# Ambitious 2 tank system with fish bridge and foam rock aquascape *New pics 5-4-11



## fishbreath

I had been thinking for a long time about setting up 2 tanks, a few feet apart with a tube connecting the tanks that the fish could use to travel back and forth between the tanks. My step-daughter recently got married and I was given permission from my better half to turn one of our bedrooms (no longer needed as a bedroom) into a "man-cave". So my plan was to get an "L" shaped desk to use in a corner of the room and set up a tank on each "wing" of the desk. The tube will go across the middle of the desk over my computer monitor. I have purchased 2 tanks used, that I was told were 40 and 50 gallons but using a formula I found and plugging in the inner measurements, they're 27 and 33 gallons. I'm not sure, though, because they look a whole lot bigger than my 20 long. 
Another aspect of this system is that I'm planning on running a water supply that will trickle in about a gallon a day of fresh water for about a 7 gallon a week automatic water change. I have a HOB overflow that will drain off the overflow from the water supply. 
The aquascape is created with lace rock attached to an eggcrage (drop ceiling flourescent light diffuser) framework, with the gaps filled in with expanding foam. The foam is then painted with 2 part finishing exopy and sprinkled with sand to make it look like rock. I have used this technique with 3 previous reef tanks and 1 previous planted tank and was very pleased with the results.


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## fishbreath

The lighting is from 2 AquaticLife T5 fixtures that have 3 built in timers for 2 different sets of bulbs (daylight and actinic for reef tanks) and LED moonlights. The actinic bulbs have been replaced with 6700K bulbs.
The filter is a Marineland 350 Pro canister filter with a Hydor in line heater. The output from the filter, after passing through the in-line heater, is directed to one tank at a time using a SCWD therefore creating an alternating flow through the fish bridge. The fish bridge is made from 2" square tubing, cut at each end on a 45 degree angle, then glued back together forming a u shaped tube 40" long with 8" downtubes going in to each tank.
I'll have some pics to post later today with what I've done so far. The hardscape of the bigger of the 2 tanks is essentially done. The tube is done. I will be starting on the aquascaping of the 2nd tank in the next day or so.


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## fishbreath

Here's tank #1 with the eggcrate frame in place.









This end is where the tube enters the tank for the fish bridge. The little walls in the foreground are the front of what will be raised planting areas.









This part will conceal the filter intake and output.









Beginning the "foaming in" process.


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## fishbreath

This is the outflow from the filter. The intake tube is also inside this piece. I left plenty of gaps between the rocks in this piece for water to get back there.









This is the foam and epoxy I used.

















Beginning the epoxy/sand part.


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## EdTheEdge

Cool project! Subscribed!


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## fishbreath

Starting to come together.

















Modified overflow for the auto-water change system.


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## CL

This is really cool. I have dreamed of doing a "fish bridge" thing for a while, ever since I saw that one guys house who had the "bridges" going all over his house lol.
Those rocks look really good!


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## RipariumGuy

WoW! This is awsome! I cant wait to see it finished!


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## fishbreath

Thanks, Jake and CL.
Here's a pic of the fish bridge. I had just applied the vinyl background. There are small lips on each end of the tube because I plan on having about 1/4" of substrate on the bottom and I don't want it to get washed out the ends of the tube with the current.









This pic was taken on the desk. You can see the 2x10 re-enforcement I built under the desk to support the tanks.


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## Gatekeeper

Very cool! Why bother with the rocks if you just cover them up?


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## deleted_user_16

borat would say


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## liquidxshadowz

This is really impressive 
your rock building is giving me ideas for my hexagon tank..hmmm


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## newshound

a guy at loaches online has a multi tank bridge thingy

I d like to know how this this "weathers" long term as id like to the same for my loach tank


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## NJAquaBarren

Fishbreath,

great idea. And great setup for the journal. Thanks for taking the time to lay it out on such detail. Looking forward to seeing it progress. Great work.

AB


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## fishbreath

gmccreedy said:


> Very cool! Why bother with the rocks if you just cover them up?


The rocks are not covered up. The foam is used just to fill in the gaps between the rocks.



fishman9809 said:


> borat would say





liquidxshadowz said:


> This is really impressive
> your rock building is giving me ideas for my hexagon tank..hmmm


Thanks.



newshound said:


> a guy at loaches online has a multi tank bridge thingy
> 
> I d like to know how this this "weathers" long term as id like to the same for my loach tank


Newshound, if you could post a link, I'd really appreciate it. I researched the web about connecting tanks like this and there wasn't a whole lot out there.
I have a reef tank with this stuff that's been up and running for over 2 years without any problem. This technique has been used for a while now with the SW crowd. 



NJAquaBarren said:


> Fishbreath,
> 
> great idea. And great setup for the journal. Thanks for taking the time to lay it out on such detail. Looking forward to seeing it progress. Great work.
> 
> AB


Thanks, AB.


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## oldpunk78

this is a cool project! can't wait for it come together!!


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## fishbreath

Ok I can't believe I haven't checked this until now but I just googled standard tank sizes. These tanks are a 30 gallon standard and a 40 long. Lighting for the 30 gallon is 2 39 watt 10,000K and 2 39 watt 6700K bulbs. They are set up as 2 sets of 10,000k and 6700K so I can run one set at a time or both at the same time. The 40 is set up the same but with 54 watt bulbs.

















This is the built in triple timer. I really like these fixtures!!


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## Gatekeeper

Didn't you paint over the rocks with the epoxy and sand? Maybe I just don't see it right.

Either way, this is an awesome hardscape. I think I may try something like this. Would be great for cichlids.


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## fishbreath

I didn't paint the rocks with epoxy - they already look like rocks :icon_bigg
I paint the foam. When it dries, even I can't tell where the rock ends and the foam begins.

I agree - would be awesome for cichlids. In fact, I'm sure it's been done for cichlids already


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## monkeyruler90

nice background dude, and i like the idea of the tube connecting the tanks.


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## Hoppy

Your technique for making a "rock" background should be described in the DIY section and made into a sticky, in my opinion. It would get lots of hits from people wanting a way to do something like this, but who might not look in this forum.


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## redman88

i agree.


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## CL

What kind of rock are you using in your foam wall? Limestone?


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## fishbreath

CL said:


> What kind of rock are you using in your foam wall? Limestone?


It's called lace rock. Pretty common in all the LFS's around here.


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## fishbreath

I moved the tank into its final resting place and added the substrate. The substrate is a bottom layer of pea gravel, just to take up space. Next is a layer of Laterite, then Flourite red. The middle is sand - no plans for plants there.


















































Here's a pic with tank #2 and the fish bridge in place.


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## fishbreath

Here's the entrance (or exit depending on which tank you're starting in :icon_bigg ) to the fish bridge.


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## CL

Oh, wow. That turned out really good. Very well done :thumbsup:
I bet the "fish bridge" is going to be fun to watch fish swim through!


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## vtkid

that is wicked cool i cant wait to see pictures of the fish in that. 
the rock scape is awesome too


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## mgdmirage

Sick rockscape!


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## liquidxshadowz

You may have already gone over over this, but I didn't see it...how do you keep water in the bridge??


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## CL

liquidxshadowz said:


> You may have already gone over over this, but I didn't see it...how do you keep water in the bridge??


romaurie effect


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## Hoppy

That is the most spectacular rockwork I can remember seeing, and the bridge should be worth sitting and gazing at, hoping for a fish to pass by, for an hour at a time. Do fish actually do that? I don't think I have ever seen such a bridge in operation.


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## CL

Hoppy said:


> That is the most spectacular rockwork I can remember seeing, and the bridge should be worth sitting and gazing at, hoping for a fish to pass by, for an hour at a time. Do fish actually do that? I don't think I have ever seen such a bridge in operation.


This guy went all out 
http://www.fivezerofive.com/main/index.php?itemid=1298


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## liquidxshadowz

CL said:


> romaurie effect


Ah! makes perfect sense, very awesome.


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## chaosmaximus

This looks very cool. i was wondering about how you were going to do the bridge. I though you were drilling the tanks or something, but I am glad to see there is a 'safe' option. 

Chaos.


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## fishbreath

Thanks, everyone, for the compliments. I finished the framework for tank #2 tonight and started foaming in the rocks. I hope to have that tank ready for water by the end of the week. I was going to fill tank #1 but all the plumbing is already set for running both tanks and I don't want to have to reconfigure the plumbing for running 1 tank when the other tank is so close to being complete. 
I'm not sure about if or how often fish will travel through the tube but I'll have some cory cats and oto's in there, and I'm pretty sure they'll use the tube. Also some cherry shrimp, which I'm aslo pretty sure will check out the tube. For fish, I am thinking of a school of cardinals and a school of galaxy rasboras - maybe one school in one tank and one school in the other so I'll know if I see a fish in a tank he didn't start out in that he swam through the tube - or he's a really good jumper. :tongue:


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## hydrophyte

I imagine that you will be able to train some fish to use the tube. The corys will probably traverse it if they smell food coming through it. I haven't looked very closely do you have a way of circulating water through it? It might be important to have some exchange with the regular aquarium water so that the water parameters will not be very different inside of the tube.


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## fishbreath

hydrophyte said:


> I imagine that you will be able to train some fish to use the tube. The corys will probably traverse it if they smell food coming through it. I haven't looked very closely do you have a way of circulating water through it? It might be important to have some exchange with the regular aquarium water so that the water parameters will not be very different inside of the tube.


Yeah, water drains from both tanks through the canister filter, heater, then is sent to one tank at a time using a SWCD so there is an alternating current in the tube. I tested it before I started the aquascaping. worked great.


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## fishbreath

Started tank #2. 
Here's the framework:


























Here's the corner piece awaiting foam.










Here's after the foam has been applied.









and then after the epoxy and sand. It still needs a bit of touch up work.


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## fishbreath

Pics from the "foaming in" process of tank #2










This is the piece that will house the filter intake and outflow


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## fishbreath

Painted the back of this tank.









Here's the finished pieces.


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## fishbreath

Almost a FTS 
As soon as the paint dries, I'll move the tank into the room with tank#1 and I'll be good to go for substrate, water, and plants


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## Centromochlus

AWESOME!

This is such a cool project. The rocks look very natural.


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## fishbreath

It's come a long way from this:


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## JennaH

wow- very creative! subscribed


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## fishbreath

Both tanks are in place, substrate and water have been added. The fish bridge is in place and has the alternating flow going through it as provided by the SCWD device. The current changes direction every 12 seconds or so. I'll post pics when the water clears up a bit.


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## sewingalot

This is simply amazing to me. One could only hope to have this much talent. I feel like your tanks could be found in nature.


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## fishbreath

Here's a double full tank shot. Pardon the cloudiness. I just filled the tanks last night and planted some plants today. I'll take some more shots when the water clears. you can see the fish bridge in place. 









with flash:


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## CL

That is freaking cool! Those lights look amazingly high tech. Have you thought about using LEDs to light the "bridge"?
On a side not- Is that a dell mini 10?


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## fishbreath

CL said:


> That is freaking cool! Those lights look amazingly high tech. Have you thought about using LEDs to light the "bridge"?
> On a side not- Is that a dell mini 10?


Thanks, CL. Yeah, the lights are sweet. They were kinda $$$ but I really like the 3 built in timers. No, I haven't thought about lighting the bridge with LEDs, but I'm thinking about it now. Don't want algae to grow in there so LED's might be the answer. 
The netbook is an HP mini.


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## CL

That's definitely a sweet set-up. I'm really inspired to spend more money and make a bridge of my own :hihi:
I have way too many projects that I want to do.
The scape looks really cool from what I can see. IDK if you've answered this, but is there any water flow through the "bridge"?


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## sewingalot

Great color on the background of the second tank. What kind of paint is it? I know, your tank is amazing and I'm commenting on the blue paint....


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## dantimdad

Very nice!

Steven


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## fishbreath

sewingalot said:


> Great color on the background of the second tank. What kind of paint is it? I know, your tank is amazing and I'm commenting on the blue paint....


The paint is rustoleum spray paint. The tank on the left was "sky blue" I don't remember the name of the other color.


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## fishbreath

CL said:


> That's definitely a sweet set-up. I'm really inspired to spend more money and make a bridge of my own :hihi:
> I have way too many projects that I want to do.
> The scape looks really cool from what I can see. IDK if you've answered this, but is there any water flow through the "bridge"?


There is an alternating current in the bridge that switches direction every 12 seconds. The current looks to be about an inch a second, maybe a little less.


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## sewingalot

I never can get spray paint to look like that. I always get a run or orange peel. You have no idea how fascinated I am by your handy work. I am looking forward to the water clearing to see more pictures.


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## CL

fishbreath said:


> There is an alternating current in the bridge that switches direction every 12 seconds. The current looks to be about an inch a second, maybe a little less.


Oh yeah, that's right, you got a SCWD.
I forgot about that post. Pretty cool, I can tell you've kept sw tanks before


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## nerdyjon

What kind of fish are you thinking about putting in the tanks?

And I'm interested to see if the fish travel in between tanks and how they would find the bridge?

So many questions that I kind of want to build one or buy a bridge from you.


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## fishbreath

The water was pretty much all clear this morning. Here's some pics of the aquascape. 
Yeah, CL, SW since the 90's.
Looking to stock with cardinals and galaxy rasboras (celestial danios), a few oto's, cory cats, cherry shrimps.








































Those pics make the water look cloudier than it is because of my crappy camera.


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## MoonFish

That looks great to me and the pictures are fine. I like the not going overboard approach. You've got a background and it isn't overpowering. Lots of moss now? Not really room for stems?


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## F22

wow, thats unreal.


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## skinz180189

That's great. What happens if a fish dies in the bridge?


