View Full Version : One filter, two tanks... possible?
Snakehuntr_007
03-21-2008, 10:34 PM
I'm trying to use a canister filter for both my 55 gal and 75 gal. Has anyone ever attempted this before? I'm trying to save money.
Snake
tank125
03-21-2008, 11:01 PM
I would love to know how you propose to do this!
sorry, the answer is no, not possible with a canister filter unless both tanks top rims are at equal heights and they are drilled and connected via bulkheads and PVC pipe.
koop171
03-21-2008, 11:06 PM
or ..... if you could somehow get two inlets and outlets and make a DIY spliter to get one hoes to turn into two and i think it would work assuming u have a big enough filter to handle bother tanks what kid of filter are you looking at getting ?
tank125
03-21-2008, 11:16 PM
or ..... if you could somehow get two inlets and outlets and make a DIY spliter to get one hoes to turn into two and i think it would work assuming u have a big enough filter to handle bother tanks what kid of filter are you looking at getting ?
no, what if it drew faster from one tank and returned faster to another === water on floor!
congofeet
03-21-2008, 11:33 PM
I would just buy two filters. The alternative is to buy a large sump, two overflows, and two return pumps. That is the only way to have one "filter" and two tanks.
kumdoalan
03-21-2008, 11:51 PM
Water exits the filter and goes to first tank,
It overflows into 2nd tank and then back into filter.
So to use one filter for two different tanks all you need to do is have the 2nd tank slightly lower than the first....somehow...
People do this all the time when they connect different sump tanks in line.
tank125
03-22-2008, 5:59 AM
Water exits the filter and goes to first tank,
It overflows into 2nd tank and then back into filter.
So to use one filter for two different tanks all you need to do is have the 2nd tank slightly lower than the first....somehow...
People do this all the time when they connect different sump tanks in line.
Yeah, you are right, but someone that is too cheap to buy 2 filters likely cannot drill a tank to achieve this. It cannot be done with a overflow box, if it fails, water will still be coming in.
Dr Joe
03-22-2008, 6:52 AM
Water exits the filter and goes to first tank,
It overflows into 2nd tank and then back into filter.
So to use one filter for two different tanks all you need to do is have the 2nd tank slightly lower than the first....somehow...
People do this all the time when they connect different sump tanks in line.
Second tank is never filtered properly.
fishdance
03-22-2008, 7:38 AM
You can use a water bridge to connect 2 or more tanks if you dont want to drill them.
frasertheking
03-22-2008, 7:43 AM
a single sump would be your cheapest and safest solution .Dual outputs with gag valves so you can control the flow to each tank
kumdoalan
03-22-2008, 8:21 AM
When I lived in my house in Seattle about 10 years ago I had a 2-tank/one filter system for a while.
The two tanks (A 20gal and a 40gal) sat side by side and I just got a 2" water pipe that went in a "U" shape connecting the two different aquariums. I had the filter sucking out of one and pumping it to the other.
The 2" pipe was like a water bridge between the two tanks and as water always seeks it's own level the water was always going from one tank to the next.
In real life how it worked out was that one tank was always had a slightly higher water level than the other tank, but it did work and all the water in both tanks did get to the filter.
It more or less worked as if the two tanks were just like one really big tank with just some glass set in the middle of it.
Yeah, you can do it with the water bridge thing, but the water in both tanks will mix, so you can't have two different types of fish. They all have to have to same water needs.
unstopable4700
03-22-2008, 8:53 AM
like dr.joe stated second tank is getting raw end of the deal by getting every thing that comes from first tank. maybe if it was bio only but would be useless as mechanical
kumdoalan
03-22-2008, 8:37 PM
like dr.joe stated second tank is getting raw end of the deal Yes, the 2nd tank would be more-or-less a pre-filter settling tank for the first tank.
There must be other ways to run this design of one filter for many tanks because dont many Local Fish Stores have some way to run all their display tanks off of a common filter?
...
koop171
03-22-2008, 9:02 PM
would a water bridge not need a vacuum to do this properly and if so what happens if the vacuum is broken .... water on the floor and an empty tank
kumdoalan
03-22-2008, 10:57 PM
would a water bridge not need a vacuum to do this properly and if so what happens if the vacuum is broken .... water on the floor and an empty tank
The way I had it working the pump/filter sent water into the first tank and sucked water out of the 2nd tank.
This means that there was always a little difference between the levels of the two tanks and thats why the water would flow from the higher to the lower.
But the moment the power went off or there was a interuption in the water flow it would mean that water would stop filling the first tank, or stop going to the filter, so this more of less kept anything bad from happening.
So it deppends on a person's design as to the danger you run of a empty tank.