Hi, everybody Joey here again, and welcome back so in today's video
I'm going to show you how to filter [to] aquariums with one filter now
This is actually a project that many people are interested in but are sometimes faced with the only real option being to
Drill the tanks have some sort of overflow then stack them on top of each other however
Most of you are looking to filter a pair of tanks [that] are actually side by side
And that's exactly what we're going to cover in today's video first
I want to jump right into this project
Then we'll come [back] and talk about cost how to size the filter tank sizes I recommend this for
Flow rates and cover some of the pros and cons as well
The biggest challenge might appear to be how to keep the water level in both tanks level with each other while allowing water to easily
Transfer from one to the other and while this might seem [like] the biggest challenge is actually
Not in fact you already know how to do this because in the past I did a video on how to build a water bridge
A popular project that will allow you to connect to tanks and watch your 5th limb from one tank to [the] other
We'll be using that exact idea yet using PVC to create it
All you need is a couple of elbows and enough PVC pipe to span the difference of both tanks
creating a small
U-Shape with it ensuring that you cement it together as well now ideally you'll want the PVC to enter the aquarium by a few inches
Especially if you have a turbid water surface that could break the seal we're going to create to prime the bridge and to create that
seal I like to use a couple of
PVC
End caps to cover the ends once I fill it with water you could also use the palms of your hands though
now water will stay inside of the bridge as the atmospheric pressure on the outside of the pipe is actually greater than
Inside and I explain [all] the details as well as how is it works in the water bridge video that I mentioned [earlier]
So make sure you check that video if you haven't seen something like this before
Now if water is added to one tank it equalizes in the other for example
If I remove water from one tank and add it to the other both tanks will stay in
Equilibrium the parts to create this small bridge actually only cost me [$3] however
We're [going] to get the flow rates and sizing it later on in the video [as] for the filter
Well, we could do almost anything at this point
but I figured that if we're going to be filtering [two] tanks at once while of course keeping it fully customized full and
Cost-effective, so I went with the overhead filter. It's actually something that I like to call the overhead sump luckily
I showed you how to build one of these in the past as well
So we'll keep this simple [I] use the plastic planner now
These come in a variety of sizes
But I want to focus on the 18 inch 24 inch and 36 inch versions as guideline for this example
I use the 18 inch size I drilled the hole in the bottom the size I needed according to the flow Rate [I]
Needed to flow through it again. I'm going to get to the sizing this as well later on I took a male and female
PVC adapter and created a makeshift bulkhead however since this will be [over] the tank
I just added a dab of silicone to seal it this will act as my drain
I then took a small piece [of] PVC pipe and heated it up with a heat gun until I could bend it this will allow
Me to direct the flow of the water into the tank then I took a couple of spare sponges and created Baffles basically
That's just an easy way for me to separate my plumbing from the media from there
I used a small power head to act as my pump to deliver water to the filter and you can use whatever pump you want
Though or even an airlift will work
I use some sea PVC that I also heated up with a heat gun to form the [U] for the return again
We'll talk about flow rate soon for [biological] Media
I use some basic Lav arak a very porous and lightweight type of rock with an excellent biological filtering capacity
I bought a 7-pound bag for [5] bucks
Enough for five of these filters in this example and just to give you a visual idea
I added it in loose however
I would suggest adding yours and [2] mesh bags for easier removal later on now as a side [note] the lab rocks were actually labeled
For barbecues however with a quick rinse. It's still lav iraq regardless of the name you put in front of it
Keep that [in] mind next time you're looking for a cheap effective and long-lasting
Biological filter Media the entire filter cost me $3 for the planter $2 for the bulkhead
$1 where the [see] PVC and a dollar worth a LAv arak so seven dollars total?
This doesn't include the sponge that I already had nor the pump now depending on the pump you use that cost [will] fluctuate
Anyways plus I already had this so in total I invested
$10 however with all do it yourself projects costs always fluctuate depending on where you are. So how does this work?
Well as water is delivered to the top of the filter the water first flows through the sponge
Where it is mechanically filtered followed by flowing through the biological?
Media or whatever else you decide to add to it the water then flows through the last sponge before
Overflowing into the second tank now at this point the water is in the second tank and can begin to flow back through
To the other side through the water bridge finishing the cycle to clean it
I simply remove the sponges and give them a quick [rinse] then add them back in and that's pretty much it now my suggestion would
Also be to add in some pozos plants to the filter to not only hide it, but also help remove nitrates now
I've talked about the pozos plants in many other videos, so I'll put some links in the description to all of these videos
I'm talking about so you can watch them later on for a filter like this
I would recommend a flow rate of [4] to [6] times per hour for example a pair of 25 gallon
Tanks will give you 50 gallons total so you'll want a flow rate [of] 200 300 gallons per hour for a setup like that to
Size the filter I suggest using the 18 inch version for two tanks totaling up to
75 gallons the 24 inch version for two tanks totaling up to
120 [gallons] and the 36 inch version for two tanks totaling up to
200 gallons
[the] Bridge flow rates that I've tested were one inch one and a half inch and 2 inch I found that the ideal flow rates
to be 300 600 and 900 gallons per hour
Were ideal before the bridge?
struggled to keep the water levels even now some of your smaller fish will still be able to travel up [through] the bridge and if
You don't want that to happen
I suggest adding a little bit of mesh to each end to stop that from [happening] and maybe hold it in place with some
Elastics or a few dabs of silicone as for the drain these are actually [size] the same as normal bulkheads [wood]?
however for all of the sizes of filters I've listed them the
Recommended flow rates a one-inch bulkhead seems to work for all of them the good thing about this filter is you can actually filter two?
tanks in a sump like
Fashion for very little money [you] [also] have very little equipment in the tank if you plan [to] add a heater to it though
[I] would add a small pipe to the drain to ensure [that] the planner doesn't fully drain when the power goes out
Now the downside to this filter is it's not very
Pretty however adding some of those poe those plants to cover
It will make it look a lot nicer while serving a meaningful purpose the other downside is you have no control over
Transmission of disease if something is in one [too]
Think it's going to get to the other so I was suggest using this on tanks with fish that were properly
Quarantined [on] that note what I personally like about this setup
The most is using it for breeding
The pair in one tank and the fry in the second tank and this ensures that all water perimeters are actually identical
In both tanks which can be vital especially for sensitive fry anyways. I hope that you guys enjoyed this video
I also want to thank you for watching and I'll see you guys next Sunday
for a new project