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## fishbreath

MoonFish said:


> That looks great to me and the pictures are fine. I like the not going overboard approach. You've got a background and it isn't overpowering. Lots of moss now? Not really room for stems?


Yeah, I kinda consider this more like a regular fish aquarium but with live plants, rather than a "planted tank" really, at least for now.



F22 said:


> wow, thats unreal.


Thanks, F22



skinz180189 said:


> That's great. What happens if a fish dies in the bridge?


Thanks. Well, if it goes anything like my other planted tank, the shrimp will dispose of the body before I even know it's dead. roud:


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## skinz180189

Lol fair enough!


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## FDNY911

Stunning!


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## dantimdad

Wow!

That looks really good.

I would have a lawn in front of the rock formations. Those formations demand simplicity if you ask me.

Steven


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## Gatekeeper

Thats freaking cool! Love it! Hardscape turned out awesome.


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## hydrophyte

Hey it's up and running. That looks awesome.


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## Kisho3

That's fantabolous! Make sure to make a video of the fish crossing the bridge! I really want to see that ^_^ It would be an eye opener !


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## fishbreath

thanks for the compliments everyone. Started adding livestock today. No bridge crossers yet, though.


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## i'm a ninja

When you put the fish in did you put them all in one tank or split them up between the two?


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## fishbreath

i'm a ninja said:


> When you put the fish in did you put them all in one tank or split them up between the two?


I put the 2 galaxy rasboras and 8 blue tetras in the 40 gallon and 5 otocinclus and 4 amano shrimp into the 30 gallon. I put cherry shrimp in both. That was last night . This morning, one of the amano shrimp was in the 40 gallon - so the first verified bridge crossing happened sometime during the night. :smile:


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## timme278

WOW OMGGG
this is like, amazing

nice work man 
like, top of my bookmarks


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## i'm a ninja

Yeah, this is really awesome, I've been wanting to do something like this for some time, except the way I envisioned it was to drill a large hole in the side of both tanks and put the bridge there insted of over the top, and put some sort of moss on metal mesh in the bridge.


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## dewalltheway

That rockwork is really cool. Awesome job! YoYo loaches would love that bridge.


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## non_compliance

Very cool... how come you didn't do a larger sized bridge? That 2" square just seems small...


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## fishbreath

non_compliance said:


> Very cool... how come you didn't do a larger sized bridge? That 2" square just seems small...


I completely agree. I looked long and hard for stock acrylic with thick enough walls to support the weight of the water and 2" was the biggest I could find in square tubing. I could have got bigger tubing in round but that would distort the view. If you know where I could get, say, 3" or 4" square tubing let me know and I'll swap it out.


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## Hoppy

You might want to reduce the toll for bridge crossings, or even eliminate the toll entirely:redface: Hey, they talk about that for bridges in California all the time.


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## non_compliance

fishbreath said:


> I completely agree. I looked long and hard for stock acrylic with thick enough walls to support the weight of the water and 2" was the biggest I could find in square tubing. I could have got bigger tubing in round but that would distort the view. If you know where I could get, say, 3" or 4" square tubing let me know and I'll swap it out.


Oh, I see you're in SE michigan... I'm up near the capital... I'll be sure to let you know if I find anything... but I was thinking that you could just fabricate something it seems like.. being how short of a run that is. Seems like you could cut some pieces of acrylic or something... I'll check around.


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## fishbreath

I'm not much of an acrylic fabricator. I especially wouldn't trust myself to make something that, if it leaked, it would flood my house. :eek5:


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## non_compliance

you make up for it by being a hell of a 3d rock formation builder guy.... heh...


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## fishbreath

Thanks, non-compliance.

Here's a video I made showing the alternating flow in the fish bridge. I stirred up some sediment with my mag-float from the substrate in the tube so you can see the water flow.


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## Hoppy

That is very impressive! But, suppose a fish that enjoys swimming against the tide goes in there, gets half way across - oops! - wrong direction, half way back - oops wrong direction, etc.? Twelve seconds should allow just about any fish to make it across before the tide shifts, but, the thought of a fish forever swimming back and forth, back and forth..... If you have a cat that should be worth many videos:icon_lol:


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## fishbreath

Here's a pic of some of the new residents. The bigger of these 2 pregnant Amano shrimp has crossed the fish bridge twice now.. She started out in the tank on the right. During her first night in the tank she crossed over to the tank on the left. Today, she's back in the tank on the right.


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## hydrophyte

Oh that's interesting I did not guess that you had used square tubing. Before it looked to me like you had built the whole thing with sheet and I imagined that that would be a lot of seem to seal.


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## fishbreath

Yeah, square tubing. I had the ends cut at a 45 degree angle then had the cut ends machined perfectly flat. then I just rotated the ends and glued them together to make a "U" shaped tube.


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## Gatekeeper

I am just impressed you got substrate in there.


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## lauraleellbp

This is a super cool project!

I think you'd have more bridge crossings with some different fish species rather than the relatively shy/schoolers you currently have... some species known for their curiousity, like loaches, livebearers, dwarf gouramis come to mind.


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## Yellow Jacket

That video with the current is awesome...what a great tank(s)!


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## fishbreath

There has been another bridge crosser - this time it was a fish. This morning I found a furcata rainbow in the tank on the right. He started out in the other tank. 
Anybody else have stocking suggestions for fish more likely to use the bridge that would also be cherry shrimp friendly?


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## fishbreath

New pics. 
40 gallon











30 gallon











both


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## non_compliance

Lookin good! What is stocked in it currently? Shrimp, rainbows, neons, what else?

I like the Asian rummy nose tetras... Preuss has them.... I have some with my shrimps...


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## i'm a ninja

Wow, thats amazing!


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## RipariumGuy

That is very cool!


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## fishbreath

non_compliance said:


> Lookin good! What is stocked in it currently? Shrimp, rainbows, neons, what else?
> 
> I like the Asian rummy nose tetras... Preuss has them.... I have some with my shrimps...


Currently in my 40 gallon tank - which shall heretofore be referred to as tank #1, there are 8 blue tetras, 4 celestial pearl danios, and some red cherry shrimp. 
In the 30 gallon tank, which shall heretofore be referred to as tank #2, there's 15 neons, 5 otocinclus, 5 harlequin rasboras, 1 lemon tetra, 2 amano shrimp, and a bunch of red cherry shrimp - plus the one furcata rainbow that started off in tank #1


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## Kisho3

fishbreath what kind of substrate are you using for the 40 gallon tank? The bottom adn top layer. And glad to hear that there was a fish that cross the bridge!


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## i4x4nMore

Thanks for the journal fishbreath... very interesting clear pics and terra-sculpting. I think a fish-bridge has been the idea of many tank-geeks... and you usually only see them in large commercial displays. I'm curious, with your bridge, do the fish ever use it? Also, are they inclined to swim "up" into the tube? I saw the video link showing the water flow through the tube... can you explain more about that: What causes the pressure differential? How do you control it?

On terra-scupting, do you ever worry about the foam leaching chemicals into the water over time?

I think if I were going to make a fish bridge, I'd go with a 4in acrylic tube straight connected between two tanks using a bulkhead mechanism on either end of the tube interfacing with the glass tanks. Over the years, I've gotten good at drilling large holes in glass, so I think I could do it  And I've spent a few neuron cycles contemplating it. But living in an earthquake prone area always makes me second guess the idea. Not to mention the $$$ for prototyping.

Cheers.


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## fishbreath

Kisho3 said:


> fishbreath what kind of substrate are you using for the 40 gallon tank? The bottom adn top layer. And glad to hear that there was a fish that cross the bridge!


The substrate in tank #1 is pea gravel on the bottom, about 1", then a layer of Laterite, then flourite red, then white sand. Tank #2 has just Laterite and Flourite.



i4x4nMore said:


> Thanks for the journal fishbreath... very interesting clear pics and terra-sculpting. I think a fish-bridge has been the idea of many tank-geeks... and you usually only see them in large commercial displays. I'm curious, with your bridge, do the fish ever use it? Also, are they inclined to swim "up" into the tube? I saw the video link showing the water flow through the tube... can you explain more about that: What causes the pressure differential? How do you control it?
> 
> On terra-scupting, do you ever worry about the foam leaching chemicals into the water over time?
> 
> I think if I were going to a fish bridge, I'd go with a 4in acrylic tube straight connected between two tanks using a bulkhead mechanism on either end of the tube interfacing with the glass tanks. Over the years, I've gotten good at drilling large holes in glass, so I think I could do it  And I've spent a few neuron cycles contemplating it. But living in an earthquake prone area always makes me second guess the idea. Not to mention the $$$ for prototyping.
> 
> Cheers.



You're welcome for the journal. Yeah, I've thought about a fish bridge forever. So far, only one fish has crossed the bridge. I probably need to stock with more adventurous fish than what I currently have, as lauraleellbp pointed out in a previous post. I didn't see the crossing, just noticed the fish in a different tank than where he started out. An amano shrimp has crossed twice, a round trip, so to speak. 
The flow in the tube is because, while water is removed from both tanks into the filter at all times, it's only pumped back into 1 tank at a time using a "SCWD" switching current water diverter. So as water is added to tank #1, the water level in that tank rises causing the flow in the tube to go from tank #1 to #2. 12 seconds or so later, the water from the filter gets pumped to the other tank causing a change in the direction of the flow through the tube.

The foam rock method of aquascaping is time tested. This is my 5th foam rock project. I have a reef tank that was done like this and it's been up for over 2 years without any problem.. It seems like if there were going to be issues, they would show up in the saltwater, as it is harsher to most everything that fresh water is, and more likely to suffer from any chemical leaching than fresh water. Wouldn't you agree?


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## fishbreath

Hey, I hope you all noticed the plug for plantedtank.net in the third pic on this page roud:


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## hydrophyte

That looks great now with plants.


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## fishbreath

Well, the furcata rainbow just swam back to tank #1. Didn't see it, though :icon_cry:


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## lauraleellbp

I absolutely could be wrong, but I keep getting a visual of dwarf chain loaches just hanging out in that tube. I think they'd love it.


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## lauraleellbp

gmccreedy said:


> I am just impressed you got substrate in there.


I thought this was such and odd comment, Glenn... until I just now noticed the substrate IN the TUBE...

How DID you get substrate in there? LOL


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## fishbreath

Got a pic of a fish in the bridge!!!!




Here's one of the celestial pearl danios giving it a go!!


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## fishbreath

And a little video. Poor guy can't make up his mind which tank he wants to go into.


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## Kisho3

That is awesome!


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## Solid

Yea this tank(s) is so cool. Love it!


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## wadesharp

nice to know that i have some fellow people from michigan on here and im guessing we dont live to far away if you know where preuss (i dont know how to spell it) pets is... and if you live in south east michigan haha... but that is AMAZING... id love to do the with my guppies and my piranha tank haha just playin but i want to do this some day =] great work


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## limz_777

roud: , the rocks look like live rocks


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## fishbreath

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

An update on the fish and the bridge:

Woke up this morning to find the furcata rainbow _back_ in tank #2, which makes that his 3rd trip through the bridge, and also a female celestial danio in tank #2, she is not the one from the pics and video on the previous page. 
I have to say that I really thought the ottos would be the first fish in the tube, but so far they haven't tried it.


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## bigboij

amazing i see fish bridges being the next big thing on tpt


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## fishbreath

I just finished the auto water change feature. I ran a water line up to the tank and I have the custom overflow. You may recall seeing pictures of that earlier in this thread. I just have to dial in the drip rate.


Here's the inlet tube. Eventually the creeping jenny will hide most of this.











The overflow



















This is the overflow as seen from inside the tank. It has always been a goal of mine to keep all equipment hidden.


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## fishbreath

Here's the last two remaining celestial danios from tank #1 making their way to tank #2 to join the other 2 that crossed over earlier.


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## i4x4nMore

Cool, action pics! Thanks for the explanation about the water flow mechanism. That's neat. One thing that was always cautioned against long tunnel/bridges was the possibility of oxygen deficient water in the tube. But your flow mechanism takes care of that. [Ha ha, shows you that us geeks WERE sitting around and contemplating this stuff!]



> ...just noticed the fish in a different tank than where he started out.


Ha! Fun. That would be exciting to see where your fish "preferred" to be, one tank versus the other. Also, would be interesting to see that once they discover the passage, if they "remember" where it is.

Curious: How do you get rid of all the air in the bridge... or for that matter, what procedure do you use to get the water into it?

Thanks.


----------



## killacross

the real question is...what is the trick to taking such perfect pictures? youre pics look like theyre out of a brochure for a vacation spot...:eek5::eek5::thumbsup::thumbsup:

you have no glare...even when youre taking pictures with the lights on in the background and in your tank...whats the secret?


----------



## fishbreath

i4x4nMore said:


> Cool, action pics!
> 
> Curious: How do you get rid of all the air in the bridge... or for that matter, what procedure do you use to get the water into it?
> 
> Thanks.


Thanks,

Air out and water in was all one procedure. When I set the tube in place, I made one end a bit higher than the other. Then I snaked a tube up into the highest part and sucked the air out, which caused water to fill in from the openings which were each in the water of the tanks.




killacross said:


> the real question is...what is the trick to taking such perfect pictures? youre pics look like theyre out of a brochure for a vacation spot...:eek5::eek5::thumbsup::thumbsup:
> 
> you have no glare...even when youre taking pictures with the lights on in the background and in your tank...whats the secret?


Actually I think the pictures are so-so at best, but thanks. I took several pics, then picked the best ones to post. I tried both with and without flash, then just picked the ones I thought were best.


----------



## non_compliance

fishbreath said:


> Hey, I hope you all noticed the plug for plantedtank.net in the third pic on this page roud:


 
I -did- notice.. haha.... maybe I"m just nosey to see what you were browsing... 


Cool pics of the celestial making the trip..


