whetu Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 Ok, here's my weird project... The Problem I have 5 clown loaches and some barbs (gold and rosy) in a 3-foot tank. I know this setup is too small for the loaches long term, so I was looking at getting a 6-foot tank. Unfortunately I'm renting and tend to move every couple of years. A 6-foot tank is a) too heavy/large to move easily, and b) difficult to house in a tiny flat. Proposed Solution I'm going to get a second 3-foot tank and (here's the tricky bit) have a couple of water-filled pipes running from one tank to the other. They will go over the top rim of the tanks, rather than drilling through the glass. The loaches will be able to commute at will between the tanks, effectively giving them a 6-foot tank! At the moment I have a length of black plastic pipe in the tank (approx 35 mm diameter) and the loaches very happily hang out in there. This is the type of pipe I'm intending to use. Questions for you to help me with 1) Have you ever heard of this being done successfully? 2) How will I bend the pipe to the shape I need? 3) Any risks/problems you can anticipate? The worst case scenario is that I end up with two seperate 3-foot tanks, and the loaches continue to be over-crowded. EDIT: Actually the worst case scenario is that I end up with a fish jammed in the pipe, or syphon all the water out of one of the tanks onto the floor, or some other such catastrophe. Which is why I'm asking you all to get your collective brain-power onto it! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsarmina Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 this was posted earlier in the diy section http://www.bio-elite.com/waterbridge.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stompa Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 well the above link is one of the most interesting links ive ever read..... i use to dream of doing that sort of thing when i was younger and now i find out its quite easy to do...... maks alot of sence when its explained like that...... im a bit speechless after that story .... but whetu it answers all your questions.... good luck and some pics of when you have done it would be cool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted April 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 well well, thanks Tsarmina! There I was thinking I might have been totally crazy... now it turns out I'm rather mainstream! :lol: I will get onto this project immediately! Can't wait! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rory Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Just to add, i've never seen my clowns at the top of the tank! so they might not swim through the pipe.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Yea Rory, I was thinkin exactly the same thing, mine have the odd time when they swim up and down the glass, but never right up to the top, good point. Lynda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 wow, its pretty hard out how the water stays in the bottle! how would cleaning go though? youd have to have the pipes going in down to like halfway or something or would it just be easy to get the water back in the tube after? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feelers Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 One thing youd need to watch out for is how far down you make the bottom of the tube - make sure you allow for the water removed in water changes. Also going deeper in the tank say to near the bottom might intice your loaches a little easier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted April 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Yeah, my plan (before I saw the article) was to have the tubing starting right at substrate level and to have it made of black plastic. My loaches love going into dark spaces like that. Now that I've seen the one with the clear tubing, of course I want that instead! :roll: I'm thinking I might compromise - have clear tubing but start with it wrapped in black plastic or something until the loaches get used to commuting through it, then unwrap it (gradually) when they're used to using it. So... does anyone know where I can get clear plastic piping like that in the article? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feelers Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Its expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stompa Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 first place to try is pluming shops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted April 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 I tried lots of plumbing suppliers but none of them could help me. Today someone put me onto Universal Plastics here in Auckland - the salesman was very helpful (he didn't even laugh at me) but the results are not encouraging as far as price! Here is what I have discovered so far... * Clear PVC will eventually discolour and become brittle when exposed to light, so he recommended acrylic instead. * 110mm clear acrylic tubing (the diameter suggested in the article) costs about $150 per metre. * 80mm tubing costs about $90 per metre. (That's an external diameter of 80mm, internal 74mm.) * They don't have offcuts because they cut it to length off their big roll. (I had thought I might be able to get offcuts cheaper because I don't need a whole metre - no go! ) * There are no standard elbows or end-caps for this kind of piping so I would need to get PVC plumbing fittings and silicone them on. So it looks like it might be an expensive project... unless someone has contacts in an industry that may have some cheap off-cuts of clear PVC or acrylic tubing? So, who do you know who works in dairy, brewing, or other industries where they put fluids through clear piping? I would be eternally grateful to anyone who can get me some cheap off-cuts. (The longest bit I need is only about 400mm.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 There is another thread about "Water Bridges" somewhere here.. (possibly early this year.. or late last year).. but a few suggestions were made at that time. Might be an idea to look at an alternative.. like Acrylic flower holders.. or a defuct Lava Lamp.. or perhaps two of the long Pasta holders joined togeter.. or with a bit of skill.. a piece of old flouro tube.. but that would be less diam than the 80mm.. but would certainly work.. and easy to cut to size. Keep your eyes open in the two dollar shops.. Amazing what they sell that have many other uses Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 I think it would look even better if it was all clear, and wider/taller pipe too. I always thought when I was young that a tank with a cylindrical pipe joining the two tanks together would be awesome (just straight across so cut into the glass, not over the top that is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwan Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 this sounds like a cool project, just the other day my friend was telling me i should have pipes going all around my room, joining all the tanks :lol: . I thought i'd just mention, in that link that tsarmina posted, it does say that the guy had no luck with loaches going through....hopefully yours feel differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 I think, pricewise, you're better off going with a rectangular tunnel made of flat pieces of acrylic or glass. Going to be MUCH cheaper. Not quite as nice looking but what's nicer looking for the same price? A great looking cylindrical tube or a not so nice looking rectangular tube with $300 taped to it.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 When I was younger I used to dream of a fishtank that ran through every room of the house in the walls. I used to call it a "Fish run" after my uncle's "Cat run" :bounce: :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 I've several times had dreams of my fish in hamster balls rolling around the house.:Þ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostface Posted April 6, 2006 Report Share Posted April 6, 2006 theres a diy thread of a skimmer that TM made - he sourced acrylic tube in chch for a reasonable price. hunt down the thread or PM him, he'll point u in the right direction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted April 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 Thanks ghostface, I read that thread but I think TM's acrylic tube was probably the same price as what I've been looking at. He got it at Universal Plastics - the same people who gave me my quote. Ira, I was thinking about flat acrylic or glass made into a tunnel. (I would prefer acrylic because of the weight.) I'll call Lou at Acry-Fab on Monday and see what he reckons about price and practicality. The challenge then would be how to fill it with water. I would need to find a way to plug the ends while I invert them into the tank. Any suggestions? Bill, thanks for all your suggestions for alternative acrylic tubes! I had never thought of vases etc, and I can't find the earlier thread talking about alternatives. Now I'll be looking at all kinds of vessels and imagining them as water bridges! ... Or maybe I should go back to Plan A and just get a length of black plastic hose... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 7, 2006 Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 You don't need a way to plug the ends. All you need is a little tap at the highest point. You put the tubes in the tank, put a hose on the tap and suck all the air out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misnoma Posted April 7, 2006 Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 You don't need a way to plug the ends. All you need is a little tap at the highest point. You put the tubes in the tank, put a hose on the tap and suck all the air out. That's going to need some serious suction - we're talking about lifting a fair weight of water here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted April 7, 2006 Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 That's going to need some serious suction - we're talking about lifting a fair weight of water here Na, easy to suck-out, I used to use something like this on two of my tanks with a pipe of 75mm diameter and it was no problem to remove all the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted April 7, 2006 Report Share Posted April 7, 2006 Do you have any pics of that Warren? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 8, 2006 Report Share Posted April 8, 2006 Total weight of the water is irrelevant. All that matters is the pressure. Which would be something like...Ummm...1 PSI=2 feet, so less than half a PSI at most I'd say. I think most people can suck that hard easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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