20 x 1foot tank filtration system

Hi everybody

I need some help.

I want to make a central filtration and heating system(sump) for 20 1foot tanks or a sump system per level(4 tanks).The problem is that I don't want to drill into the existing tanks.

Any ideas?

 

Hectic. That is a lot of tanks. Nothing to add but following this one as I have been thinking about something like this for awhile. Good luck with the setup.

 

Ha ha ha I want to do 2 of them.:stupid:

 

Awesome! Please update with pics etc as you go...

 

The only way I can think of is if you have a water pump in EACH tank -
The water gets pumped from the tanks into your central filter system which needs to be big enough to be able to cope with 20 cubic metres of dirty water( at least).
You then install another pump where the water flows out that has been filtered and heated and pump that water back into each individual tank.
You calculate the amount of water entering the filter box and buy a pump that is quite a bit LARGER than you require for returning the water to the tanks.
Close to each individual tank , where the returning water enters, you have a regulating valve so that you can control the amount of water that each tank requires, because the tanks further away from the return pump will need more pressure to send the water to them than those closer to the filter pump.

I REALLY do not recommend that you put the tanks on a high stand like the one in your diagram.
The level in your tanks and the level in your filter MUST MUST be at the same level otherwise you will have MAJOR problems when the electricity goes off.

I suggest that drilling a hole in each tank will be much easier and safer in the long run - it really is the way to go
Good luck

 

Maybe something like this.If I have to drill holes in the tanks...... Don't want to go for a pump in every tank.

I would rather go for something like this on every level.

 

It will be a gravity feed into the sump and a water pump returning the water to the tanks with taps for regulation.What do you thin @eros111

 

Here is something out of the box (or possibly tank?). What about placing the tanks on the top shelf into a long, shallow plastic container which can be drilled and have pipes leading into the next level of tanks. Then you allow the top tanks to overflow into the plastic container and then drain into the tanks under them. You can then repeat this through all the levels into your sump which will then pump the water back into the top tanks. The advantage of this is that if the power goes off you wont get a siphon. Disadvantage is that you would have a shallow plastic container under all the tanks.

 

it will work.The only problem is if there is nasties in one tank, its in all of the tanks.So that is why I want to do this on a level system running 4 tanks and a sump per level.If you do it this way you don't need a huge sump with a strong pump and you don't have the problem with the nasties.

 

@TheGrissom I will make a drawing of another idea and post it tomorrow. Incorporating your idea.:bigsmile:

 

The overflow into a container under the tanks will still work but you can just have each container drain into its own sump instead of into the tanks below it. I want to try this design in the far future when I eventually have a fish room. But I dont think it will work for fry. They will go over the edge and end up in the sump.

 

YES, the gravity feed will be the way to go. Very good idea to have only 4 tanks feeding ONE filter system - as you say - less chance of nasties spreading.
Each filter and tank system then will also need it's VERY OWN equipment so that you do not spread disease from one to the other throughout. Could get complicated remembering which piece of equipment is for which system. Colour code each item for each different filter system is the only way to stop cross-infection
However Brenton's idea of the shallow plastic tray is also a GREAT idea - so every level of tanks has it's own tray. You will cover EACH tank with a lid of some kind as the water level will be right to the top and makes it easy for fish to 'escape' - not on purpose of course !!!!
You still gonna need quite a strong pump for the higher tanks - you are going to lift the water by at least 10 foot or more - remember you need quite big gaps between each layer to easily work inside the tanks

 

I saw a very similar setup in operation at a fish hatchery near here, works very well for them. They test water parameters daily and apparently run at 0 ammonia 0 nitrite AND 0 or close to zero nitrate. Big systems though, 25000 litre plus. One system runs on cement ponds(malawis, mollies, guppies, lion head goldfish etc) another on plastic tanks(koi etc) and another on a normal tank room used for quarantine before fish are shipped(everything in there from tetras to discus and pretty much everything inbetween) They use fluidized bed filters placed outside, built from plastic tanks ranging from 1000 L to 5000 L with media. A pre filter to remove solids etc is used before the fluidised bed filters. Water runs through a thermostat controlled heat pump to control temperature. It was really a treat to see. They had just set up their first aquaponics tunnel in another section(switched the pumps on for the first time the day I was there), but thats a whole different story on its own. Awesome to see though........use your fish waste to grow your own vegetables ! Cool idea So the idea will definitely work, just tailor the finer points for your setup.

 

I am a bit tired here and broken so if I am repeating something's it's cause the meds are to strong,

There is 3 problems I am seeing here,

I am assuming this is a breeding setup of sorts...
1: you get on sick fish on your first tank, good buy stock...
And
2: with the amount of gravitational force pulling the water out chances are it is going to suck up and kill your fry...

3: the amount of pressure you will need to putt the water back in too the top tanks the water flow is going to be hectic again good by fry and if you have breeding stock up there they will be far to tired to get it on...

Also the size sump you will need to filter that amount of stock will be rather large remember although they are fry there would will be a lot more of them resulting in a lot is fish poo and other issues...

Again just assuming you breeding.
And the water changes on that amount of stock is going to loads of fun.

 

Hey guys.Having a hectic week.Will get back to this as soon as possible.

 

Why not just get those small corner filters that use a air pump and fill it up with matrix and add live plants?

 

I was thinking about this a bit last night. Why must the tanks be in a row? Rather have 4 tanks in a column. It will work much better. The top tank will take all the force and turbulence of having the water pumped back in and therefore shouldnt contain fish so it may just be a waste of a tank unless you find some way of adding the water into the tanks more gently. The second and third tanks can be gravity fed from the tank above it and then into a sump.

 

The sump is also something you can move around to gravity feed from it maybe?

 

Nice one Grissom !!