Kayrose Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 I am putting together a couple of tanks to be joined with a fish bridge. I have a 20 gallon long tank, a 10 gallon standard tank. My tube is 4 inches in diameter by 36 inches long with bilateral elbows. The question I have is this: Will having one tank being 20 gallons and the other tan 10, will I end up with no negative pressure or if I do, will it all empty into one of the tanks leaving me in a drowning mess? Im not a rocket scientist and physics isn't something I ever took in school. Please advise, if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 As long as you have the tanks at the same level your bridge should work fine. If they aren’t on the same level then your bridge is a siphon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayrose Posted August 15 Author Share Posted August 15 Thanks for your reply! I truly appreciate it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayrose Posted August 15 Author Share Posted August 15 Thanks for your reply! I truly appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 I don't know if this will be an issue for you or not: volume of cylinder formula gives a rough volume for your bridge of around 2 gallons. If your bridge loses its seal, and the water in it empties into one or both tanks, will one or both overflow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayrose Posted August 15 Author Share Posted August 15 Great information. Sometthing to grind my brain on....unless anyone has suggestions?Thanks for your reply! I truly appreciate it. And I DO truly appreciate your response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayrose Posted August 15 Author Share Posted August 15 So a much shorter tube. Or some kind of emergency run off that my partner won't kill me over. She's let me put 2 in her room 3 in my room. Now this experiment....near her antique furniture in the living room! I can't have a disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markp2483 Posted August 16 Share Posted August 16 Just keep the water level the same between the tanks. If they are uneven the higher one will flow into the lower one until equilibrium. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 You will have to raise the 10 gallon up on something about 2” high or the water will flow from the 20 into the 10. That will likely look better, too, since the top line of the tanks will then be at the same level. Otherwise, you will have to run the water level of the 20 long down by at least 2”. After that, as long as you leave yourself enough room at the top of each tank, you shouldn’t have an issue. A 20 long is 12” high so with 2” of substrate that makes it roughly a gallon per 1/2” of height. The 10 G will be about 1/2 gallon per 1/2”. Keep the water level no higher than 3/4” below the rim (assuming your tanks are nice and level and top rims are at equal height) and you should be fine. The entire volume of the bridge won’t drain down, only the part above the water levels in the tanks. If you have the legs of the bridge too short, every time you do a water change you will lose the water in the bridge. You will want the opening in the legs deep in the tanks so you don’t lose all the water and have to pull the air out of the bridge every time you do a water change. Pulling water out of one tank means pulling water out of both tanks since the bridge will keep the water levels equal acting as a siphon between tanks. Is your bridge going to be a full foot long or a bit more? Or are you going for a bit of height above the tank rims? Are the tanks sitting close side by side or some distance between? Substrate in the tanks? Are you planning a slanted cut on the bottom of the legs of the bridge? The deep part will tend to sink into the substrate so allow for the legs working down to the bottom when you plan the height / length of a slanted cut. If you’re cutting a “window” into the side of the legs for the fish to access the bridge, the top of the window (or the top of the slanted cut) will be the lowest you can take the water change without losing the water in the bridge. The taller your bridge comes out of the water the more difficult it will be to maintain water in the bridge. How do you plan to evacuate the air from the bridge? I guarantee you will lose the siphon at some point and need to repeatedly evacuate over the span of months to years time. Plus gas will come out of the water and bubbles will need to be evacuated - keep any air stones at the farthest point away from the bridge. You will need to occasionally remove the bridge for cleaning, too, and need to restore the siphon afterwards. Just a few more thoughts to ruminate about during the planning stages. Oh, and make sure you don’t include a species of fish that will decide the bridge legs are exclusive territory or no one will be using the bridge but that fish +/- it’s mate. I could easily see a pair of Apistos setting up in the base of the legs and never letting anyone past. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayrose Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 Wow that's great information. I haven't put anything together yet. Presently building up an antique/vintage cabinet to put it on. I purchased 36 inch length 4 inch diameter food grade tube with sleeves and elbows. I had planned on having the elbows resting on substrate. Tanks side by side with a wood support in between tanks. I planned to have bridge close to top of tanks. I'm open to deciding the length of bridge. That will determine sponge filter and HTBF placements. As for air removal...I have air hose, valve, and my handy dandy Styrofoam around end of air hose for better control. Thinking about adding a length of coated wire for added control of air hose. I've experimented with negative Pressure tanks so my thoughts on that subject. Funny you should mention aptisto because that's exactly the way I was leaning! With chili rasboras on one side. Still thinking the other. Would Krebs be the same? Any suggestions for center piece fish for each tank that wouldn't kill each other? The only thing I have is cardinal tetras I plan to rehome in one of 3 tanks I'm working on. Would like something the cardinals could share in the fish bridge tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Unless you put some sort of screen across the openings of the bridge, whatever is in one tank will be in the other. In my 100 G nanofish tank I had essentially 2 shoals of chili rasboras before their numbers slowly dwindled from age. There was a group at each end, “the swords group” and the “Aponogeton group”. I’m working on building numbers back up but healthy chilis have been a bit challenging to come by for a few months now. My local LFS got some fish in as chilis but they are actually exclamation point rasboras (but I’ve been looking for some of those for a different tank anyway, so lucky for me except the price 😝). Cardinals will drop down in the tank enough that some would likely cross over, but you could still end up with 2 somewhat separate groups unless you do a LOT of them. I could see Apistos “owning” the entire bridge unless they like a hut better on the other end of the tank. You might get away with a pair of Apistos in each tank if they cooperate by sticking to their own huts, but you could just as likely end up with a dead pair and an injured pair after a battle. I personally wouldn’t chance anything that likes huts / enclosed hides that is going to be territorial or you could end up with no one using the bridge. You could look at honey gouramis or another similar species in the dwarf type gourami group, or a pair from the even smaller gouramis like licorice, sparkling, croaking, etc. Those would all be candidates since they use the whole tank and are curious creatures likely to explore the bridge but not really territorial like Apistos. As long as someone is exploring but not guarding, others will be more likely to explore the bridge. If no one is territorial, you could switch up feeding the tanks randomly to encourage fish to use the bridge more. Others may have more suggestions since I tend to fixate on a fish species, then adapt a tank to that species as opposed to picking a fish for an existing set up unless it’s such a small tank I have limited options or the current species in a tank limit my options. 🤷🏻♀️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayrose Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 I really appreciate all over your comments. Very useful for planning. I've thought about honey gourami. So definitely no aptisto for my plans. Does anyone know if Krebs are the same way? I'd be interested in a pair if they didn't scare everyone else aways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayrose Posted August 18 Author Share Posted August 18 Still working to finish shoring up far ends. Center and legs all supported straight up the middle. I think I got tanks and substrate all about the same heights. Once all is well supported inside and out, then add plants, etc. Let it cycle etc. Do you think it looks okay to continue with fish bridge. I'm thinking I'm just going to use the elbows and sleeves for a short but sweet bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woowala Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 If it were me I wouldn't risk the water damage to the furniture and I'd find/make a more appropriate stand for the tanks. jmo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markp2483 Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 That looks sketchy. What do you have underneath the tank? If it’s wood or plywood that will deflect over time which would lead to uneven loading and most likely tank failure . I would get one more stand and push them close together. Still can have the bridge but way safer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Water on top of valuable antiques is never a good idea. Plywood hanging over the ends of the stand is also not a good idea. It simply won’t stay as flat as you need. I think you would be far better off getting a different stand that will more appropriately support your tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayrose Posted August 20 Author Share Posted August 20 It's 3 - 2 x 4's on top with a brace from floor to ends of those 3 . Each tank is sitting on metal trays on the boards. Then plastic covers over those. The cabinet is solid double thick walls of cross cut oak. All inside areas have been blocked with wood supports. It's much more solid than the dedicated fish cabinet I originally purchased for the set up. I don't worry about this particular antique because after we purchased it we found the person had significantly made changes to it when refinishing. That killed it's value. Right now I'm just letting it sit as I decide whether to plow on or get that fish cabinet out of the back room. Nice I'm getting such great advice. I'm in no hurry. It is all in the planning. Rethink, replan,redo. Thank you! K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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