How to Heat Multiple Aquariums from one Aquarium

[@soulbchan2020]

i was thinking about how to heat up multiple betta tanks, then came up with this video. You're really helpful. great method by far!

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks mate, appreciate the nice comment.

[@thereal_chrisch]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper same! I have searched and searched! Thanks for this video!

[@PaulA-hw6ww]

Had the same idea my head for a while but was always afraid to try it wonderful little video now I'm going to try it thanks

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Awesome, give it a go.

[@jkhwarrior]

Very good ...this is how information must be presented without all the music gimmics and clickbait annoying stuffs...you are doing great iam starting with fishroom myself because where i live its hard to get any quality fish and prices here for a betta is like 20 us dollar for a beatup fin betta so sad...love your content keep giving us more

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi JKH Warrior, appreciate the feedback and good luck with the fishroom.

[@cameronporter411]

Great idea. I have stated to breed fish and trying to keep power usage down is always a battle. Great video.

[@jv.boonkvlogs6675]

Does it work if one pip is long then the other.bc I got a big tank and one smaller one and it kinda hard.

[@katieb4743]

I am very new to keeping bettas and your videos are helping me learn so much! Please keep em coming

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks Katie, glad to hear they are helping. Will be doing one on Betta breading soon.

[@BlakesAquatics]

Nice tip, another thing you can do is have a check valve cemented in the top to suck the air out of the pvc 👍

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Blake, yes spot on, that is definitely an option.

[@echidna0129]

This gives me thousands of ideas thank you

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

My pleasure

[@FlatEarthPhotography]

only got 2 tanks atm, got back to fish keeping, this is an amazing idea mate. Gonna get this setup as soon as I move. Thank you for this simple geni us idea :)

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks mate, it has some risks, but so far I have not had any issues when using this method. Appreciate the comment.

[@DidisFINDen]

I do this as well with a power head. I used 2 inch black u shaped pvc to connect the tanks. I did have to put plastic grid inside the pipes to keep the fish in their own tanks ..bettas mainly... before the bettas they were open and it was fun watching to see how the fish rearranged themselves . I piggy backed from yours and other videos. At first I had a smaller cannister filter with intake on one end and outlet on the other. Really saves on outlets. Thanks.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Awesome Debra, also found it was actually very reliable. Thanks for posting your experience.

[@karnobot9814]

Beautiful setup. Thank you for sharing this. I'll give it a try

[@jasonpeculiar]

Great idea. I'm going to try this. I'm running out of sockets in my room anyway. Thanks for a very informative video

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks Jason, appreciate the feedback.

[@faedoyle4147]

Again this amazes me!! Thank you so much for these types of videos!!!

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Fae, thanks for the comment, appreciate the feedback.

[@onedirtyplaty5120]

Nice idea for same species setups. Keep the informative videos coming 👍

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks One Dirty Platy. Agree, great for same species.

[@MissChelle]

Awesome! Thank you. New sub from central coast NSW Australia❤️🇦🇺

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks and welcome.

[@eastcoastphotography]

great video thank you UFK for your info.

[@kristea8085]

Thank you for the wonderful idea! What size pvc elbows are u using here? Im planning to do this with my cherry shrimp 20L kmart tanks!

[@kristea8085]

Never mind! U say 15mm in the video ^^

[@twotornfins]

Be careful about the pvc losing vacuum. There are overflows for sump set ups like these, but it's possible for the pvc bend for some reason to lose it's vacuum, causing it to no longer siphon water from one tank to the next, instead you end up with an overflowing tank, and a half empty tank.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, 100% correct. This is not something you just do and not maintain.

[@ibeatmemes]

The pump that puts the water in can I put a 90 degree angle on it so it goes into the water to reduce noise?