----------



## fishbreath

Hoppy said:


> That is very impressive! But, suppose a fish that enjoys swimming against the tide goes in there, gets half way across - oops! - wrong direction, half way back - oops wrong direction, etc.? Twelve seconds should allow just about any fish to make it across before the tide shifts, but, the thought of a fish forever swimming back and forth, back and forth..... If you have a cat that should be worth many videos:icon_lol:


Well as it turns out, twice now there's been a fish (celestial danio) in the bridge for a few hours that would switch the direction he was swimming every time the current changed. Good call, Hoppy! :thumbsup:


----------



## AgNO3

That is so cool, I've wanted to do something like that since I was a kid. I'm amazed that it works out so well.


----------



## fishbreath

Just an update on the fish bridge. There are now several fish that use the bridge to switch tanks. In fact there's a furcata rainbow that seems to be in a different tank every time I check.

Here's another pic of a celestial danio making the transition.


----------



## sewingalot

I think this is the coolest tank eva! You may have just found a way to get CPDs out of their shyness.


----------



## lauraleellbp

I'm glad I'm wrong about the CPDs being too shy!

I wonder what it is that draws them to that bridge... mebbe they're used to swimming along inlets in little streams?


----------



## limz_777

was wondering with the rock scape ,whats your water parameter like ?


----------



## smoq

absolutely wonderful project Your DIY rockwork is a neat and very well executed idea. Is there a toll for a bridge crossing:biggrin:?


----------



## Guns286

You're probably getting tiered of hearing this but, amazing tanks!
I have 2 questions; Can you tell me the materials you used to make the rock scape and how you did it?
Also, sorry if I missed it but, can you explain how you did the reversing flow system through the bridge (ie. what equipment, how its hooked up, etc.).
Thanks.


----------



## JennaH

man, i bet these fish are in heaven, having 2 tanks to choose from


----------



## cah925

I just read through your entire journal and all I can say is "WOW". This was an impressive build right from the beginning with the rock work. The bridge is really neat. I wish I had more tanks to experiment with like this.


----------



## Hoppy

I hope you plan to do a DIY forum article about how to make those rock backgrounds, how you designed it, the logic that led you to the form you chose, etc. This would be a very popular thread, I'm sure.


----------



## non_compliance

smoq said:


> Is there a toll for a bridge crossing:biggrin:?


 


hahaha... nice...

I"ve said it before, but wanted to say it again, GREAT PROJECT!!!


----------



## ricoishere

Thisis one of the nicest setupsI've seen, period. The rockwork is great. Keep posting updates!


----------



## Karackle

Wow wow WOW this [STRIKE]tank[/STRIKE] setup is AMAZING! it looks absolutely beautiful and the bridge is just fantastically cool! I really dig "different" tanks and this certainly fits the bill! I've pondered the idea of fish tunnels but never even figured how I'd do it! as others have mentioned I always imagined I'd have to drill out both tanks, i was totally forgetting that water enjoys defying the laws of physics! :hihi: 

I just read the whole of your journal and when I first read you were putting the celestial danios in I had the same reaction as LauraLee thinking they'd be too shy, who knew they'd be your biggest travelers?! SewingAlot might be right, you may have figured out how to get them to be less shy! VERY cool....i want a bridge in my tank now if only to get my CPDs out of hiding more often! :hihi: if only i had the cash! 

I wouldn't be able to set anything like this up for a looonnng time, but I was wondering if you think having a simpler (in terms of water flow) setup would be possible? for instance, a canister with the intake in one tank and the outlow in the other to create a constant, unidirectional flow? You may not know the answer, but I'm just brainstorming for all of the others you've inspired to try bridges on here but who don't have quite as sophisticated plumbing


----------



## Karackle

Also I meant to mention if you're still looking for a more adventurous kind of fish, I agree with a previous poster that livebearers might be a good way to go, you could get only males if you don't want to deal with all of the babies. Zebra danios would probably make great use of the bridge as well.


----------



## idontknow

Great looking tank


----------



## fishbreath

sewingalot said:


> I think this is the coolest tank eva! You may have just found a way to get CPDs out of their shyness.





lauraleellbp said:


> I'm glad I'm wrong about the CPDs being too shy!
> 
> I wonder what it is that draws them to that bridge... mebbe they're used to swimming along inlets in little streams?


Thanks. Yeah, Can't explain it. I thought for sure the otto's would be the first to cross over. Not that I'm complaining.



limz_777 said:


> was wondering with the rock scape ,whats your water parameter like ?


I don't test parameters. Trying to keep it simple. It's why I'm slowly getting out of the reef tank thing. I'm sure, however, that the rockscape isn't going to negatively affect the parameters. This method is tried and true in the salt water hobby, and I'm sure if there were going to be any issues, they'd show up in salt water, even more so that in fresh.



smoq said:


> absolutely wonderful project Your DIY rockwork is a neat and very well executed idea. Is there a toll for a bridge crossing:biggrin:?


thanks, The toll is you have to agree to maybe have your picture taken and posted on the internet.



Guns286 said:


> You're probably getting tiered of hearing this but, amazing tanks!
> I have 2 questions; Can you tell me the materials you used to make the rock scape and how you did it?
> Also, sorry if I missed it but, can you explain how you did the reversing flow system through the bridge (ie. what equipment, how its hooked up, etc.).
> Thanks.


I never get tired of hearing that, thanks. The whole build process including materials used and how the reversing flow works is all explained in the first couple of pages of the thread.



cah925 said:


> I just read through your entire journal and all I can say is "WOW". This was an impressive build right from the beginning with the rock work. The bridge is really neat. I wish I had more tanks to experiment with like this.





ricoishere said:


> Thisis one of the nicest setupsI've seen, period. The rockwork is great. Keep posting updates!





idontknow said:


> Great looking tank


Thanks, cah925, ricoishere, and idontknow.



Karackle said:


> Also I meant to mention if you're still looking for a more adventurous kind of fish, I agree with a previous poster that livebearers might be a good way to go, you could get only males if you don't want to deal with all of the babies. Zebra danios would probably make great use of the bridge as well.


I got my eyes peeled for some livebearers, Thanks.


Karackle said:


> I was wondering if you think having a simpler (in terms of water flow) setup would be possible? for instance, a canister with the intake in one tank and the outlow in the other to create a constant, unidirectional flow? You may not know the answer, but I'm just brainstorming for all of the others you've inspired to try bridges on here but who don't have quite as sophisticated plumbing


Thanks Karackle. I did think about having the flow only go in one direction. It could easily be done, of course, but I was worried that the tank filtration wouldn't be equal and that the fish might end up all in one tank.



Hoppy said:


> I hope you plan to do a DIY forum article about how to make those rock backgrounds, how you designed it, the logic that led you to the form you chose, etc. This would be a very popular thread, I'm sure.


I'm thinking about it.


----------



## Karackle

fishbreath said:


> Thanks Karackle. I did think about having the flow only go in one direction. It could easily be done, of course, but I was worried that the tank filtration wouldn't be equal and that the fish might end up all in one tank.


Yeah uneven filtration could definitely be a problem, that's a good point, and also if you had fish that didn't want to swim against the current you may not get as many bridge crossers, it's true, perhaps if the setup was done in "miniature" with like a 5 and 10g tank or 10 and 20g tank the filtration would be ok that way. Still have the fish ending up all on one side question.....hmm...

Anyway, I digress! Didn't mean to hijack the thread with theoretical questions, it's just such a cool concept! :biggrin:


----------



## fishbreath

Karackle said:


> Yeah uneven filtration could definitely be a problem, that's a good point, and also if you had fish that didn't want to swim against the current you may not get as many bridge crossers, it's true, perhaps if the setup was done in "miniature" with like a 5 and 10g tank or 10 and 20g tank the filtration would be ok that way. Still have the fish ending up all on one side question.....hmm...
> 
> Anyway, I digress! Didn't mean to hijack the thread with theoretical questions, it's just such a cool concept! :biggrin:


No hijack.
I thought about having separate HOB filters and a couple of alternating pumps on timers to achieve the equal filtering and alternating flow in the tube, but that would involve 4 electrical cords compared to only one with the set up I used.


----------



## problemman

fishbreath said:


>


okay well here is the thing. if i worked near you in an office setting and you had that around your desk. i would roll out of my cubical and over to yours smack a bright yellow posted note on your tank that would say....*I HATE U!*

LOL THIS IS JUST AMAZINGLY COOL!


----------



## Karackle

Ahh fair enough, yes I can certainly see the appeal of a single plug in place of 4! are SCWDs expensive? I'm not familiar with them, i've never done reef tanks or very large tanks....I have no place to put a bridge setup at the moment but the idea is fascinating to me....i might have to FIND the space!!! :hihi:


----------



## Strick

Very very cool. I love it when a plan comes together like this. The rockwork is great and the bridge is a thing of genius. Something like this is definitely going on my to-do list.


----------



## fishbreath

Karackle said:


> Ahh fair enough, yes I can certainly see the appeal of a single plug in place of 4! are SCWDs expensive? I'm not familiar with them, i've never done reef tanks or very large tanks....I have no place to put a bridge setup at the moment but the idea is fascinating to me....i might have to FIND the space!!! :hihi:


$40 for a scwd at fosters and smith. 
This idea has been simmering (festering may be a better word) in my head for years. It was the marriage of my stepdaughter and the freeing up of a bedroom in the house that allowed the project to finally move forward. I'm pleased with how it turned out. And I must give a lot of credit to my wife :angel: who has supported me through all of this. Without her support, this never would have happened. Please don't tell anyone, but, .... uh... It's really only my man cave because she allows it :redface:



Strick said:


> Very very cool. I love it when a plan comes together like this. The rockwork is great and the bridge is a thing of genius. Something like this is definitely going on my to-do list.


Thanks for the compliments, Strick. 
I have to say, I'm really kind of astonished that this fish bridge thing isn't done more often. I googled "fish bridge", "fish tube", "connecting 2 tanks", and everything else I could think of that might help me find information about doing something like this and there really wasn't a whole lot out there. A couple of videos of small tanks side by side with blue gravel  and goldfish on youtube, and that's about it.

Oh, and by the way, as I'm typing, there's a fish in the tube switching tanks


----------



## Hoppy

I was at Tap Plastics Saturday and noticed that one of the workers there was carrying a 2" diameter acrylic tube. I didn't think they carried that size tube. Would this work well with that size round tube for a bridge? I haven't seen any large rectangular tubes anywhere.

I'm just day dreaming about this for now, no room for that kind of setup, but who knows what the future will bring.


----------



## FSM

Any size tubing can make a bridge, it just needs to accommodate the size of the fish.


----------



## fishbreath

Hoppy said:


> I was at Tap Plastics Saturday and noticed that one of the workers there was carrying a 2" diameter acrylic tube. I didn't think they carried that size tube. Would this work well with that size round tube for a bridge? I haven't seen any large rectangular tubes anywhere.
> 
> I'm just day dreaming about this for now, no room for that kind of setup, but who knows what the future will bring.





FSM said:


> Any size tubing can make a bridge, it just needs to accommodate the size of the fish.


I looked all over to try and find bigger tubing. This 2" square was the largest square tubing I could find without going "custom" ($$$). I didn't want round because it distorts the view. You also have to consider the strength of the tube to support the weight of the tube filled with water, and the span distance. This tube has 3/16" walls and the sag in the middle between the tanks is almost non-existent. The tube spans 40" tank to tank. 

Here's a pic of a long fin cory cat crossing the tube:


----------



## lauraleellbp

OK I want to know how much time you spend staring at these tanks each day to catch all these fish crossings... :hihi:


----------



## fishbreath

lauraleellbp said:


> OK I want to know how much time you spend staring at these tanks each day to catch all these fish crossings... :hihi:


The pics are all staged. I have a little mock up of the fish bridge on a stand and I catch fish out of the tank with a net, drop 'em in and take their picture. Then drop them back in their tank. :icon_wink


----------



## Karackle

lauraleellbp said:


> OK I want to know how much time you spend staring at these tanks each day to catch all these fish crossings... :hihi:


you took the words right out of my mouth! :hihi:



fishbreath said:


> The pics are all staged. I have a little mock up of the fish bridge on a stand and I catch fish out of the tank with a net, drop 'em in and take their picture. Then drop them back in their tank.


Wait a minute....is this true?! I'm noticing that there is no blue background in the pictures of the fish, but there is definitely a blue background on the bridge in the shots of the whole setup....if it wasn't for the video of the CPD clearly swimming back and forth with the current I might wonder :hihi:......but why is there no blue background in the close-ups of the "crossers"? did you remove it?

And no matter what, that long fin cory is BEAUTIFUL!!! I've never seen one before, I didn't even know they existed! :icon_eek::drool:


----------



## non_compliance

fishbreath said:


> The pics are all staged. I have a little mock up of the fish bridge on a stand and I catch fish out of the tank with a net, drop 'em in and take their picture. Then drop them back in their tank. :icon_wink


 
that explains the color difference of the close ups of the fish inside the bridge, and the FTS shots of it..


----------



## CL

Wait a minute....
That's true, there is no blue background..?
:icon_eek:


----------



## Hoppy

Being technically minded I would adapt one of the gadgets used on city streets that signals the arrival of an automobile at the intersection. That would cause a big red light to flash all over the house, to alert me to grab a camera and run to this room to take a photo. Incidentally, that cory cat obviously had a red light - it's waiting there patiently isn't it - so that explains the background for that shot. (Always look for the obvious explanation!)


----------



## deleted_user_9

Where does one get such a beautiful cory?!?! I'm in love!


----------



## fishbreath

non_compliance said:


> that explains the color difference of the close ups of the fish inside the bridge, and the FTS shots of it..


