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RE: Two tanks, run by one canister filter



Gitte,

Don't even attempt it! It will not work. You WILL have a flood. 

I'm sure that you are thinking that you can T-off the lines from the 
canister filter, but there is no way to regulate the lines so that the amount 
of water flowing into any one tank is exactly the same as the amount flowing 
out-- with that setup. So one tank will inevitably overfill (and flood) while 
the other tank drains.

In fact, since one of your tanks is taller than the other, once you hook up 
the two siphons, and before you plug in the filter, water will back-siphon 
from the taller tank, through the filter into the shorter tank. You'll have a 
flood before you even get started. If the power goes out, you'll have a 
flood. If you have a flood, the pump will run dry and burn out. 

Yes, it is possible to to set up a central system using overflow boxes (the 
kind used by reef keepers) or drilled-through-the-tank overflow pipes, but 
not with a canister filter. Air gets in the hoses and causes the filter to 
stall. When the filter stalls, the water-cooled pump burns out. Central 
systems only work when there is a central open-to-the-air sump.

Mike Wickham (mewickham at compuserve_com)
Pleco Press, publisher of aquarium books (info at plecopress_com)
Coming soon: http://www.plecopress.com!