[@nielsverhaar6682]

Thats a really good solution mate.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks Niels, back in the day, we had to come up with alternatives :-)

[@cujoman187]

Great video! I'm actually setting up four 10 gal aquariums tomorrow since Petco is having their $1 per gal sale going on right now plus if you order online and pick up at the store for orders over $50 you get an additional 25% off! I'm going to start breeding and selling pink Ramshorn Snails along with purple and pink Mystery Snails then once everything is up and running for a month or two I'm going to add Neocaridina davidi orange shrimp along with yellow and then blue and orange Rili shrimp. I was actually thinking this sort of system would in theory work as a concept I came up with in my head in order to use one tank heater for all four tanks. It's really nice to learn this would actually work though and someone has actually used it before! I figured either this system or I was going to find one large tub that was only like 4" tall that would fit all four of the 10 gal aquariums inside of it then put 2.5" - 3" of water in the tub and use one heater in that tub cause in theory that one tub with all the aquariums in it should heat all four of the 10 gal aquariums. I think that would be the safest way to know your tanks won't have the possibility of overflowing if the connected tubes got blocked somehow cause that was my biggest fear even before you mentioned that in this video! However it's more water to deal with and the water would have to be changed out to keep it fresh. If it was in a garage no big deal if the tanks overflowed but I'm in an upstairs duplex so not only my downstairs neighbor wouldn't be too happy about the tanks overflowing but my landlord wouldn't be happy with me either (not even sure if my renters insurance would cover that) so that's why I continued my search on how to use one heater for all four tanks. Anyway I think I'm going to scratch both these ideas. I recently found this heat tape that people have been using on reptile racks for years now. There's only one KZbin video out right now with a gal using it on her small Betta tanks. I think I may try it under all four of the 10 gal aquariums and see how it works out. I think I'll get the 6" or maybe the 12" tape in one 4' section then place it under the four tanks and use an adjustable thermostat for it. I think that should be the best way to heat multiple tanks in a rack type of system. If it works I'll post a KZbin video on it on my KZbin channel. I don't see any reason it wouldn't work. I just wish I knew if I could get by with the 6" 12 watt per foot tape instead of the 12" 23 watt per foot cause the wattage is a lot higher when using it with the 12" tape and I'm trying to keep my electricity bill down hence the one heater for all four tanks issue. Anyway watch for my KZbin video on it. If it works I really think this will be the way to heat racks of tanks for the cheapest way possible cause the 4' section of 6" tape is only about $24 and the 12" is about $27 then the thermostat is another $16 I think I'll go with the 12" though cause then I'm hoping in theory more surface area then it won't have to heat as long to heat up the tanks so hopefully it will save electricity that way. I mean I have a small 100 watt aquarium heater in my 8 gal tank so even with the 12" 23 watt per foot at 4' that's still only 92 watts heating four tanks so still cheaper heating all four tanks vs that one 8 gal tank lol.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, firstly I am jealous that you can buy tanks on special at that price. On my main rack, I speak about how I heat the middle row. That whole row is heated with reptile heating tape, controlled with a reptile temp controller. So that is a very good option and one I use when I need a higher temp than my room temp. Thanks for the comments. Enjoy the sale. 😁

[@cujoman187]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper What thermostat do you use for it? Also do you have a video about that? I didn't hear you mention that in this video.

[@Boss-zo4lw]

So the first tank with the sponge filter in, could you take off that sponge and put a few filter sheets in that tank like a sump?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Yip, that would work

[@zoticaquatics1609]

You sir are a life saver🤣 keep up the good work✌🏼👌🏽

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Cheers, thanks for the comment.

[@LindenEdwards]

For the u bend. Can fill with water then place those cheap end caps on, put in position then remove them. Or push some airline up and suck out the last of the water. Those suction cups for heaters are good to help hold in place. Especially if have fish that can push the tube around. Easy to incorporate a Hamburg matten filter system with this flow through system. Another heating multiple tanks system is heater and pump in one tank with a long tube or pvc hard setup that runs through all the other tanks. The water in the tube is heated and therefore heats the other tanks. Pro, no ubend to clog, fail etc. Con. Still need to filter the individual tanks (but fine if run different water chemistry in different tanks).

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks Linden. Yip 100% correct.

[@pokegeeks5542]

So would I need a filter in each tank with a tube flowing into the next tank, with one heater in the far end tank? Planning this for a betta project

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, you can use a small canister filter that pumps from the tank at the beginning and pushes to the last tank with the the tube between each tank and then you don't need to filter each. Or use sponge filters in each that send to the tank next to it.

