# Multi-level tank info?



## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi.... I tried a search but couldn't find the right term, so I wonder if anyone here can help me?

One of the science teachers at my son's secondary school wants to set up a tank that will have water at 3 levels, with the water being pumped from the lowest level to the highest. I know that I've seen discussions of complex systems like this at BCA but I can't find them.

If you have any info, or if you have a tank like that that you'd be willing to part with, or a link to an online discussion about this kind of tank, please let me know!

Thanks!
Maureen


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## er201 (Apr 21, 2010)

I haven't built one yet, but I do have a future plan of doing something similar. The whole thing is actually simple if you don't over complicate it. Just have a sump and build a custom tank, pump the water from the top and let it overflow into the lower tanks. How exactly does the teacher want the tank to look like? A tank inside a tank or side by side?


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you, er201! 
The way that the teacher described it, it would be a 48 inch long tank (by 12 inches deep and 16 high), with 2 glass or plexi dividers. The pump would be in the shallow section on the right hand side, and it would pump water into the deepest section, the one on the left. There would be plants growing in all 3 sections. The whole thing will sit on a counter top, with no room for another tank below. 

Have you got any idea how that would work? I'm a little puzzled here.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

There was a petshop in Abbotsford that used to have such a system. It's really not that difficult if you get the baffles (glass dividers) cut to different heights and silicone them in. Then you drill the end with the lowest section, install a bulkhead with screen covering the hole so it doesn't get plugged and plumb in a small pump. I would suggest a 33g at least, so you have the tallest section say 12"x12"x 15", then the next section 12"x12"x12" and the last section 12"x12"x9". The outflow from the pump would shoot water into the top, which then overflows into the next sections. You can even buy overflow "teeth" to silicone across the tops of the baffles to stop fish/plants from going over into the lower sections (J&L sells them for about $12 each).

BTW, never done this but this is how I would do it. You can do it with a bigger tank but make sure the footprints are the same and the change in height of baffles are the same so the tank looks good when finished.

Hope this helps. 

Anthony


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## er201 (Apr 21, 2010)

How about doing that then running a pvc pipe underneath the dividers? and putting the pump in the deepest part. Heres a picture of a similar set up bit its for a river set up.









If not you could drill a hole on the back the bottom part and attach an external pump that will suck water up from the shallow section to the depper part.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi Anthony

Thank you. That's extremely useful! I am going to give that info to the teacher and also look for those parts. Sounds like J&L would be a good place for some of these things? (I'm trying to picture the baffles with teeth, lol)


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

That's a very cool system, er201. Did you draw that?

This is over my head (I've always had tanks with water that was all at one level, unless I was sloshing it over the edge chasing fish) but I will forward this information to the teacher, who probably has a clear idea of what will work or not. Thank you!



er201 said:


> How about doing that then running a pvc pipe underneath the dividers? and putting the pump in the deepest part. Heres a picture of a similar set up bit its for a river set up.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## rescuepenguin (Apr 21, 2010)

You could simplify er 201's drawing, and adapt it to Anthony's description. Have 1 pvc pipe running from shallow to deep end. A sponge topping on the in take (shallow end). A submersible filter in the deep end (out flow). The PVC pipe could be adapted to the intake of the submersible filter. In stead of being pumped into the deep end, the water will be sucked into the deep end. It will also be filtered at the same time.


Steve


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you, Rescue Penguin, Anthony, er201. 

Charles has offered to cut some dividers for me. One thing I'm wondering is, if there are pipes and so on in the bottom of the tank, how can the dividers be placed? Won't the water flow under them and fill the tank to the same level? Should the dividers be fitted with the pipes through them?

I should have taken more physics. My head is swimming!


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## er201 (Apr 21, 2010)

You're right, it will be a pain trying to get proper water levels. You can always use an external pump, unless the teacher doesn't mind having a pump at the swallow part.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Now you get me thinking 

Technically, you don't need to drill any hole if you don't have the technology. You can run a hose from a small powerhead from the lowest compartment to the highest compartment and you are done.

The next cleanest is to hand a couple of U-tubes like the one from the Eheim Ecco filter and connection the hose at the back of the tank.

Other option include couple of PVC fittings to hang the pipe outside of the tank. (Sorry, I cannot provide a sketch - not good with drawing on computer - yet  If I have tiem tonight, I will hand sketch, scan and post.

Now if you want to be real fancy, I would drill two holes at each end of the tank and pipe between the to hole outside of the tank. Put a 90 deg bard adapter at the low tank end, pump water thru that which then flow to the upper tank section. Now you can have a planted tank with a goldfish/cichild tank.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

lol, once you get thinking you really get thinking. That last part about the 90 degree bard adapter is engineering-level.

Thank you so much for your help. I don't think the drawing will be necessary because I'll print out the post and sit down with the teacher early next week to see what he wants. He knows what he's aiming for and I'm sure he'll pick from the ideas here.

All my tanks have only had fish at one level. I am just happy if the plants grow and the fish swim!

Thank you, Maureen



gklaw said:


> Now you get me thinking
> 
> Technically, you don't need to drill any hole if you don't have the technology. You can run a hose from a small powerhead from the lowest compartment to the highest compartment and you are done.
> 
> ...


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

You should check the plant tanks at Ipu. In Richmond or Burnaby.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

if the dividers are acryllic its very easy to notch it for a river manifold set up (the pic he linked), you can silicone the dividers around the pipe to seal it further. Sealing it is unnecessary though, since the powerhead will displace much more water from the lower chambers than could leak back in through the bottom


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

neven said:


> if the dividers are acryllic its very easy to notch it for a river manifold set up (the pic he linked), you can silicone the dividers around the pipe to seal it further. Sealing it is unnecessary though, since the powerhead will displace much more water from the lower chambers than could leak back in through the bottom


The idea is getting better. Although I have bad experience with acrylic divider in a glass tank. Acrylic expands much more than glass = crack in my first glass DIY sump.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thank you for your help, everyone. I think the teacher is going to have his tank pretty soon, thanks to Charles. I will let you know how the teacher sets it up.


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