Shame on non-compliance. He knows why there's no blue background in the pictures.  I explained that to him on a different forum. Let me bring the rest of you up to speed. There was a leak in the tube at one of the seams and it was under the blue vinyl. I had to take it off to fix the leak, and I liked the look of the tube without the background better so I left it off.
Here's a FTS sans blue background.:


----------



## fishbreath

Hoppy said:


> Being technically minded I would adapt one of the gadgets used on city streets that signals the arrival of an automobile at the intersection. That would cause a big red light to flash all over the house, to alert me to grab a camera and run to this room to take a photo. Incidentally, that cory cat obviously had a red light - it's waiting there patiently isn't it - so that explains the background for that shot. (Always look for the obvious explanation!)





lauraleellbp said:


> OK I want to know how much time you spend staring at these tanks each day to catch all these fish crossings... :hihi:



Honestly, you don't have to wait very long in front of the tanks before you see a fish or a shrimp go across the tube. I separated the fish by species in the different tanks when I put them in. I'm sure that in a couple of weeks. there will be a nice mix of all species on both tanks. Several fish have already learned to go back and forth. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they all figure it out. And besides, what's wrong with sitting in front of the tanks all day?


----------



## Tu13es

Wow, that is totally awesome.

How did you manage to get substrate in the bridge?


----------



## Gatekeeper

I may h8ave missed it, how did you prime the bridge and evacuate all the air?


----------



## isais

this is an awesome setup, I'd like to do something like this with a predatory fish in one tank and feeders in the other. Maybe puffers on one side and snails/shrimp on the other.


----------



## non_compliance

fishbreath said:


> Shame on non-compliance. He knows why there's no blue background in the pictures.  I explained that to him on a different forum. Let me bring the rest of you up to speed. There was a leak in the tube at one of the seams and it was under the blue vinyl. I had to take it off to fix the leak, and I liked the look of the tube without the background better so I left it off.
> Here's a FTS sans blue background.:


 

Hahaha... he is right, I was just messing around and playing along...   I couldn't resist stirring the pot... 


I agree, it DOES look cooler with no background.

Is that a magfloat on there this time!? Looks like you're replying to a post on your netbook..


----------



## fishbreath

non_compliance said:


> Hahaha... he is right, I was just messing around and playing along...   I couldn't resist stirring the pot...
> 
> 
> I agree, it DOES look cooler with no background.
> 
> Is that a magfloat on there this time!? Looks like you're replying to a post on your netbook..


Yes, there's a mag float in the tube. I was typing the post above when I shot that pic - good eye non-com! :thumbsup:

I added the substrate before placing the tube into the tanks. I kinda shook it back and forth to try and get an even distribution. There's a little 1/4" tall wall at each end of the tube to keep the substrate in place. I got the air out/water in by snaking a tube up into the bridge at the highest point and sucking the air out.


----------



## Karackle

fishbreath said:


> And besides, what's wrong with sitting in front of the tanks all day?


absolutely nothing!!! I love to stare at my tanks!  Before I moved I could walk to work and a lot of days I would walk home to get lunch and a lot of those days I'd sit in front of the fish tank munching on my sandwich or whatever I was eating, my roommate caught me at it a few times (she could also walk to work) and she thought I was a big weirdo. She just doesn't get it! Good thing we've been friends since we were infants or it might have scared her off :hihi:


----------



## fishbreath

I have a maid that comes in twice a week to clean. Here's a video


----------



## lauraleellbp

LOL

Loaches are so cool!

I think you need to worm your tetras, though.


----------



## wadesharp

why do loaches and tetras not get along or what?


----------



## lauraleellbp

Nothing to do with the loach, one of the Cardinals looked rather rough, and IME they tend to come with worms since they're almost all wild-caught.


----------



## wadesharp

o oaky i though you meant to put WORN not worm haha okay thats my bad.... and lauraleellbp i know you have commented on a few of my posts by any chance could you look at my thread called "what to keep..." i need a few references about fish and i think you could help a bit


----------



## SteveMcQueen

This tank is absolutely amazing and the process is so detailed, something lacking in many journal threads. One question, how do you clean the acrylic when algae forms? Seems like there's 2 90' bends and no way to clean the middle.


----------



## non_compliance

SteveMcQueen said:


> This tank is absolutely amazing and the process is so detailed, something lacking in many journal threads. One question, how do you clean the acrylic when algae forms? Seems like there's 2 90' bends and no way to clean the middle.


 
in the latest picture, he has a little mag-float in there...


----------



## fishbreath

SteveMcQueen said:


> This tank is absolutely amazing and the process is so detailed, something lacking in many journal threads. One question, how do you clean the acrylic when algae forms? Seems like there's 2 90' bends and no way to clean the middle.


First of all, may I just say what a huge fan I am of your work. LeMans is perhaps my favorite movie of all time. roud:

Thanks for the compliments. I have a mag float in the tube that was put in there before putting the tube in place. I'm hoping to also get some help with the cleaning of the tube from the snails, shrimp and catfish.


----------



## fishbreath

A few new pics for you. These first two were taken under the LED moonlights, with a flashlight shining down the down tubes of the fish bridge. The last pic is a pair of long fin corys crossing the bridge in the carpool lane :biggrin:


----------



## mszabo

Thanks for the moonlight shots, I've been trying to figure out just where the bridge onramp/offramp was.


----------



## fishbreath

I got a vid of one of the yoyo loaches stopping to do a little cleaning while crossing the bridge. Currently, the loaches use the bridge the most, followed by the cory cats.


----------



## fishiesramazing

Well, like everyone else I am blown away! This is amazing. I really like the vids of the fish going across. The rock work is way cool too. It must be nice to look up from the computer to a little cory working it's way across the bridge!


----------



## fishbreath

Newest Video.

I got a pair of German Blue Rams a few days ago and they go back and forth from one tank to the other several times a day. I had never seen them go until now. All I knew was that every time I went into the room they were in a different tank than the last time I looked. 
A tip: when viewing the video, they swim back and forth for the first 40 or 50 seconds. You may want to skip ahead. I got 'em emerging from the cave that is the portal to the bridge at the very end :icon_bigg.


----------



## Gatekeeper

This is still one of the coolest things I have seen.


----------



## lauraleellbp

LOL

Looks to me like if that female gets her way, you're going to have a spawn very soon.

Would be kind of funny if they staked out the tube and wouldn't let anyone else through it!


----------



## Gatekeeper

Would be a perfect spot if you think about it. All they need to do is defend two directions and they certainloy would have alot of time to see who is coming.

Getting food to the fry may be a problem though.


----------



## accordztech

I remember a couple of years back people started doing this for their tanks. It was soo cool to see two worlds!

I definitly like your tank, thumbsup for the effort!

I would really love to do this, but maybe to smaller tanks for my room isnt big haha


----------



## fishbreath

gmccreedy said:


> This is still one of the coolest things I have seen.


Thanks gmccreedy roud:



lauraleellbp said:


> LOL
> 
> Looks to me like if that female gets her way, you're going to have a spawn very soon.
> Would be kind of funny if they staked out the tube and wouldn't let anyone else through it!


Well the GBR's own the tube. They switch tanks many times a day. No spawn yet, though.



accordztech said:


> I remember a couple of years back people started doing this for their tanks. It was soo cool to see two worlds!
> 
> I definitly like your tank, thumbsup for the effort!
> 
> I would really love to do this, but maybe to smaller tanks for my room isnt big haha


Thanks, accordztech. To be honest, I did a lot of searches before getting started and found very little about doing something like this. I saw the fish highway pics years ago which is what planted the seed for this project. Other than that I found a couple of youtube videos of some goldfish tanks connected by a tube, but nothing on this scale. The tanks have been up and running now for about 6 weeks and fish use the bridge all the time. Mostly it's the GBR's but the galaxy rasboras, and the yoyo loaches like to go back and forth too. There are a bunch of neons and harlequin rasboras in tank #2 and some rummy nose tetras and threadfin rainbows in tank #1 that have never ventured across.


----------



## SearunSimpson

epic WIN!


----------



## fishbreath

HAHA I spoke too soon. I just spotted a rummy nose in tank #2. He must have crossed over while I was typing. roud:


----------



## JennaH

wow- that video of the GBR's in the tube, then swimming down and into the tank is awesome! this must be so entertaining to watch in person.


----------



## non_compliance

Nice vid... hope everything else is going well with the tanks...


----------



## fishbreath

Thanks, everything's going well. I thought I'd post some new pics. I was looking at the pics that I posted a while back and was surprised how much the plants had grown - and I've been thinning them out regularly, too.

Tank #1










Tank #2










Full tank(s) shot









I added a pair of cockatoo dwarf cichlids yesterday. I've been trying to get a pic, but no luck yet.


----------



## fishbreath

Here's the bridge. When the algae starts to get bad, I catch all the nerite snails and drop them by the bridge portals. Eventually a few make it up unto the tube and in a day or two, it's as good as new.










This is the top of tank #2 where the tube enters the tank, and where the filter intake and outflow are. The creeping Jenny is filling in nicely here.










This is the top of tank#1 where the tube enters the tank.










And here is the top of tank#1 where the automatic water change spigot and filter tubes are.


----------



## cah925

I just had a chance to catch up on this journal. I'm still blown away by everything you have accomplished with this build. The tanks look great with all the plants filling in and I really enjoyed the videos too.


----------



## Chrisinator

I think you should pimp out the bridge and make it look like it's a legit bridge with cables and the foundations. LOL. That would be awesome!


----------



## EdTheEdge

This tank(s) is just one of the coolest setups that I have ever seen. I can tell you are a TRUE hobbyist and deserve so sort of award!!!!

Keep up the good work!!!!


----------



## eyebeatbadgers

Well, somehow I've missed this thread until now. This is an excellent journal, and exceptional detail in the build phases. The hardscape turned out top notch to say the least! I've been thinking about doing a rock and foam setup in my tank for a good while now, and I just might finally do it!


----------



## 12lochte

*reading*

I just read/skimmed all 13 pages! this is the MOST AMAZING setup I have ever seen. I love the room for the laptop in the middle.. looking up and seeing fish swim through and thanks for all the videos and pics! wow!


----------



## fishbreath

cah925 said:


> I just had a chance to catch up on this journal. I'm still blown away by everything you have accomplished with this build. The tanks look great with all the plants filling in and I really enjoyed the videos too.





EdTheEdge said:


> This tank(s) is just one of the coolest setups that I have ever seen. I can tell you are a TRUE hobbyist and deserve so sort of award!!!!
> 
> Keep up the good work!!!!





12lochte said:


> I just read/skimmed all 13 pages! this is the MOST AMAZING setup I have ever seen. I love the room for the laptop in the middle.. looking up and seeing fish swim through and thanks for all the videos and pics! wow!


Thank you. 



eyebeatbadgers said:


> Well, somehow I've missed this thread until now. This is an excellent journal, and exceptional detail in the build phases. The hardscape turned out top notch to say the least! I've been thinking about doing a rock and foam setup in my tank for a good while now, and I just might finally do it!


Thanks. I say go for it. And keep us posted. It's not that hard to do and the results are, well, you can see for yourself.



Chrisinator said:


> I think you should pimp out the bridge and make it look like it's a legit bridge with cables and the foundations. LOL. That would be awesome!




I'll think about it. :tongue:


----------



## fishbreath

Here's some fresh pics for you:


----------



## JennaH

the rams have great color! have they crossed over yet?


----------



## deleted_user_16

where are the cockatoos? D:


----------



## fishbreath

JennaH said:


> the rams have great color! have they crossed over yet?


The rams cross over many times every day. They are racking up tons of fish bridge frequent flier miles. 



fishman9809 said:


> where are the cockatoos? D:


Haven't been able to shoot a good pic yet of the cockatoos.


----------



## Karackle

Wow the tanks are looking great, they really HAVE filled in nicely!


----------



## seds

Pretty cool... has the school of rummy nose tetras or neon tetras crossed yet?

I see duckweed near the creeping jenny...


----------



## fishbreath

seds said:


> Pretty cool... has the school of rummy nose tetras or neon tetras crossed yet?
> 
> I see duckweed near the creeping jenny...


There has been one rummy nose to cross the bridge, no neons. 
Yes, duckweed. :icon_frow What a mistake that was to put that in the tank. I scoop out handfuls every day and I'm afraid I am cursed to be doing this forever. Any suggestions on how to rid myself of this scourge?


----------



## Bastian

Looks good! Two different lay-outs and good light above your tanks. Also are those ramerezi you got two females and aren't they fighting?


----------



## lauraleellbp

fishbreath said:


> Yes, duckweed. :icon_frow What a mistake that was to put that in the tank. I scoop out handfuls every day and I'm afraid I am cursed to be doing this forever. Any suggestions on how to rid myself of this scourge?


What usually works best for me is to pull out as much manually as possible, and then make sure there's plenty of surface agitation to help push it underwater all the time.

IDK if you want to do that if you're injecting Co2 on these, though.


----------



## fishbreath

fishman9809 said:


> where are the cockatoos? D:


Here's the Mrs. in tank #1:









ANd here's the Mr., who has crossed over to tank #2


----------



## JennaH

haha i'm sure any guy would be happy to be able to escape 'the mrs.' whenever he wants.


----------



## fishbreath

JennaH said:


> haha i'm sure any guy would be happy to be able to escape 'the mrs.' whenever he wants.


Yeah, well it's only a matter of time before she figures out the tube thing.


----------



## Bastian

Can you answer my question aswell =)? About the ramerezi..


----------



## fishbreath

Bastian said:


> Can you answer my question aswell =)? About the ramerezi..


I'm not sure of the sex. One has a rosey colored belly and one has an yellow colored belly. They usually hang together, no fighting.


----------



## limz_777

update looks good


----------



## Karackle

wow that male cockatoo is GORGEOUS!


