multipal tanks with one canister filter

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

winston1994

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Mar 12, 2015
Messages
25
Location
Missouri
i have two 55 gallon tanks and a marineland canister filter rated for 150+ gph... so my question is I'm wanting to run that filter through both tanks...? but sense there will be difference in flow... i thought i could put a ball valve inline an regulate the the flow trying to equalize the tanks... or do you think they will still overflow...? this is how i did my airlines and it seemed to work...

thanks allot...mike
 

Attachments

  • canisterfilter.pdf
    163.1 KB · Views: 34
With two 55 gallon tanks and only 150gph you will be way under filtered.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
With two 55 gallon tanks and only 150gph you will be way under filtered.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Aquarium Advice mobile app
what would the recommended GPH be for each 55..? i have midevil in one an a red texas in the other...

thks...mike
 
what would the recommended GPH be for each 55..? i have midevil in one an a red texas in the other...

thks...mike


You want a minimum of water turning over ten times an hour. So at least 550 gph per tank..preferably more because of the fish you have.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice
 
You want a minimum of water turning over ten times an hour. So at least 550 gph per tank..preferably more because of the fish you have.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

I agree . Min of 10 times the tank volume for large central and south American cichlids.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
thanks allot for info Nigel and Mike... i appreciate it an i think i will use the canister on the 40 i have...
 
You want a minimum of water turning over ten times an hour. So at least 550 gph per tank..preferably more because of the fish you have.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

I agree . Min of 10 times the tank volume for large central and south American cichlids.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Personally, I wouldn't go much higher than 10x turnover per hour. Shooting for higher turnover isn't going to increase the filtering capacity of the tank, but instead will cause the fish to burn more calories requiring more food pumping more nitrates in the water.

5x - 10x the tank volume per hour are good values to shoot for.
 
that type of set-up is just a disaster waiting to happen.
The only way you can safely run multiple tanks on one system is by utilizing a common sump and each tank would still need it's own return pump, or the tanks need to be plumbed together so the water level would equalize between the two, that would require drilling the tanks.
trying to manage both tanks with one pump/canister will surely result in floods.
 
Personally, I wouldn't go much higher than 10x turnover per hour. Shooting for higher turnover isn't going to increase the filtering capacity of the tank, but instead will cause the fish to burn more calories requiring more food pumping more nitrates in the water.

5x - 10x the tank volume per hour are good values to shoot for.

For 90% of the average tropical and cichlids under 7" I agree with you but for a large wet pet like a midevil I shoot for 10x min. How ever I use 4 ac 50's on my 55 with the hybrid for 800 advertised gph. It's probably more like 650 with media. This way the actual turbulence in the tank isn't bad and there are no dead spots.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
For 90% of the average tropical and cichlids under 7" I agree with you but for a large wet pet like a midevil I shoot for 10x min. How ever I use 4 ac 50's on my 55 with the hybrid for 800 advertised gph. It's probably more like 650 with media. This way the actual turbulence in the tank isn't bad and there are no dead spots.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Aquarium Advice mobile app
so you would recommend multiple filters vs one filter per tank to get your GPH?
 
so you would recommend multiple filters vs one filter per tank to get your GPH?

This is really up to you. I look at it this way. If a filter fails its only 25% of the filtration down and the other 3 will quickly increase in bb to keep up with the ammonia out put of the stock. Also I only clean 1 filter a week so its always a month between cleanings on each filter. My filters don't really get that dirty. I'm guessing its because I do 80% water changes every 5 days and 2 because the hybrids waste is the size of a pretzel stick and doesn't stay in the tank long enough to break down.
 
yeah that make since... only reason i was thinking of this project cause i got the brand new canister for like 15 bucks at a auction... an was thinking of ways to reduce my load on the electrical system... beside shutting other tanks down...
 
Back
Top Bottom