Two tanks connected together ...

[ppbon]

... is my setup.

I exclusively have Plattys (+/- 30) although I do have one Clown Loach for snail control.
Originally I had only one 20 gallon tank which was stable for about 4 years.
My fish were breeding regularly and I'd give away many to maintain a safe population.

Then a few weeks ago, a friend brought over a 30 gallon tank as a gift.
That started a slippery slope, because I wanted to do something special.
So, first I built two new matching stands from scratch ...

...then to make them one I put together a water bridge.

The fish love it. Initially they would freak out when they swam the bridge, but now they do it routinely and go back and forth at will.

I'm really happy with the setup now and spend hours just contemplating it.

Happy Aquaristing,
Pedro

 

[mfdrookie516]

Wow, that looks pretty cool! I've seen stuff like this before on other sites, but never on here. My only question is how you do water changes without losing the water from the crossover tube, because it doesn't look like it goes down in the tank very far. I'd love to see some more pictures of this setup

 

[mellowyellow]

This is remarkable! What a concept. How long has it been up and running? I'm wondering, does it simply screw off when it needs cleaning? Again, awesome.

 

[krap101]

Very cool. There's one guy that had one in his basement.. he had bridges running across the room and everywhere.

 

[MarkA123]

I want to connect my tanks now lol! So how does the fish get in the tube? And how did you fill it with water? If you Did it without a kit you should make a how to post. Unless you don't want people copying you lol!

 

[krap101]

I want to connect my tanks now lol! So how does the fish get in the tube? And how did you fill it with water? If you Did it without a kit you should make a how to post. Unless you don't want people copying you lol!

you just have to suck the air out of the tube, and the vacuum will keep the water in, just don't let the water fall below the opening of the tube, or you'll have a bunch of water on your floor. That is why the tubes are extended like 6" (not sure about scale from picture) below the surface of the water.

The fish just swim in.

 

[ppbon]

I don't mind sharing info...

... on the contrary, that's why I posted.

I've made minor changes, but not due to problems, just aesthetics.
I'm also adding moon lighting to each tank and the bridge for night viewing.

I'll try to answer all of the questions:

"So how does the fish get in the tube?"
The fish just swim into the open tube in the aquarium and swim up to the bridge and across to the other side.

Just be sure that any air bubbles stay away from the tubes' openings, otherwise they will empty out. I make sure that the wall of bubbles starts above the bottom end of the tubes.
Any stray bubbles that make it into the tube can be sucked out once per week if you need to.

"And how did you fill it with water?"
To fill it with water was difficult the first time, because I had to insert a hose from the bottom of one side, up the elbow and make sure the end was at the top of the bridge. Then I sucked the air out as if with a straw.
I then decided to make it easier and installed a small brass valve to which I can connect a small tube. I open the valve, suck the air out and close the valve. Very easy.

"How long has it been up and running?"
The new system has been up and running now for about a month.

"I'm wondering, does it simply screw off when it needs cleaning?"
I can use the magnetic scrubber for cleaning if needed.
I am also pumping water from the large tank into the small tank, therefore creating a constant flow of water through the bridge, which helps it remain clean.

"My only question is how you do water changes without losing the water from the crossover tube, because it doesn't look like it goes down in the tank very far."
When I change water in the tanks I don't drop the volume below the bottom edge of the tubes, which are about 8 inches under the water's surface.
If I have to remove it for whatever reason, I just drop the water volume in the tanks and open the bleed valve. Then the bridge can be pulled straight up.

I also had to modify the aquariums' covers. As you can see I used clear acrylic which I doubled up for strength and where I made the opening to fit the tubes. It works quite well.

I used clear acrylic tube 4.5" in diameter and 4" PVC elbows (which I spray-painted brown to match the aquariums' frames). The hardest part was finding the correct adhesive that would bond PVC and acrylic together. I used Weld-On #16.

Happy Aquaristing,
Pedro

 

[mfdrookie516]

Nice. I couldn't see the bottom of the tube very well in the first series of pictures... it goes down in the tank more than I thought from the first pics. Very nice setup indeed

 

[JohnPaul]

Fascinating. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Kribensis_2004]

oh nos the fish are migrating across the north alantic

 

[maxima423]

can we get a zoomed out shot? i would really love to see how far they actually are from each other =]

 

[coolfish]

material

Very cool. There's one guy that had one in his basement.. he had bridges running across the room and everywhere.

what material is the part we can see and where did you buy it and how much does it cost.its cool

 

[coolfish]

what is the material we can see and how much is it and where did you buy it

 

[Maxkolbe]

That is really cool.

 

[krap101]

what is the material we can see and how much is it and where did you buy it

The best material is probably cast acrylic, but glass, extruded acrylic and polycarbonate would probably work as well.

Mcmaster Carr is a good place to start, but it'd probably be cheaper to find a local plastics dealer.

 

[Wroberson]

Really cool. I was wonder how you don't have water on the floor as gravity tends to work against us 24/7.

 

[krap101]

Really cool. I was wonder how you don't have water on the floor as gravity tends to work against us 24/7.

It's the same reason why it takes a long time to empty a coke bottle/can. In order for the liquid to seep out, it has to be displaced by air (which is why blowing air in with a straw can evacuate it very quickly). If there is no air to displace the water (i.e. both ends are underneath the waterline in the tank and there are no leaks), then the vacuum will hold it in.

Another similar example is when siphoning, you can pull water up, as long as you don't break the stream with air.

 

[FlowerhornsRock]

Thats awesome..