----------



## Bastian

fishbreath said:


> I'm not sure of the sex. One has a rosey colored belly and one has an yellow colored belly. They usually hang together, no fighting.


Yeah it's hard to see, I got two that look similiar, but here they fighting all the time :icon_neut So I was thinking if they are 2 males or 2 females. I suppose 2 females... =P


----------



## fishbreath

Well, the one with the yellow belly nudges the one with the rosey colored belly every now and then, but I wouldn't call it fighting.


----------



## fishbreath

Just wanted to give a little update on the fishbridge system. The plants have really taken off. the german rams, the male apisto, and the loaches travel back and forth between the 2 tanks several times a day. They other fish, not so much. It's fun to surf the net on my little netbook between the 2 tanks because every few minutes I'll catch movement out of the corner of my eye and look up to the bridge and see fish switching tanks. Sometimes they shoot across in an instant and sometimes they hang out in the tube for a while as if they're trying to make up their minds which tank to go to. :icon_wink


----------



## Tuiflies

Great setup. Brings out the fish geek in me. Unfortunately the I don't think I'd get permission for another "project" from my Mrs. :icon_cry:



fishbreath said:


> Yeah, well it's only a matter of time before she figures out the tube thing.


Then she'll be sending him over to the other tank to pick up some food pellets for her.


----------



## tinctorus

Hey fishbreath what kind of fish is that in your avatar?? I really like the way it looks I think its awesome


----------



## VincentK

tinctorus said:


> Hey fishbreath what kind of fish is that in your avatar?? I really like the way it looks I think its awesome


I believe it's a Celestial Pearl Danio, more commonly referred to as a CPD.


----------



## fishbreath

VincentK said:


> I believe it's a Celestial Pearl Danio, more commonly referred to as a CPD.


Yes, and formerly called a galaxy rasbora


----------



## Fat Guy

really enjoying this journal!!


----------



## skystrife

I demand a fishbridge webcam!

Most excellent project going on here, very interesting read. Your Rams and Apistos look gorgeous, and the fishbridge is just so fun to see in action.


----------



## Karackle

fishbreath said:


> It's fun to surf the net on my little netbook between the 2 tanks because every few minutes I'll catch movement out of the corner of my eye and look up to the bridge and see fish switching tanks. Sometimes they shoot across in an instant and sometimes they hang out in the tube for a while as if they're trying to make up their minds which tank to go to. :icon_wink


This sounds awesome! Your bridge system / office setup is my new dream office setup! I don't currently have the space, but one day when I do, I'm totally stealing your amazing idea / setup!  :hihi:

Glad to hear everything is doing well!


----------



## topfrog007

Now that you have a bridge and it's getting some heavy traffic, I think you need a tunnel!

=)


----------



## thrillreefer

Pretty cool idea, and very well executed. I'm curious about what would happen if the SCWD was to stop working, as they occasionally do. Would the water just continuously flow to the tank that is not getting any SCWD flow, or could it lead to an overflow? 

Any pics of a crossing in progress?

Sweet physics demonstration!


----------



## thrillreefer

Oops scratch that, I guess I shouldn't have skipped pages 8-14...


----------



## catchandrelease

Any issues with your fish picking on the cherry shrimp? Amazing tank/creativity BTW.


----------



## fishbreath

catchandrelease said:


> Any issues with your fish picking on the cherry shrimp? Amazing tank/creativity BTW.


Actually, a few days ago I saw an incident where 3 rummy nose tetras ganged up an a young cherry shrimp. You know how the shrimp like to hit the hyperspace button when threatened? Well, the rummies had this guy surrounded so no matter where he zipped to, there was a fish close by to nip at him. Eventually, the shrimp had used up all his hyperspace jumps and the rummies got him. It was a juvenile, maybe 1/2" long. You would think that it wouldn't take long for the fish to rid the tank of all shrimp, especially the rams and the loaches. But if I shine a flashlight into the tanks in the middle of the night, when the lights have been off for a while, the tanks are literally teeming with shrimp.


----------



## fishbreath

skystrife said:


> I demand a fishbridge webcam!


Donate here for a fishbridge webcam.


----------



## fishbreath

OK, let's have a show of hands - and be honest.
Who rolled their cursor over the "link" to see if I was really trying to get donations for a webcam? 


Admit it. 

I got ya!! :biggrin:


----------



## foster400

fishbreath said:


> OK, let's have a show of hands - and be honest.
> Who rolled their cursor over the "link" to see if I was really trying to get donations for a webcam?
> 
> 
> Admit it.
> 
> I got ya!! :biggrin:


me,


and I even started to pull out my credit card.


----------



## Reginald2

fishbreath said:


> OK, let's have a show of hands - and be honest.
> Who rolled their cursor over the "link" to see if I was really trying to get donations for a webcam?
> 
> 
> Admit it.
> 
> I got ya!! :biggrin:



yeah, yeah

You got me too. If I wasn't chuckling, I'd be irked. Happy Friday.


----------



## fishbreath

foster400 said:


> me,
> 
> 
> and I even started to pull out my credit card.


LOL :hihi:


----------



## Hoppy

Of course I rolled the cursor over that "link". Who can avoid rolling a cursor over any link? That's my excuse, take it or leave it:red_mouth


----------



## fishbreath

Hoppy said:


> Of course I rolled the cursor over that "link". Who can avoid rolling a cursor over any link? That's my excuse, take it or leave it:red_mouth


Well at least you weren't "rickrolled"


----------



## skystrife

fishbreath said:


> Actually, a few days ago I saw an incident where 3 rummy nose tetras ganged up an a young cherry shrimp. You know how the shrimp like to hit the hyperspace button when threatened? Well, the rummies had this guy surrounded so no matter where he zipped to, there was a fish close by to nip at him. Eventually, the shrimp had used up all his hyperspace jumps and the rummies got him. It was a juvenile, maybe 1/2" long. You would think that it wouldn't take long for the fish to rid the tank of all shrimp, especially the rams and the loaches. But if I shine a flashlight into the tanks in the middle of the night, when the lights have been off for a while, the tanks are literally teeming with shrimp.


Aww, the poor thing! C'est la vie...



fishbreath said:


> OK, let's have a show of hands - and be honest.
> Who rolled their cursor over the "link" to see if I was really trying to get donations for a webcam?
> 
> 
> Admit it.
> 
> I got ya!! :biggrin:


-_-;

:tongue:


----------



## Karackle

fishbreath said:


> OK, let's have a show of hands - and be honest.
> Who rolled their cursor over the "link" to see if I was really trying to get donations for a webcam?
> 
> Admit it.
> 
> I got ya!! :biggrin:


Well I definitely rolled the cursor over the "link" BUT I wasn't expecting it to actualy go to a donation site, I was curious what silly site you would have linked us to. 

The no link at all was even better. Touché.


----------



## fishbreath

Some new pics from today:
Tank #1











Tank #2









Apisto:









German blue ram:









Bridge entrance from tank#2:









Dwarf ornate rasboras (these guys are adorable):


----------



## fishbreath

This female betta crosses the bridge about every 5 minutes. Last week, I took the bridge out for cleaning. When I put it back in, the betta went into the bridge in about 1 minute, almost as if she was waiting for the bridge to be re-opened because she had some pressing business in the other tank!!


----------



## MWBradshaw

I just read this entire journal and I'm blown away! You seem so handy and you executed this perfectly it seems! Your Tank #2 is beautiful! And the whole setup is amazing. Definitely subscribing to this thread! I am so jealous of those rockscapes, they are so nice.


----------



## fishbreath

Thanks, MW


----------



## nazspeed

*duckweed solution*



fishbreath said:


> There has been one rummy nose to cross the bridge, no neons.
> Yes, duckweed. :icon_frow What a mistake that was to put that in the tank. I scoop out handfuls every day and I'm afraid I am cursed to be doing this forever. Any suggestions on how to rid myself of this scourge?


Very easy buy a gold fish at lfs for ten cents give him about 2 minutes in ther nad BAM all gone. BTW you seriosly deserve somekind of award for all this but for now heres this..... :thumbsup:

PS: gonna probably copy your rock idea i did that with a Desktop case before never thought of it in a tank though... unreal!!!!


----------



## Gatekeeper

How do you remove the bridge by the way? I meant to ask this a while ago and forgot. Is it as simple as siphoning out the water? You can't just burp this thing, that would be a mess... no?

Growth and tanks look incredible.


----------



## tyler79durdan

Is that the only fish that uses the bridge? If so its still worth having it there! I was glued to the screen watching her make her way through the bridge! and smiling and snickering the whole time!

GREAT BUILD! A+ fishbreath

-Aaron


----------



## fishbreath

nazspeed said:


> Very easy buy a gold fish at lfs for ten cents give him about 2 minutes in ther nad BAM all gone. BTW you seriosly deserve somekind of award for all this but for now heres this..... :thumbsup:
> 
> PS: gonna probably copy your rock idea i did that with a Desktop case before never thought of it in a tank though... unreal!!!!


That's a great idea. I can go catch one from the koi pond out back. Won't cost me anything. 



Gatekeeper said:


> How do you remove the bridge by the way? I meant to ask this a while ago and forgot. Is it as simple as siphoning out the water? You can't just burp this thing, that would be a mess... no?
> 
> Growth and tanks look incredible.


Thanks. I drain out some water out of the tanks to account for the volume of water in the bridge, then I snake some air tubing up in the bridge and let air in, which drains the water out by gravity. Then I just lift it out. 




tyler79durdan said:


> Is that the only fish that uses the bridge? If so its still worth having it there! I was glued to the screen watching her make her way through the bridge! and smiling and snickering the whole time!
> 
> GREAT BUILD! A+ fishbreath
> 
> -Aaron


Thanks,
Here's how the bridge gets used:
The betta crosses over every few minutes.
The German blue rams cross maybe once or twice an hour.
The yoyo loaches cross once or twice an hour
The male apisto crosses once every hour or 2
The female apisto has only crossed a couple of times
The Celestial Pearl Danios cross a couple of times a week
There have been a total of 3 neon crossings and 2 harlequin rasbora crossings, one rummy nose crossing, and one group of dwarf ornate rasboras, about 10 of them, that crossed once as a group.

So as you can see, there's a fair amount of traffic in there. Aside from the group of 10 dwarf rasboras, the most fish I've seen at 1 time is 4. 
The yoyo's often cross in pairs. They shoot across in a flash.


----------



## jeremy0247

Wow, your tanks look great. I am confused about the flow through the bridge. How do you do it? I know the returns are on a scwd. do the returns flow into the tube or something?


----------



## tyler79durdan

I thought the fish were the ones who helped water flow through the tube?

I was curious how you got the water throughout the tube after service?


----------



## halcyon

MWBradshaw said:


> I just read this entire journal and I'm blown away! You seem so handy and you executed this perfectly it seems!


forget reading for exams lol


----------



## MWBradshaw

halcyon said:


> forget reading for exams lol


Haha...well thankfully I already graduated from school but I did spend a lot of time reading this, I couldn't seem to stop though.


----------



## duff

Simply Amazing! >speechless< I have enjoyed reading every page - just amazing.


----------



## fishbreath

duff said:


> Simply Amazing! >speechless< I have enjoyed reading every page - just amazing.


Thanks



jeremy0247 said:


> Wow, your tanks look great. I am confused about the flow through the bridge. How do you do it? I know the returns are on a scwd. do the returns flow into the tube or something?


Here's a couple of pics that show where the filter returns are:
Tank #2









and tank #1









The intake tubes are hidden behind the rock walls also and the heater is in-line, so there is *no* equipment visible in either tank




tyler79durdan said:


> I thought the fish were the ones who helped water flow through the tube?
> 
> I was curious how you got the water throughout the tube after service?


Well I place the bridge back in place with one end slightly higher than the other. Then I snake some air tubing up in to the high end and suck the air out, which fills the bridge with water.


----------



## fishbreath

OK here is a vid of the male apisto and one of the GBR's crossing the bridge together. I was surfing on the netbook and looked up and saw that the two of them had just come in to the bridge from tank#1.


----------



## kcrossley

A fish bridge. That is too funny. Your fish do know there is a time limit for crossing the bridge, right? BTW, how do you keep water in the bridge since it's higher than your tanks? And no, I didn't read all 16 pages.


----------



## Gatekeeper

Still one of the coolest things on the web. Can't get over it.


----------



## fishbreath

kcrossley said:


> how do you keep water in the bridge since it's higher than your tanks? And no, I didn't read all 16 pages.


Go to page 3 



kcrossley said:


> Your fish do know there is a time limit for crossing the bridge, right?


You think that took a long time? Tomorrow I'm posting a video of one of the nerite snails crossing the bridge. I had to get a bigger memory card for my camera to get the whole thing!! It's been uploading to photobucket since early this morning. 




Gatekeeper said:


> Still one of the coolest things on the web. Can't get over it.


Thanks


----------



## halcyon

I think that you need to put in two male betas and wait for the inevitable showdown on the bridge!


----------



## AlexXx

halcyon said:


> I think that you need to put in two male betas and wait for the inevitable showdown on the bridge!


kinda messed up...



But man i cant get over this still, i love it.


----------



## mysticalnet

very cool setup, I really enjoyed reading, thanks!


----------



## fishbreath

OK The video of a nerite snail crossing the bridge just finished uploading to photobucket. I hope you enjoy it.
(56K warning, Cable warning, DSL warning, T1 warning)


----------



## fishbreath

,



,


,


,


,


, Happy April Fools Day everyone


----------



## minicrazy592

I have a feeling that snail might have been wondering where this "tunnel" led to. :icon_wink


----------



## fishbreath

minicrazy592 said:


> I have a feeling that snail might have been wondering where this "tunnel" led to. :icon_wink


I think the snail may have been wondering, "what was Sandra Bullock thinking when she hooked up with Jesse James?"


