tanks if one of the hoses gets clogged. Neat idea though.


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## Chris S (Feb 27, 2006)

Same dangers apply to dewmazz's design. If one of those filter intakes cloggs, Big Trouble.


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## 5380 (Jun 16, 2005)

If the tanks are linked horizontally to each other, vertically to a sump to drain, and with float shut off valves, then I would think you've made every effort to protect the house. Then I would just put clamps on the barbs to make sure hoses don't pop off. I limit my number of tanks in the house to 3, although it's a pain because my want list is kinda like a food chain.


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## nopain00 (Jun 12, 2006)

You could always do what fish stores do, but it requires some drilling. They put overflows into each tank. Essentially, this is a PVC pipe that goes through the bottom and has its mouth at the target water level (with a strainer of some sort to prevent fish uptake). These all connect to a sump at the bottom. The filter/pump connects to this sump and outflows to a separate nozzle to each of the tanks.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

1. Learn all you can in Biology or Chemistry class. It will make understanding so many things on this website easier to understand (so much easier than trying to remember 20+ years later).

2. I have seen something like this in Local Fish Stores, but never with a tank that had plants in them that I know of. How would this set up affect/effect the aquariums / aquarium plants? Would this make it easier or more difficult in the long run? 

3. Any Local Fish Store owners and/or businesses on this website that have tried this? Feedback, suggestions.

4. I think this sounds really cool.


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## Teeleton (Jun 8, 2006)

Yeah, most LFS are set up exactly this way. Next time you're there, take a close look at how the tanks are set up. Basically each tank probably has an overflow and a return. The overflow is gravity fed and not a siphon, so the tank will only drain to a certain point, and no more. The return then just has to add water until it flows into the overflow. As long as the collection from the overflow is large enough that it can't be pumped dry, it will just run continuously, and all of the water will be like a single huge aquarium with one huge filter. Most setups like this at the LFS will run the overflow through the back of the aquarium, whereas most home aquariums will run through the bottom. The reason they go through the back is because they tend to stack several layers of aquariums on top of each other, and through the bottom is problematic when there's a 2nd aquarium there.

Teeleton


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

So all the fish waste from all the tanks could then go into one Plant tank before it goes into some huge canister filter last?


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## fantasticaqua (Jun 20, 2006)

You could get pre-drilled tanks to cut down on problems. Then have the water flow into a sump (or plant tank) and set up a series of regulators, one for each tank. That is basically the way our grow out system is set up.


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