[@gedGOD]

Nifty idea. I set up the rack_it shelves earlier this week. But the amount of power boards I have to run it all is a bit silly. Swapped out for air driven filtration to save some plugs, this could be great if I expand more 👍✌️

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Eddy, great to hear you trying the rack_it setup. Power plugs can become a bit overwhelming if each tank is powered filtered etc.

[@khoile5102]

If I did a power pump at one end, does that mean I dont need a sponge filter in each tank anymore?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

If you power pump is a filter, then you will be okay. Just watch stocking levels. A small canister filter will work well.

[@bigg490]

I've been looking for a way to heat my new betta tanks. Thank you.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

JSA, let me know how it goes.

[@aqualicioushobby]

Great idea! Thank you for sharing

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Aqualicious, thanks for the comment.

[@jameswalts8091]

Have this setup running with 3 tanks but can’t keep water levels in all tanks even one tank overfills if not corrected

[@jandomingo9806]

Im trying to find a divided tank to use 1 heater and 1 filter. I dont want sponge filters

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Jan, you can either put in dividers in say a 4ft tank, drill holes in the dividers and use a canister filter, will inlet in compartment one and outlet in the last compartment.

[@samdhoss]

Thanks! Nice vid. Question: Does the U-bend connecting the aquariums lose its pressure over time? If so, what sort of time frame and recommendations for preventing this, please?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Sam, Thanks for the compliment. I found that the U-bend only lost pressure when air got into the bend from say water changes or bubbles from a air stone etc. As part of my maintenance I refilled the U-bend every month. The good thing is that if it gets a bit of air you will notice the tank that the U-bend is connected to, has slightly different water levels.

[@samdhoss]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper Thanks mate. That makes a lot of sense. Will try. :) Cheers.

[@brandotheone]

Great explanation. I was thinking about this set up for a couple of Betta fishes. Only one question: what happen if one of the tube gets obstructed by air or other material? Is there a way to prevent overflow maybe by sending back excess water to the tank with the pump?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Marco, yip that is the risk. If one of the bends get blocked or full of air you run the risk of overflow. To reduce risk you can run 2 x of the bends to each tank. I have previously run this system for months without issues.

[@HalloTschuess]

You didn't explain how to properly size the PVC tube according to your tank size. You mentioned you would in the beginning but you didn't later on. I believe it strongly depends on how much water your pump pushes through per hour. Isn't this very important in order to not have one tank overflowing with time? The siphon needs to be able to bridge enough water into the second tank at least as fast as the pump pushes water into the first tank. Otherwise the second tank WILL solwly overflow, right? Or is that never going to be a problem because the siphon will just push it with more strength?

[@chrisdelafuente8489]

That’s amazing!!! Thanks for the great tip 👍

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks Chris.

[@chrisdelafuente8489]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper Do you have any ideas of what you can use to stop guppy fry from swimming up the PVC U-Bend?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

@@chrisdelafuente8489 Hi, I have used, insect mesh, the nylon type that you get from hardware stores. Kept in place with elastic band. Just keep a eye for blockage from plant leaves etc. The other option to try is maybe some sponge that the pipe fits into. But check that you still get adequate flow.

[@chrisdelafuente8489]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper Awesome! I live in Brissie so I’ll get some insect mesh from Bunnings. Thanks again for the great content 👍

[@bigg490]

Great video. Thank you.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks JSA

[@bjornvandooren5821]

Can u do this technique on 2 aquariums with different volumes and sizes as well ?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Yes you can, just needs to be on the same level.

[@mckflurry]

Thank you SO much. This is very good for visual/kinetic learners. Is there any downside to having the PVC piping down further into the aquariums? I don’t imagine I’d need to do large water changes often, however if I did, keeping the PVC openings below the water level would keep the pressure (if I’m not mistaken, just like a filter intake). If I take water out of one tank for water changes/maintenance, would it equalize in all of the tanks? Thanks! 12 out of 16 aquariums are outside, so winter/spring can get chilly.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, no reason you can't make the pvc pipe longer. Yes you are correct as you empty water out of one the rest connected will keep flowing to equalise. Thanks for the questions.