----------



## halcyon

Reminds me of the connecting bridge at most Rainforest Cafes.


----------



## fishbreath

halcyon said:


> Reminds me of the connecting bridge at most Rainforest Cafes.


Really? I guess I'm gonna have to get to my local Rainforest Cafe. Halcyon, I see your signature says michigan state. Do you know if there's a bridge like that at the Rainforest Cafe at Great Lakes Crossing?


----------



## TeamTeal

wow, this is really cool
great job on the rock work, really loving it!


----------



## jargonchipmunk

this bridge owns rainforest cafe's bridge. theirs isn't even really a "bridge" as it's below the water line, so it's basically just one tank. This one has the bridge ABOVE the water line and uses the cooler side of physics to its advantage. Very nice work on bridge and rockwork alike!


----------



## benon

Thought the rocks were real when I first looked at this! The bridge is an amazing concept... Congratulations on the man-cave, the tanks look amazing... (I recently acquired a man-cave myself. Just getting started on it though )


----------



## AlexXx

i want a man cave....


----------



## FSM

kcrossley said:


> A fish bridge. That is too funny. Your fish do know there is a time limit for crossing the bridge, right? BTW, how do you keep water in the bridge since it's higher than your tanks? And no, I didn't read all 16 pages.


You probably siphon water out of your tank every week or two. Same concept, the connector maintains equal water level in both aquariums.


----------



## halcyon

fishbreath said:


> Really? I guess I'm gonna have to get to my local Rainforest Cafe. Halcyon, I see your signature says michigan state. Do you know if there's a bridge like that at the Rainforest Cafe at Great Lakes Crossing?


Wish I knew dude, I am from Illinois and graduating in May I spend most of my time in EL. Either way big weekend coming up...:biggrin:


----------



## fishbreath

FSM said:


> You probably siphon water out of your tank every week or two.


Huh? :confused1:


----------



## fishbreath

Big change..

I seemed to like tank #2 better and I couldn't help but notice several posts in the thread where people mentioned that they preferred #2 as well. Well, today I siphoned out all (most) of the sand and replaced it with flourite. I like it alot better. What do you think?

Before:










and after:


















Got a couple of new additions, too:
Scarlet badis - who has obviously already figured out the whole bridge thing.









And a few dwarf cory cats. Look right in the center of the picture.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Yeah, I like that alot better, too.

The sand looked too... sterile?


----------



## Gatekeeper

The white Sand looked very "reef". Looks better for sure. Also carries the theme accross the two tanks very nicely with the bridge.


----------



## Voozle

I've been meaning to comment on this, as your fish bridge is one of the coolest things I've ever seen done with a home aquarium. I've watched the video of your betta crossing it several times; I'm sure that provides your hours of entertainment. I wish I had spoken up sooner to say how much I liked the contrast between the two tanks, in my opinion the sand was a good look for #1. Regardless, you've got a genuinely fascinating setup, and I always enjoy seeing this thread updated.


----------



## Tex Gal

Love the new color. Much less stark! Beautiful. Still in love with your rock talent!...


----------



## non_compliance

Ok, I've been watching the damn snail video for the last 2 hours, and that thing HASN"T EVEN MOVED YET!!! You're right... this video is LOOOOONG!!!! 





as far as tank #2, I just liked the layout of the plants and the growth... I didn't necessarily like it better than #1 because of the sand. FWIW (and that's not much) I really don't care for red substrate....


----------



## fishbreath

Some new pics.
I only see the scarlet badis every couple of days so he's hard to shoot.

















One of the thousand cherry shrimps.









A dwarf cory. This guy is about .5" long.


----------



## fishbreath

The adult apistogramma peeking out from his lair.










The juvenile apisto:










And some CPD shots:


----------



## fishbreath

Here's some FTS's and a BTS (both tanks shot)


----------



## msnikkistar

This has got to be the best thing I have come across on here. Thanks for sharing this.


----------



## fishbreath

msnikkistar said:


> This has got to be the best thing I have come across on here. Thanks for sharing this.


Wow, thanks. I'm blushing. :redface:


----------



## londonloco

Like everyone else, I am amazed at this set up! I've read this entire thread, please excuse me if I've missed it, but what is your maintenance/dosing schedule? And, is that a Life Reef overflow box on the bigger tank?


----------



## non_compliance

Man, those tanks are just filling in SOOOOO awesome... thanks for keeping us updated.


----------



## fishbreath

londonloco said:


> Like everyone else, I am amazed at this set up! I've read this entire thread, please excuse me if I've missed it, but what is your maintenance/dosing schedule? And, is that a Life Reef overflow box on the bigger tank?


Thanks for the compliments. Basically, All I do is feed the fish and thin the plants. I clean the filter about every 4 weeks. No dosing. The overflow is an Eshopps. The lights are on 11 hours (only 2 of the 4 bulbs) 9am to 10 pm



non_compliance said:


> Man, those tanks are just filling in SOOOOO awesome... thanks for keeping us updated.


Thanks and you're welcome, non_com roud:


----------



## londonloco

Substrate is Flourite...yes? The only flow in the tank is from the SCWD with one return and one outflow for each tank..yes? Hanging those T5's helps with no algae I would guess. Love this setup!


----------



## fishbreath

londonloco said:


> Substrate is Flourite...yes? The only flow in the tank is from the SCWD with one return and one outflow for each tank..yes? Hanging those T5's helps with no algae I would guess. Love this setup!


Yes,

Yes,

Yes, I guess, not to mention about 15 nerite snails in each tank

Thank you!!


----------



## tuffgong

An epic build. Thanks for this. I read all 19 pages.


----------



## fishbreath

Thanks, tuffgong.

The creeping Jenny is filling in nice.

At the water nozzle, before:









and now:









At the fish bridge in tank 1 before:









and now:









At the fish bridge in tank 2 before:









and now:


----------



## fishbreath

And look how nicely this apistogramma "double red" has colored up.
Before:









and now:








And this pic doesn't really do him justice. His fins are candy apple red, seriously!


----------



## fishbreath

skinz180189 said:


> That's great. What happens if a fish dies in the bridge?


This was a CPD yesterday, albeit a sick one. The cherry shrimp reduced it to bones in less than a day. Granted, it's not in the bridge, but there are enough shrimp cruising through the bridge that if it had died in there, the result would have been the same


----------



## fishbreath

FTV (full tanks video) from my poopy camera:


----------



## non_compliance

I want one!!!!


----------



## fishbreath

non_compliance said:


> I want one!!!!


 A poopy camera? :icon_mrgr


----------



## Nate McFin

How can you possibly ever get anything done on that computer? Seriously though, great job. It just doesnt get any better.


----------



## krisco

It is ridiculous how incredible this setup is. I have been happy with my planted tank until I saw this thread and now my two tanks look like amateur rubbish compared to yours. Besides the obvious, one thing that amazes me is the fact that you created a far superior rock formation with your easier and less heavy method than I did in mine with my method of using layers of styrofoam with cement and paint. Your tanks are a true inspiration, and I find myself sitting here thinking of going to the lfs to buy some fish and the hobby store to find this eggcrate stuff. 

I now have an example to look at when setting up my empty 20 gallon. 

Couple of questions. 
1. Can you tell me how this automatic water changing system works? Nice not to have to do water changes.

2. Am I reading right that you do not dose any plant chemicals? Is it that all the plants you picked don't require the much in the form of chemicals? Or are they just not necessary? No excel or anything?

3. How often do you have to put water treatment chemicals in the water (like sechem prime), since fresh water is always entering the system. 

4. Do you use co2?


----------



## fishbreath

krisco said:


> 1. Can you tell me how this automatic water changing system works? Nice not to have to do water changes.


I used a piercing saddle valve to tap in to an existing waterline in the basement and ran a line up into the "man cave" through a 3/4" hole in the floor. I mounted the end of the line over the tank#1 with a shut off valve. I then set up an Esops overflow box that drains down a different tube that passes through the same hole in the floor and runs to the utility sink in the basement. Once the tanks were full, I adjusted the height of the overflow box so that as water dripped in from the "in" line, the water level in the tanks would stay where I wanted it and the overflow drains out into the basement sink. I caught the overflow in a bucket initially so that I could calculate how much water went in and out over time. A couple of drops a second drains about 3 gallons a day. At this rate, there is no need to treat the water.



krisco said:


> 2. Am I reading right that you do not dose any plant chemicals? Is it that all the plants you picked don't require the much in the form of chemicals? Or are they just not necessary? No excel or anything?


I do not dose. I have just recently left the reef tank hobby due to too much testing, dosing, etc. The plants would probably benefit from higher maintainence, but my goal is *low* maintainance. Most of the plants are doing OK. I have java ferns, anubias coffefolia, spiral vals, hygrophilia compacta, wisteria, bronze wendtii, and dwarf chain swords all thriving. I kind of think of this system as more of a fish tank system with some plants rather than a planted tank



krisco said:


> 3. How often do you have to put water treatment chemicals in the water (like sechem prime), since fresh water is always entering the system.


no treatments. The water enters in slow enough to not require treating



krisco said:


> 4. Do you use co2?


Nope, not at this point.


----------



## fishbreath

Nate McFin said:


> How can you possibly ever get anything done on that computer? Seriously though, great job. It just doesnt get any better.


Thanks, yeah, I'm always noticing movement in the tube out of the corner of my eye and then I have to look up to see who's switching tanks. Yesterday, 12 dwarf ornate rasboras crossed in a school. There were originally 30 of them in tank #1 since I bought them weeks ago. Now in one day 20 of 'em are in tank 2 and only 10 left in tank#1. 
Sometimes I wonder if the fish in one tank can see the fish in the other tank.


----------



## PlatinumSM

*Wow!*

Yep, that's what I have to say. WOW!

And one question - this thread was recommended to me because I am trying to build a "mountain" in my 10-gallon that I hope to cover in a flame moss carpet. 

I like the idea of a mountain made of foam, but is the epoxy and sand really necessary? Since it's going to be totally covered in a moss mat, I would like to keep it as simple as possible. 

Could I maybe just press some substrate into the foam to give it some texture?

Thanks so much (in advance) for your advice!


----------



## fishbreath

The RMNP tank, right? I read your thread. Just remember that the foam, by itself, is very bouyant. In my build, I primarily only used the foam to fill in the gaps between real rock, so that when all was said and done, my hardscape didn't float. If you built your mountains out of foam alone, I'm not sure how you'd keep it on the bottom. IMO I would cover the foam with epoxy for the protective benefit against potential breakdown over time by UV rays, and, also IMO, the substrate merely pushed into the foam won't look as good. Take a look at this detail shot. Some of what you are looking at is real rock and some is foam. There is really no distinct line to tell where the rock ends and the foam begins. I cannot imagine that you could achieve that by pushing substrate into the foam. Then again, if it's all gonna be covered with moss, I guess it doesn't matter so much.


----------



## PlatinumSM

Thanks! I will go the epoxy & foam route then - thanks so much for the quick response!


----------



## astex

I've re-read several times, and looked at the first pictures but still can't figure out the waterflow patterns to behind the rock.

Looking at the original support work, I can see but then it looks like you filled in several of the holes with rocks/plants. Are there openings I just can't see?

Also, is there anyway for fish to get back behind and caught or are there sufficient outs that it's not a problem. Anything preventing the small shrimp from being sucked into the filter?

I know I'm missing something obvious....somewhere.


----------



## astex

I also was not clear on how the rock was attached to the structure, wire ties or foamed on?


----------



## fishbreath

astex said:


> I've re-read several times, and looked at the first pictures but still can't figure out the waterflow patterns to behind the rock.
> 
> Looking at the original support work, I can see but then it looks like you filled in several of the holes with rocks/plants. Are there openings I just can't see?
> 
> Also, is there anyway for fish to get back behind and caught or are there sufficient outs that it's not a problem. Anything preventing the small shrimp from being sucked into the filter?
> 
> I know I'm missing something obvious....somewhere.


There are many small holes between the rocks for the water and the fish to easily pass through. The intake tubes of the filter are covered with open cell foam to keep the baby shrimp safe.



astex said:


> I also was not clear on how the rock was attached to the structure, wire ties or foamed on?


I layed the egg crate flat and placed the rocks on it. Then I applied the foam. The hardened foam holds the rocks in place.


----------



## astex

Thanks, I might have to tackle something similar in the near future for my 100g I'm setting up soon.


----------



## fishbreath

Go for it. You'll love the results.


----------



## Voozle

fishbreath said:


> Go for it. You'll love the results.


This is not an acceptable first-post-in-weeks, and don't go thinking otherwise. We are not satisfied. We demand videos of your fish swimming back and fourth. We demand entertainment!


----------



## AoxomoxoA

voozle said:


> this is not an acceptable first-post-in-weeks, and don't go thinking otherwise. We are not satisfied. We demand videos of your fish swimming back and fourth. We demand entertainment!


+1^^


----------



## fishbreath

New pics 7-31-10


----------



## fishbreath




----------



## fishbreath

I'm trying to get a vid of the fish crossing the bridge, but every time I see one, by the time I get the camera ready, they're across already.


----------



## globali

Garte work.


----------



## Reginald2

Wow this has really come together the tanks look great. Plus a happy betta.


----------



## fishbreath

globali said:


> Garte work.





Reginald2 said:


> Wow this has really come together the tanks look great. Plus a happy betta.


Thanks. Here's a short vid of the betta in the bridge.


----------



## FlSHRFun

This is one of the most amazing fish tanks I have ever seen and one of the most unique man-caves, as well.
Great work! I envy you!


----------



## fishbreath

Thanks, FISHR.


----------



## Lil' Swimz$

Wow, fishbreath this tank looks great! I love the rocks.

One question: I was thinking of hanging some lights like that. Is it hard?


