Hey whats up guys. Haven't been on here in ages. I just got done with an ardous move. I bought a house and managed to plumb up all my tanks for convenient water changes.
Here's an old thread of how I did it at the apartment.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...g-tools-im-not-messing-around-anymore.604730/
I bought brand new utility sink and installed it. The house was built in 1920. All of the plumbing has been replaced with copper or pex, however there was a small section of ancient galvanized pipe that supplies the washing machine and the garden hose outside. There were two washing machine hookups so i elected to use the one not in use to fabricate my faucet and manifold. The pipe was too old to get a wrench on so i just used washing machine hoses. I figure this way it's not permanent and i don't have to worry about plumbing codes. And it can be easily disconnected if i ever have to have some kind of home inspection.
The sink is right over a 4" floor drain and can handle all 3 tanks draining at once, about 2000gph, however I'm not coordinated to babysit all three so i usually do them one or two at a time.
A lot of people will ask why I didn't just do a drip system? Well I don't want to deal with dosing pumps or filter blocks. This is a fairly hands off system but it allows me to still spend time with the tanks and keep me from getting complacent.
I basically flip one switch to drain and another to refill. I can do it all with an infant in one arm. Lol
Basically the pvc manifold has a bypass valve so it can be operated independently of the faucet. I can either use it like a normal sink or use it to fill my tanks. Also all the valves can be turned open and i can run the faucet to pull all the water out of the lines so they are empty between water changes. There is a supply line that runs to each tank and a drain line which runs to the large 1.5" pvc pipe on the left side of the sink. The tanks upstairs drain into this and the water flows into the tub of the sink and to the floor drain. I actually "fished" braided vinyl tubing (supply) and 5/8" garden hose (drain) up through the walls and behind each tank.
If anyone wants a more detailed explanation i can post more pics.
Here's an old thread of how I did it at the apartment.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...g-tools-im-not-messing-around-anymore.604730/
I bought brand new utility sink and installed it. The house was built in 1920. All of the plumbing has been replaced with copper or pex, however there was a small section of ancient galvanized pipe that supplies the washing machine and the garden hose outside. There were two washing machine hookups so i elected to use the one not in use to fabricate my faucet and manifold. The pipe was too old to get a wrench on so i just used washing machine hoses. I figure this way it's not permanent and i don't have to worry about plumbing codes. And it can be easily disconnected if i ever have to have some kind of home inspection.
The sink is right over a 4" floor drain and can handle all 3 tanks draining at once, about 2000gph, however I'm not coordinated to babysit all three so i usually do them one or two at a time.
A lot of people will ask why I didn't just do a drip system? Well I don't want to deal with dosing pumps or filter blocks. This is a fairly hands off system but it allows me to still spend time with the tanks and keep me from getting complacent.
I basically flip one switch to drain and another to refill. I can do it all with an infant in one arm. Lol
Basically the pvc manifold has a bypass valve so it can be operated independently of the faucet. I can either use it like a normal sink or use it to fill my tanks. Also all the valves can be turned open and i can run the faucet to pull all the water out of the lines so they are empty between water changes. There is a supply line that runs to each tank and a drain line which runs to the large 1.5" pvc pipe on the left side of the sink. The tanks upstairs drain into this and the water flows into the tub of the sink and to the floor drain. I actually "fished" braided vinyl tubing (supply) and 5/8" garden hose (drain) up through the walls and behind each tank.
If anyone wants a more detailed explanation i can post more pics.
