Well...I just obtained a set-up that holds three 30 gallon long tanks (with the same length and depth of a standard 55 gallon) The stand has lights built into it...pretty cool. If you go to any Wal-Mart that sells fish...this is just one of the set-ups they use. I got three hang-on filters with the tanks and stand...but I want to run something more powerful. I obtained these from a nice lady using Craigslist...got it free...woot. I decided to donate the set-up to my professor at my university's Bio department. He is asking me to help him figure out how to get things running right...I better be getting some extra credit . So I ask you ...what is the best/most affordable way we could set-up a filtration system for these three 30 gallon tanks? We would like to have one pump/filter/sump/whatever that would do the trick to run all three tanks.

Any Ideas?

What fish are you putting in these tanks? Obviously not the Oscars because the tanks are too small. If it was me I would just get some internal filtration, I don't see any point in going to all the trouble of setting up one filtration system to service all of the tanks when it be so much easier to have independent filtration on each one. if they were much larger tanks then maybe you could set up a large sump that would service all of them, but that is not a straightforward job.

I have never done what you want to do so this is just my two cents

Yeah I figured this was not a standard set-up to attempt.

One tank will be sectioned off to house guppies on one side and goldies on the other.
One tank will be for a bullfrog...sectioned off to have dry land on one side and a pool on the other.
And the last tank will be for a Salamander of some sort...can't remember what he called it.

I figure we will probably need to have independent filters for each tank...just wandering out of curiosity mostly if there was a feasible way to filter all three tanks through one system. This is what my professor really wants to do and he has put me to the task of figuring out if it is possible. So...I'm picking your brains...hehe

I have got to be perfectly honest with you,I have never set up one filtration system for multiple tanks so someone else will have to chime in here. Just remember that if you have one filter servicing more than one tank, if that filter goes down, all of the tanks are affected. Also, if you have disease breakouts in one tank, the chances are it will spread to the rest of the tanks, just something to bear in mind.

i 'd go for 3 separate HOB's.
Only a small one is needed for the Guppys.
If you were to make one sump any disease you may encounter will spread through all 3 tanks.
I'd go for some axolotls instead of salamanders.
I think they're pretty cool and low maintenance. If you get too many guppys, you got one very happy axolotl.
Look at the smile on this guy!
www.bountyfishing.com/blog/images/axolotl.jpg

www.welaf.com/vc_gallery/axolotl-pictures/

Noddy wrote:


what they said^^
i think it would be much cheaper to get a HOB for each than to buy a large canister or to build a sump.

This is why I'm glad to be a part of this community...Thanks guys. I hadn't thought about spreading disease through all three tanks...and with different lifeforms in each tank there will be different water problems in each tank as well.

Thanks guys.

you're welcome

you can run the three tanks with one pump but it should be arranged accordingly.
the set up should be layered, the suction point being on the lower tank and the
discharge point be at the top most tank. the system will run by means of over flow.
the tank that needs divider should have a pass-thru divider like egg crates or
fine mesh, just to contain fishes where they should be, but water should flow
unhampered.

the problem with this set up is that if one tank got a problem, it will go
with the rest...so individual small capacity HOB would be most recommended.