----------



## fishbreath

Lil' Swimz$ said:


> Wow, fishbreath this tank looks great! I love the rocks.
> 
> One question: I was thinking of hanging some lights like that. Is it hard?


You just gotta measure to make sure you get them centered over the tank, then drill holes for the mounting hardware. Not that tough. 

Let me go on a bit about how much I love these Aquatic Life fixtures.  They each have 2 sets of T5 bulbs (originally for reef tanks - daylight bulbs and actinics - I only use one set with a daylight bulb and a 6700K over each tank) plus moonlight LED's each with their own built in timer so there's only one cord to plug in for each fixture - roud: 

Here's a couple of new vids

Tank 1 with the apisto cockatoo, dwarf ornate rasboras, harlequin rasboras, rummy nose tetras, bettas and celestial pearl danios. 



And tank 2 with neons, cardinals and rainbow threadfins.


----------



## isais

So pretty, killer work man


----------



## teah

hi, how do you make the fish cross the bridge? and how to clean the bridge?


----------



## DarkMatter

Just read through. Your whole setup is amazing. The bridge speaks for its self, love the vids. Im really impressed with how great your rockwork looks. Might have to try to make some myself for my next tank. About how long did it take you per tank?


----------



## fishbreath

isais said:


> So pretty, killer work man


Thanks



teah said:


> hi, how do you make the fish cross the bridge? and how to clean the bridge?


The fish just cross - no coaxing. I have removed the bridge once since I set it up, to clean it. Surprizingly, it stays pretty clean, maybe 'cuz shrimp and snails are always in there cleaning. Also, I have the creeping jenny growing over the bridge where it's directly under the lights.



DarkMatter said:


> Just read through. Your whole setup is amazing. The bridge speaks for its self, love the vids. Im really impressed with how great your rockwork looks. Might have to try to make some myself for my next tank. About how long did it take you per tank?


Thanks. It took about 1 week or so per tank working a couple of hours a day.


----------



## PzykoSkillz

The tanks look great man. So you have shrimp in w/ all these fish still w/ no problems? I've been looking for some fish to put w/ mine.


----------



## will5

fishbreath said:


> Here's some fresh pics for you:


What kind of sand are you using?


----------



## will5

fishbreath said:


> I'm not sure of the sex. One has a rosey colored belly and one has an yellow colored belly. They usually hang together, no fighting.


It not hard to tell males from females at all. In post 198 the female is in the first pic and the male is in the second.


----------



## Hilde

fishbreath said:


> Beginning the "foaming in" process.


Did the diy rocks affect the ph? Did you have to wait to add fish?


----------



## fishbreath

will5 said:


> It not hard to tell males from females at all. In post 198 the female is in the first pic and the male is in the second.


The post you quoted was about German Blue Rams. The pics from post #198 are cockatoo apistogrammas and are already labeled Mrs. (first pic) and Mr. (second pic)



Hilde said:


> Did the diy rocks affect the ph? Did you have to wait to add fish?


I don't test for pH so I don't know. I waited about 5 days before adding livestock, if I recall. Judging by how everything seems to be thriving, I'd say - no pH problems. :smile:


----------



## fishbreath

New video showing a pair of Amano shrimp on bridge cleaning duty.


----------



## lnstevens

fishbreath said:


> The post you quoted was about German Blue Rams. The pics from post #198 are cockatoo apistogrammas and are already labeled Mrs. (first pic) and Mr. (second pic)
> 
> 
> 
> I don't test for pH so I don't know. I waited about 5 days before adding livestock, if I recall. Judging by how everything seems to be thriving, I'd say - no pH problems. :smile:


If the rocks you made are the ones I have seen on reef forums and some of the more "fish only" oriented forums then they won't affect anything in the water. If I'm correct, after the foam, you epoxied them which sealed everything in. 

And this is by far the coolest thing I have seen in a while. But, I highly doubt my Mrs. would even "contemplate" letting me have 2 120g or 2 90g setup like that. :icon_lol:


----------



## fishbreath

lnstevens said:


> If the rocks you made are the ones I have seen on reef forums and some of the more "fish only" oriented forums then they won't affect anything in the water. If I'm correct, after the foam, you epoxied them which sealed everything in.


Yes, epoxied.



lnstevens said:


> And this is by far the coolest thing I have seen in a while. But, I highly doubt my Mrs. would even "contemplate" letting me have 2 120g or 2 90g setup like that. :icon_lol:


 Thanks. How about a compromise wit the Mrs? My system is only 70 gallons total - a 30 gallon and a 40 gallon.


----------



## BonesCJ

That foam work is awsome, my 210 is all foamed across the back and the overflow(which I do love, leftover from when it was a reef tank) but nowhere near the level you did.


----------



## El Funko

Just read through the whole thread, and have to speak up and add my kudos for an incredible job! I'm just thoroughly impressed.

I'd consider traveling to Michigan to see it in person. Do you do tours? jk :icon_wink

BTW, I've been lurking on the forum for a little while, but this was my first post...


----------



## fishbreath

Here's another "fish in the bridge" vid shot by my POS camera.


----------



## Hilde

fishbreath said:


> Beginning the epoxy/sand part.


Why 2 different types of epoxy? You took pieces out and did them in a box? How long did you let the epoxy cure? Looks like you had to bend over hours to get this done. Ouch!!


----------



## fishbreath

Hilde said:


> Why 2 different types of epoxy? You took pieces out and did them in a box? How long did you let the epoxy cure? Looks like you had to bend over hours to get this done. Ouch!!


Only one type of 2 part epoxy. I let it cure about 48 hours. I did the work on a workbench so no bending.


----------



## HouseofZoo

I love your rockscape and I'm always up for learning something new, might have to give this a go.

I've read the whole thread, but I may have missed this part or it has left my mind. Did you attach the rocks to the egg crate first with something or are they just attached via the foam?

Also, what kind of sand is that? PFS or something else?

Nice to see someone near my hometown also, small world.


----------



## fishbreath

Thanks HouseofZoo 
The rocks are simply held in place by the foam. The sand was just some sand I had in a bag left over from a landscaping project from several years ago. Sorry, I don't know what kind of sand it is. It must be aquarium safe, I guess, 'cuz the tanks have been up and running for about 10 or 11 months and everything's thriving.


----------



## Hilde

fishbreath said:


> Only one type of 2 part epoxy. I let it cure about 48 hours. I did the work on a workbench so no bending.


Did you glue it to the tank or does it just sit in the tank?


----------



## fishbreath

It just sits in the tank. With the ratio of rocks to foam that I used, the pieces are not buoyant. There is room behind the walls for the fish to hide.


----------



## lauraleellbp

Why do the fish cross the bridge?

Why did the chicken cross the road?

I think you re-created that perpetual enigma in your tank on purpose. :smile:


----------



## Noahma

fishbreath said:


> I'm trying to get a vid of the fish crossing the bridge, but every time I see one, by the time I get the camera ready, they're across already.


Time to step up the tanks a notch? hehe submersible streaming video cameras?
That way we can all catch the fish going across the bridge


----------



## justin182

This thread is so interesting. Great work!!!


----------



## Pri

I just read the whole thread. Great project and and very detailed posts, love it. Your tanks are just amazing!!!
I also love your SLOGAN : "Making your tank "maintenance-free" requires constant maintenance.". Can't stop myself from reading it each time I read your posts, and haven't counted how many time I read it !!! lol
Very nice DIY rocks and I am looking forward to do the same thing for my cichlid tank. I have some questions :
- Did you use some special epoxy glue?
- Can I use silicone to glue the sand instead of using epoxy? 
- Is the foam harmless to fish? particularly cichlid if you know about it?
Thanks.

My low tech planted tank
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myTanks/2076-Pri.html

My Cichlid tank
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myTanks/2075-Pri.html

My DIY project Journal 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/121288-125g-pond-river-waterfall-diy-project.html


----------



## OoglyBoogly

Whoa I just inspired me to want to start a couple of new projects 

Thanks


----------



## fishbreath

Pri said:


> I just read the whole thread. Great project and and very detailed posts, love it. Your tanks are just amazing!!!
> I also love your SLOGAN : "Making your tank "maintenance-free" requires constant maintenance.". Can't stop myself from reading it each time I read your posts, and haven't counted how many time I read it !!! lol
> Very nice DIY rocks and I am looking forward to do the same thing for my cichlid tank. I have some questions :
> - Did you use some special epoxy glue?
> - Can I use silicone to glue the sand instead of using epoxy?
> - Is the foam harmless to fish? particularly cichlid if you know about it?
> Thanks.
> 
> My low tech planted tank
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myTanks/2076-Pri.html
> 
> My Cichlid tank
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myTanks/2075-Pri.html
> 
> My DIY project Journal
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals-photo-album/121288-125g-pond-river-waterfall-diy-project.html


Thanks Pri. The epoxy was standard 2 part hobby epoxy. I imagine you could attach the sand with silicone but it seems like that would be much more difficult that using epoxy due to the consistency of silicone. Safe for cichlids? Well, my tank has been up and running for over a year now with no problems. I have an apistogramma that's been in there almost the whole time.


----------



## Pri

Thanks. I will try to do "something" with the foam and will post a thread about the project if everything works well!

My planted tank http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myTanks/2076-Pri.html
My Cichlid tank http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myTanks/2075-Pri.html
My DIY project Journal http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/t...88-125g-pond-river-waterfall-diy-project.html
My Betta Pico http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/122780-black-white-planted-pico.html


----------



## fishbreath

Ever since the day I painted the room, I hated the color. I finally bit the bullet and repainted. I can't tell you how much happier I am with the new color. Oh, and the tanks are doing great too!!


----------



## fishbreath

Also, I've transplanted some moss from out of the backyard onto some of the top rim of the tank and to the parts of the hardscape that stick out of the water. It's been spreading along the top of the tank nicely. Looks better than black plastic, don't you think?


----------



## lauraleellbp

What a neat idea with the moss! Do you have to keep misting it, or is the proximity to the tank water enough humidity for it?

Any idea what species it is?

Any issues with shrimp trying to climb up on it?


And I like the new room color. :icon_smil


----------



## Karackle

I love the moss idea too!!! very very cool! I'm interested in hearing the answers to the questions LauraLee asked too roud:

and I agree, love the new room color! my office is painted a very similar color!


----------



## fishbreath

lauraleellbp said:


> What a neat idea with the moss! Do you have to keep misting it, or is the proximity to the tank water enough humidity for it?
> 
> Any idea what species it is?
> 
> Any issues with shrimp trying to climb up on it?
> 
> 
> And I like the new room color. :icon_smil


Well, right now the moss (no idea what species, it was growing in the backyard by the hose spigot) is growing on the rim of each of the tanks just above a spot where there's a bubbler down in the tank so there is always a mist there. and the parts of the hardscape sticking out of the water has the moss dipping down a bit into the water so water wicks up to the rest of the moss. My goal is to grow enough that the whole back rim of the tank is covered with moss that dips down into the water in enough places to keep it all watered.

no issues with the shrimp trying to climb out on it.

Thanks - about the room color. It was not easy, I can tell you. I didn't move the tanks to paint. I left them up and filled and painted behind them with a paint roller designed for painting behind toilet tanks. It took 3 days to finish


----------



## fishbreath

Karackle said:


> I love the moss idea too!!! very very cool! I'm interested in hearing the answers to the questions LauraLee asked too roud:
> 
> and I agree, love the new room color! my office is painted a very similar color!


Thanks.


----------



## Betta Maniac

I really like the way you hung the lights from under the shelf unit. That rocks. 

Tanks are awesome too, of course, LOL!


----------



## Gatekeeper

Love the paint color. How about some FTS's?


----------



## James-W

Hi,

absolutely love the tank, I have question on the rockscape you did at the very beginning though.

When you said you attached the rocks to the egg crate and foamed in the gaps, did you literally attach the rocks to the crate with something like epoxy glue or did you simply place the rocks on the crate and foam around to make them stick?

Apologies if the question has been asked before but i have scanned the majority of this brilliant thread.

James

edit - Also, may i ask, you used the 2 part epoxy but is it correct you only used one part of it? Thanks


----------



## fishbreath

James-W said:


> Hi,
> 
> absolutely love the tank, I have question on the rockscape you did at the very beginning though.
> 
> When you said you attached the rocks to the egg crate and foamed in the gaps, did you literally attach the rocks to the crate with something like epoxy glue or did you simply place the rocks on the crate and foam around to make them stick?
> 
> Apologies if the question has been asked before but i have scanned the majority of this brilliant thread.
> 
> James
> 
> edit - Also, may i ask, you used the 2 part epoxy but is it correct you only used one part of it? Thanks


Thanks James. When I did the rocks, I had the egg crate lying on it's back so gravity held the rocks in place while the foam hardened. Once the foam set up, the rocks weren't going anywhere. I used both parts of the epoxy. I don't think it would work otherwise.


----------



## fishbreath

I haven't posted any new pics because I was having camera issues. Just got my new GoPro HD video camera in the mail today. Here's some pics taken a couple of minutes ago:


----------



## lauraleellbp

That's just gorgeous. I love the entire room! The ponytail palm on the right is a nice touch.

PS where'd you get your desk? I'm shopping for a desk for my home office right now...


----------



## fishbreath

This is the latest modification - extending the rock pillar in the tank to outside the tank. The original idea was to block some light from the fish bridge to cut down on the algae growth, but I REALLY like the look. When the weather warms up I'm going to order some bromelia plants to place on the rocks.


----------



## fishbreath

Thanks Lauraleelbp got the desk at IKEA


----------



## SpankyMR2

wow. I really don't know what else to say. simply gorgeous.
Patti


----------



## fishbreath

Thanks, Patti


----------



## Solid

lauraleellbp said:


> PS where'd you get your desk? I'm shopping for a desk for my home office right now...