[@mckflurry]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper I think I finally finished a 5x 10 gal lineup. I kept running into the problem of the 5th tank overflowing 🤦🏼‍♀️ The used 8-outlet air pump I bought has two modes: barely on & full blast... even with 3/4” pvc piping, I don’t think the flow between the U-bends was enough to compensate from all the water being moved by each filter, & tank #5 had no place to dump the excess water back throughout the system. Tank #1 also had a larger sponge filter, in efforts to move heated water to other tanks quicker. I took out the filter out from tank #1. I moved the heater from tank #1 to tank #2 , kept filters moving water in tanks #2 #3 #4. Tank #5 has the larger filter with a long tube running back to tank #1, closing the system. So far it’s been 20mins, and levels are looking stable-ish? 😂 I’ll be awake for another hour or so monitoring it.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

@@mckflurry i have used the same system with a canister filter pumping from tank 4 to tank one and found that I had to make the pvc bends much thicker to cope with the flow. You seem to have worked it out and hopefully it will remain stable. Keep me updated. Appreciate you providing feedback.

[@mckflurry]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper so far still stable! I even put a smaller filter back on tank #1 so that tank #2 gets surface agitation. The filter running from tank #5 to tank #1 seemed to do the trick just fine in handling the excess water issue. Plus with clear tubing, watching the water flow in both directions on top of one another is pretty awesome. Like a mousetrap game. Tank #5 providing surface agitation for tank #1 freed up an air outlet for the 75gal next to it. Nighttime all the plants suck up the oxygen at night and I’ve noticed my fishies hanging out at the surface. Clear indication their oxygen levels are low. Thanks again for the video! I’ve watched several more while setting up this system. I really do appreciate you actually replying to people’s comments, it means a lot. 🤣 yesterday after I had watched several hours of video, I found myself impersonating you while trying to set things up. Love the accent.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

@@mckflurry hahahaha classic mate. Impersonate away. I can just imagine what it was like. Thanks for providing feedback and a good laugh. Keep me updated on how it goes over the next couple of days

[@rithlim6016]

Does this work with tanks that are at different height level or do they have to be around the same height as the water level in both tanks have to be the same?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, has to be on the same level and the same height.

[@johnmaude5065]

What a brilliant idea 👍

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks John, old blokes need to be creative sometime :-)

[@orionrestinghawk5561]

This is genius thank you for sharing

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

You are so welcome!

[@manelytwisted9619]

Can you di this with different sized tanks?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, Yes you can.

[@selfmadefishing419]

Now does this hookup FILTER AND HEAT all the tanks? Say I’m using ten gallon tanks like four of them

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, Yes I have used this in my garage years back across 4, 2 foot tanks with no problems. Just get a heater for the combined water. e.g. 200 litres = 200Watt heater

[@waterkeeping2939]

Thanks for a great video. New subscriber here.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Glad you enjoyed it and welcome :-)

[@bradyphillips5170]

Quick question! Does the sponge filter in the first tank work? Or does it send the water to the second tank?

[@bradyphillips5170]

Also what air pump do you use in your fish room.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Bradly, I use a Aqua One Pond One O2 Plus Air Pump, I think it is a 8000. Yes the sponge filter in the first tank is working and pushing water to the next tank.

[@bradyphillips5170]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeperThank you so much ! Love the videos !

[@andriespretorius7645]

Thank you for your advice

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

My pleasure

[@manoharanpadmanabhan9376]

sir ..really informative...great idea ..amazing...but if we use more aquarium is chance to trouble. I means if have any issues in a fish it will be spread to all fishes . so we can use two aquarium perfectly one having hot water with heater and other can keep fishes.. may i right

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, thanks for the comment. There is a risk that if one aquarium gets a disease it will spread to the others.

[@manoharanpadmanabhan9376]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper 👍

[@meminustherandomgooglenumbers]

Great info, thank you!!! 😁👍

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Any time!

[@straightvibin5919]

hi i just want to ask cause i tried this with 4 tanks, but my heater can't support the proper heat on all tanks.. can you pls. help what can i do? which heater and proper voltage. thank you hope you can reply..

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, great question. the rule is normally that it is 1 Watt of heater per 1 liter of water. So if you have 100 liters combined , you should have 100 Watt heater.

