Anyone filtering two tanks with one filter?

[kureyton]

I have two 75 gallon tanks and am planning to use only one filter. We have an existing pond canister filter with the capacity of 8000 liters per hour which translates to 2113.376 gallons per hour. Has anyone used one filter for both tanks? And if so what kind of setups did you do?

Thanks!

 

[taksan]

As long as they are racked and the top tank is drilled it might work but pond canister filters are pretty useless for filtering fish ... they are really only prefilters.

 

[fishhead0103666]

While I haven't used 1 filter to filter 2 tanks I did once use 2 canisters to filters 2 tanks with input A in tank 1 and output A in tank 2 and the opposite with the other canister. It worked pretty well especially because they were side by side. Does that count?

 

[Chefken]

My guess is the pond filter would handle the bio no problem....I agree that gravity is your friend here. Either drill the top tank or use a back mounted overflow into the second tank. I would add a polishing filter on the back of each tank if you want really clear water.

 

[duanes]

I usually use 1 sump to filter 3-5 tanks, but clean out the mechanical media, every other day.
I believe aquarium filtration is misunderstood by many aquarists.
Unless you clean the filter regularly, all the invisible toxins are not removed, they are still in the tank water.
Filtration often makes a tank look good by removing particulate, but if that gunk is not removed from the water it becomes an invisible chemical by product that easily degrade water quality, whether it looks good or not.

 

[Nick Park]

While I haven't used 1 filter to filter 2 tanks I did once use 2 canisters to filters 2 tanks with input A in tank 1 and output A in tank 2 and the opposite with the other canister. It worked pretty well especially because they were side by side. Does that count?

Wouldn't both canisters need to have exactly the same flow rate? I would be terrified that if one canister was drawing and ejecting a greater volume than the other, then one of the tanks would end up overflowing.

 

[fishhead0103666]

Yes, both of the canisters were the same.

 

[celebrist]

While I haven't used 1 filter to filter 2 tanks I did once use 2 canisters to filters 2 tanks with input A in tank 1 and output A in tank 2 and the opposite with the other canister. It worked pretty well especially because they were side by side. Does that count?

That sounds dangerous to me, how long did you have that setup going

 

[celebrist]

Several people run multiple tanks off a single sump

 

[monkeybike]

Several people run multiple tanks off a single sump

I do, my 180 and a 40b