When you have that ratio of fish tank to computer, I dont think you can really call that a desk, Its a fish tank stand. :flick:

But seriously both tanks look beautiful and the fish bridge is simply amazing. I would love to do some work on that fish tank stand!


----------



## Loop

Looks great, but honestly I would have been worried about an IKEA desk holding 2 tanks. I love the stuff at IKEA, and I'm sure the desk is probably fine if you felt it was strong enough, but I don't think I would think to put them on it. I probably just have some subconscious idea of it falling apart because of all the joking around about IKEA stuff breaking. Actually most stuff I've purchased from them seems better made than my current stand now that I think about it. I think I'll go there this weekend and look for something to use as a cool new stand now


----------



## .Mko.

i am simply amazed by the bridge. saw the video of the rams going through the bridge and wow. =) Love it.


----------



## jasonh

Very nice work. Good solution for hiding equipment. Now I'm gonna have to rethink how my eventual tank will be...might have to try the rock wall thing. I tried it with a reef tank but sold it before I ever got water in it...and I just did straight up the back wall, nothing fancy like this. (Haven't done a planted tank since 08, had a reef til a year ago....getting the itch again.)

I think you might want to do that DIY article with so many people asking the same questions about it.


----------



## fishbreath

Loop said:


> Looks great, but honestly I would have been worried about an IKEA desk holding 2 tanks. I love the stuff at IKEA, and I'm sure the desk is probably fine if you felt it was strong enough, but I don't think I would think to put them on it. I probably just have some subconscious idea of it falling apart because of all the joking around about IKEA stuff breaking. Actually most stuff I've purchased from them seems better made than my current stand now that I think about it. I think I'll go there this weekend and look for something to use as a cool new stand now


The IKEA desk is supported underneath the tanks with 2 X 10's. Getting them to the exact dimensions was the most difficult part of the whole build. If you look in this picture the 2 X 10's are easy to see. The IKEA desk without the added support would have never been able to hold the tanks.


----------



## firebird69

I install office furniture for a living, I would never trust an Ikea desk to hold weight like that. Your 2 x 10 modification certainly address that issue and it seems like it has held for quite a while, awesome setup. Looks like you reinforced the shelving units and the TV, better safe than sorry, nice job on that too.
My only comment has to do with the computer, you need to get yourself a bigger screen. All that light from the 2 tanks must make it really hard to see the computer screen plus it looks really small compared to the tanks.
Very impressive and unique idea, I have not seen anyone else connect 2 tanks like that.


----------



## Karackle

Loop said:


> Looks great, but honestly I would have been worried about an IKEA desk holding 2 tanks.


Very early in the thread, if I recall, Fishbreath made some of his own improvements to the desk to add extra support roud: 
**edit** answer to that was ninja'd 

*Fishbreath* I spent some time rereading this thread today to remind myself how you had the water flow and filter set up. I saw my own comments relating to a "less intricate plumbing" way of setting this up and I remembered uneven filtration was one of the main concerns, along with the unidirectional flow possibly causing all of the fish to gather on one side. 

So of course, because I love this idea so much, the wheels started turning again. If I were to attempt anything in any way similar, I'd probably do it "in miniature" with 2 10g tanks or something like that, and I was thinking, I wonder if it would work to have a HOB filter on each tank for the actual filtration in each tank, but then use something like a tom rapids or zoomed mini canister filter with the intake in 1 tank and outflow in the other in order to make a small current through the bridge. I realize there is really no way to know the answer without trying it out, but I figured I'd throw it out there. Especially in case anyone else was interested in trying something like this out roud: and if anyone DOES try it before I get a chance to, let me know how it goes! :hihi:


----------



## jcgd

Karackle said:


> So of course, because I love this idea so much, the wheels started turning again. If I were to attempt anything in any way similar, I'd probably do it "in miniature" with 2 10g tanks or something like that, and I was thinking, I wonder if it would work to have a HOB filter on each tank for the actual filtration in each tank, but then use something like a tom rapids or zoomed mini canister filter with the intake in 1 tank and outflow in the other in order to make a small current through the bridge. I realize there is really no way to know the answer without trying it out, but I figured I'd throw it out there. Especially in case anyone else was interested in trying something like this out roud: and if anyone DOES try it before I get a chance to, let me know how it goes! :hihi:


The only issue I see is if the syphon for any reason broke. Ie the water from the canister couldn't flow through the bridge, it would go on the floor instead.:icon_eek:


----------



## Karackle

justincgdick said:


> The only issue I see is if the syphon for any reason broke. Ie the water from the canister couldn't flow through the bridge, it would go on the floor instead.:icon_eek:


I think you'd be hard pressed to clog the bridge so entirely that the water could not pass through it, though you bring up a good point, without an overflow I suppose it's a bit of a risk. The only way to know for sure would be to set up a pair of empty tanks with a bridge and mini canister and play around with it to see how fast the flow through the bridge is etc. And to make sure the water actually moves through the bridge and not out of the tank as it refills


----------



## fishbreath

Another (potential) issue with that idea is that the water would always be flowing in the same direction. May not be an issue, but the fish might all end up in one tank. It has been my observation with my set up that often times a fish gets in to the bridge and seems confused which way to go. They seem to prefer to go against the current. In my bridge, the current changes direction about every 12 seconds. When a fish is in the bridge, it's easy to see which way the current is going by how the fish is swimming. They seem to like to be pointing into the current and when it changes, they do a 180. I would bet that if you had a system with current only in one direction, you'd eventually have all the fish that prefer swimming with the current in one tank and all the fish that like swimming upstream in the other. I say, Give it a try

Maybe get *2* mini canister filters and have them on alternating timers


----------



## Karackle

Hmmm very interesting. And an excellent point. When I have a good space (and have saved up some extra $) I definitely want to give it a try. 2 mini canisters is an idea, or 2 "regular" sized canisters used as filtration and for water flow perhaps? And have it switch every few minutes (instead of seconds) so the water would actually get filtered, which would eliminate the need for 2 HOBs too. Maybe. Thought in a 10g, if you went any bigger than a mini the current might be too strong! :hihi: Although perhaps by the time one tried all these options, it might have been cheaper and easier to just set it up the way you have it


----------



## James-W

Hi, just another couple of quick questions. I have just managed to recreate what you made and it has gone fairly well however im concerned whether i should be coating ALL of the foam to seal it in. You say you have had success with keeping the foam in tanks long term but in these cases did you make sure to seal in all the foam with epoxy?

My other question is on this epoxy, i managed to get the exact same brand you got but its clogging up my brush, any tips on this stuff? =P
Thanks again for your help and love the additions to the rock work,

James


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## waterfaller1

Awesome!:icon_cool:thumbsup:


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## fishbreath

James-W said:


> Hi, just another couple of quick questions. I have just managed to recreate what you made and it has gone fairly well however im concerned whether i should be coating ALL of the foam to seal it in. You say you have had success with keeping the foam in tanks long term but in these cases did you make sure to seal in all the foam with epoxy?
> 
> My other question is on this epoxy, i managed to get the exact same brand you got but its clogging up my brush, any tips on this stuff? =P
> Thanks again for your help and love the additions to the rock work,
> 
> James


Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I have been out of the country. I did not coat the back side of the foam. Only the front. The sand and epoxy, in addition to being cosmetic, protects the foam from UV exposure. Neither is needed on the back side. I don't know what to tell you about the brush issue.


expanded the lacerock on the top of the aquarium


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## fishbreath

Here's a new HD video from 2 days ago. See how many species of fish you can spot.

http://vimeo.com/21862712


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## chad320

2356? No, I have no idea how many are in there but those are pretty cool tanks! Good work!


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## lauraleellbp

GBRs
Rummynosed tetras
Neon tetras
Cardinal tetras
Threadfin rainbows
Red Flame tetras (?)
Pencilfish (IDK something flashed by in the background in the first bit of the 2nd tank...?)
Porkchop (?) rasporas
Furcata rainbows
Cherry shrimp
 
What happened to the loaches and Amanos?

PS - I LOVE the back rim with mosses and stuff- that's gorgeous!


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## MoeBetta

Harlequins  I thought you had CPDs? They must be hiding. (SURPRISE)


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## fishbreath

lauraleellbp said:


> GBRs
> Rummynosed tetras
> Neon tetras
> Cardinal tetras
> Threadfin rainbows
> Red Flame tetras (?)
> Pencilfish (IDK something flashed by in the background in the first bit of the 2nd tank...?)
> Porkchop (?) rasporas
> Furcata rainbows
> Cherry shrimp
> 
> What happened to the loaches and Amanos?
> 
> 
> PS - I LOVE the back rim with mosses and stuff- that's gorgeous!


Red flame tetras? if that's the same as von rio tetras, then yes. I know they go by more than one name. The Amanos are still in there and are HUGE, just not in the video. I used to have yoyo loaches and eventually every one of them jumped out. Now there are kuhli loaches, but not in the video. Well done.roud:


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## fishbreath

MoeBetta said:


> Harlequins  I thought you had CPDs? They must be hiding. (SURPRISE)


They're there. Look closely in the tank on the left.


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## fishbreath

lauraleellbp said:


> Pencilfish (IDK something flashed by in the background in the first bit of the 2nd tank...?)





Maybe you saw an oto? or some ornate rasboras? No pencilfish in there.


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## Cuchulainn

Great video. Like how you used the lace rock, it looks very natural


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## MoeBetta

fishbreath said:


> They're there. Look closely in the tank on the left.


SAW HIM! lol 

How are you liking the gopro? The diving videos looked good.


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## jsuereth

Wow. That setup looks like a ton of fun.


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## fishbreath

MoeBetta said:


> SAW HIM! lol
> 
> How are you liking the gopro? The diving videos looked good.


Love the GoPro. For the money, it can't be beat.


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## fishbreath

jsuereth said:


> Wow. That setup looks like a ton of fun.


It is, and low maintainence,too, with the automatic water change feature.



Cuchulainn said:


> Great video. Like how you used the lace rock, it looks very natural


Thanks


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## fishbreath

I have been replacing most of the creeping jenny with live moss harvested from my backyard. I've also added more lace rock to the top of the tank to shade the fishbridge and cut down on algae where the tube is directly under the lights.


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## fishbreath

And here's a wide angle shot of the whole man cave:


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## TwoStrokeKing

Man i want a man cave like that! nice work!! :smile:


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## Karackle

looking awesome, as usual!!!!! :biggrin: I'm really loving the moss, it really gives the whol thing a very cool look! I liked the creeping Jenny too, but something about the moss really ties it together more. roud:


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## Zerocon

Woah, this is freaky!
Earlier today I was imagining some cool original things that could be done for my aquarium! I remembered seeing this picture http://www.coolhunting.com/design/assets/images/labyrinth1.jpg!
I come to the journal sec, and see this!!

Great stuff


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## Zerocon

.


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## Cynth

I love it when you post updates and I love the room, the tanks, the setup...


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## joshdmorris

Wow, this is just incredible. I've been contemplating for a few months now to do my own background in my 55g but am not confident in my painting skills. I saw on the first few pages the kinds of materials you use, but I'm confused on just a couple of things. First, you said you didn't paint the rocks just the foam, but I noticed that you covered the entire structure with sand anyway. What's the point in painting if you just cover with sand? Also, do you coat the entire structure with epoxy and then dump sand all over it to cover? I'm worried that chemicals will affect my water balances. Did you do anything after you spray painted? I would also think this would seep chemicals. Lastly how heavy are these structures? 

Awesome work! Can't wait to start one of these myself.


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## fishbreath

Sorry it has taken me so long to answer your questions. Been busy with other hobbies and not checking the PT forum. I only _spraypainted_ the back of the tank on the outside. I brush painted the foam with 2 part epoxy and covered everything with sand while the epoxy was still wet but the sand easily falls off the lace rock and only sticks to the foam that's been painted with epoxy. This system has been up and running for just about 2 years without any problems. As far as how heavy, I tried to place the real rocks close together and only use the foam to fill in the gaps between. The pieces sink in the water. I think it's important to get a high real rock to foam ratio for the best look and to be sure your stuff doesn't want to float.


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## 2in10

Awesome setup so cool with the great rock work and flow set up.


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## lauraleellbp

Any updated pics for your photo-hungry groupies? :biggrin:


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## Robotponys

Update? I'm lovin' it!


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## Lichard

I love the bridge and how you pulled it off! Your tank is very inspirational


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## MartyMA

I have just read through every single post of this wonderful thread. So inspiring. Obviously, you have vision, skill and great asethetic sense. Thanks so much for sharing this with those of us who only can dream about the possibilities.


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## GMYukonon24s

I remember this I think I would have to hard of a time doing work on my laptop.


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## whiteblaze 27

nice set up it looks great!


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## lotus02

Wow amazing and very stunning tanks. 
Gave me some idea's for my new tank.


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## newbieplanter

That tank/tanks are saweeeeeeeeeeet. Very neat idea I love the fish bridge.


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## lauraleellbp

Just a bump on the off chance this setup is still up and running...?


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## swoof

fishbreath 
Planted Member 

Send Message User Lists 
Last Activity: 04-18-2012 05:49 PM 

Maybe not, looks like he hasn't been on in over 2 years


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## AquaAurora

This is so fascinating! I don't have the time right now to read through the technical stuff atm but 'thumbed' through the photos. Will read through later this week hopefully. My husband wanted to do his a while ago (but with different size/height tanks) I told him "i don't think it can be done" well I get to eat my words and probably go out and buy 1-2 new tanks so he can have an aquarium project! I wonder what sizes/gallons he'll want..
(Tip: if you have a spouse get them addicted to the hobby too.. or at least involved in some aspects, its especially useful if your better-half is a handy/diy type person and you're.. not so much)


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