[@straightvibin5919]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper thank you so much for taking time and replying to my question. kudos to you! God bless

[@TheAquariumLibrary]

How often did you have this type of system fail on you where water started over flowing out of a system? I am not in a garage and would hate to ruin my floors if something were to fail. Definitely something to keep in the back of my mind for down the road.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, I have had it fail once using much larger pipes and leaves from plants getting stuck.

[@TheAquariumLibrary]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper Huh that is good to know, and I am kinda of surprised it only happened once

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

@@TheAquariumLibrary i would check it at least once a day, especially if you are using some sort of mesh to cover the pvc pipe to prevent fish from going from one aquarium to another.

[@TheAquariumLibrary]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper What would be your thoughts on putting an intake sponge on those tubes to prevent clogging?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

@@TheAquariumLibrary it might work, I would just be worried that it slows down the flow from one aquarium to the other. Nothing wrong with giving it a go and seeing if it works.

[@ayeshaabdulghaffar7308]

I tried this but the water will not lift up the pipe to flow over. Does this mean I need a strong oxygen pump

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, you may need a stronger air supply if it is not pushing the water up through the sponge filter.

[@GWorxOz]

Always good.👍 👍 👍 👍

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thank you 👍

[@DEXTER-TV-series]

Nice info Nice presenter. 👍

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Cheers, thanks for the positive comment.

[@DEXTER-TV-series]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper i subscribed for your channel before to watch any video. It happens very rare. You are pretty men. It was enough for me to look you, to hear your voice and to see the names of your videos to subscribe. 👍

[@David.jr2]

What are the measurements of the fish tanks?

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, the ones used in this demonstration are Dimensions/Size: 36.8cm (L) x 26.3cm (H) x 23.5cm (W)

[@David.jr2]

@@TheUrbanFishkeeper thanks 🙏🏻

[@keithjackson28]

Great video

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thank you

[@Firedude9078]

Quick question if i just use the pipe and not the filter does it still transfer the heat?

[@SerpentVenom25]

Can I have the sizes of each piece?

[@vauxtec9400]

You could just add a heater into one tank and use sponge filter in each tank pipe into left pipe into the right and done no chance of leaking failing ect as long as both sponge filters are set at the right speed

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Aiden, I looked at using one sponge filter from each tank to the other. The problem was that one sponge got more dirt than the other and then slowed down.

[@Scrubs1950]

thank you so much man ❤

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

No problem!

[@dereksreviews-collectables7185]

How many litres is this tank ,I just bought but it doesn’t say?Thanks

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi, about 20

[@slavalavi7865]

I want to do the same , but if don't see this 📽️ film ,but i wasn't sure ,and now.... . Thanks a lot 😊

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

My pleasure

[@CrowntailHalfmoon]

Awesome advice Sir 👍

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks CrowntailHalfmoon.

[@ricardosmythe2548]

If your using a heater that's close to its maximum in regards to tank size and you do this the heater is not going to be sufficient to heat double the water volume at least not as effectively

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Ricardo, if you base the calculation of 1 liter per 1 watt of heating plus 10% you should be fine.

[@eccentricsmithy2746]

great way to spread disease, bacterial and fungal infections from tank to tank and great way for your separated fish to swim from tank to tank via the white pipe bridge.

[@amandag5184]

This is exactly what I’m trying to do

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Hi Amanda, hope this helps.

[@amandag5184]

What I’ve found, in regards to the risk of overflowing, is to have a filter near the top of the water, so that if the water level sinks in tank one- the filter won’t be able to suck any more water out until the return flow levels back out 👍🏻

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

@@amandag5184 awesome, thanks for the feedback and useful tip.

[@sharonjoy4698]

This will work!

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks

[@arupmukherjee4110]

ARUP FROM INDIA FATABULAS SIR

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Thanks Arup

[@adrianrainbow4106]

Jesus man, this is gold dust. I'm wanting to breed Ramshorn snails for colour, and I need 3 tanks for the 3distinct colours my snails have. I can run all 3 from a pump I already own, and a 4th tank as a refugium/sump.

[@TheUrbanFishkeeper]

Awesome. Thanks for the comment