Multi-level tank info?

[Morainy]

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

[er201]

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?

[Morainy]

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.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

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

[er201]

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.

[Morainy]

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)

[Morainy]

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!

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.

[rescuepenguin]

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

[Morainy]

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!

[er201]

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.