SamH Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Hello all. Once again ( :roll: ) I have decided I want to have a go at building my own Betta barracks. Not a permanent home for them but something until they're sold. Here's a pic: Firstly, water is pumped from the sump up to a pipe above the top row of tanks. The pipe has drip regulators (Q.1) that control the flow and direct water into the containers. The water then overflows the container into the pipe and down into the next container. The same happens to the next container until the water reaches the sump where it is heated, filtered and sent back up to the top. Q.1. Can we get drip regulators in NZL? Where from? Q.2. How do I calculate how much flow I'll need? Q.3. What is the best pipe to use for plumbing? That's all I can think of for now! All advice appreciated thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Also found this: http://diendancacanh.com/forum/bai-viet ... i-tra.html It's in Thai(?) so I had to go by the first picture. This send water from the pump to each container then back out, no water falling from the previous container. Looks like more plumbing to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 you can get drip regulators from mitre10 and the like. and i would have it so that the drain from one row didnt flow into the one below. you could have it so that they sat in a run of guttering with a leafguard, similar to this one http://tcbettas.com/bunkhouse.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 I know it'd be better if they each got 1st hand water but that means a lot more plumbing. I might still do it that way though if I can find out what pipe to use. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 IMO, You'd be betta (snigger) off by using 3 sumps, 3 pumps and do each level/tier seperately to avoid transmission of diseases, and also, the fish at the bottom of the bank would be getting the already 3rd hand water from above, probably not a great environment unless you have some substantial turnover.... Use drip trays to collect and pipe the water back to the respective sumps. sumps could be smaller, as would pumps. Use irrigation piping or the like, I don't think that the particular type of tube you use is going to be of major concern if you flush the system well. Also, you could use gang valves to regulate your waterflow to each compartment. Calculating your flow, with individual banks is easier, you can calculate how much actual flow your getting by looking at how much is coming back through your drip tray tubing (place a measuring jug on the end and see how full it gets in 10? 20? 30?seconds, then calculate out), Or, For deciding what pumps etc you want...Calculate the volume for each compartment multiply by the number in a tier, then by the factor of turnover you want Just some ideas to throw around... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 i wouldnt really worry about diseases aslong as the fish your putting in there are ones that your breed or ones that you have already quranteened. you could have the setup like this: where at the end of each green arrow is your drip emitter on the end of 4-6mm pipe (airhose size) instead of having a run of 15mm pipe above each row Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 Don't forget when calculating the pump size to account for the head, I only have two tiers and four tanks, but the flow varies at the end of the line of the third tank at the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I would just put them all in a drain pipe and have them all draining and one end.. Goto the warehouse and buy a roll of the black irrigation piping and you can also buy little adjustable plastic valves that screw straight into it, they are cheap as you just punch a whole where you want one and screw it in then your away. That way it wouldn't be much work to have fresh water going into each tank and that is probably the best option anyway. This is how most people with big fishrooms have their air plumbed in and it works really well but works the same with water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 You've probably spent ages searching the net but heres a link for you to look at http://z7.invisionfree.com/BettaBreeder ... getnewpost If you can afford and are able to do it I would recommend that you don't have the overflow drip into the containers below. The other thing I would be careful with is how strong the pump is as it will require careful calculation to get the right feed rate going. See if you can visit some peoples set ups and see how they deal with multiple tanks on one system as theirs are just a larger version of what you want to do. Good luck - I'll be watching your progress with great interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 he won't be able to see this post for a wee while now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 mind you i did see a tank that was divided up for bettas at spangelas place when i was last there, imagine a shallow tank with a hole drilled in each end, and the whole thing divided up for the fighters. think it was about 4x12 compartments. and there was a small gap at the bottom of each divider. and the idea was that you just hook a canister filter up to the holes and away you go. what do you mean by that p44? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 the boy is away for a while :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 the boy is away for a while :lol: Hear that people? BOY as in MALE, not female :roll: I'm back now, thank you for all the response and feedback. I've been thinking about this a lot and separate drainage for each row sounds best. I've recently got a photo and two videos of the two biggest fry, will upload soon. That is a very good link ADodge but I'm trying to avoid gutters if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 The second one is the largest fry visible. Am I right in thinking it's cellophane at this stage? They're about 5 weeks old I think, perhaps a bit more. A bit off topic but if the video uploads, I'll post a link. I think they need to be separated soon as the largest one is picking on the smaller ones a bit, hence the need for these barracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 Third post in a row :oops: Would it be better to use an overflow pipe drilled from the bottom or one at the back? The only difference I can see if simpler plumbing and more prone to leaks if drilled through the bottom. Thoughts? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 i would go with a bottom drilled hole. reason being that it can make it easier to clean. aslong as the join between the pipe and the box was secure with a strong sealant then there would be no leaks. and have it so that the box drain pipe fits inside the racking drain pipe. and the pipe in the box will help to serve as cover for the fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 Thanks Diver21. If I make the hole a bit smaller than the pipe (or the same size) it should fit well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimsum Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 If you put your overflows at the bottom, I would put a riser pipe on them. You don't want all the tanks draining in a power cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 Aren't "riser pipes" pictured here? (The ones with the red curved arrow going into them on the RHS of the containers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimsum Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 Sorry, wan't paying attention to the pictures :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.