Right, what i need to do, is im setting up 6 (maby more) 36liter tanks on shelving, and i was wondering what was the best way to heat and filter them, am i correct in assuming an air powered filteration system would be best, with sponge filters in each, and will it need to be a seperate heater in each tank,
only in the planning stage at the moment so open to options

preferably not too expensive

thanks

Rich

Individual sponge and/or box filters, and a small linear air pump would be your best bet. With a setup this size, whith these size tanks, air driven filtration with individual heaters would be much cheaper to set up than drilling tanks for overflows & setting up a sump with filtration & heaters. It sounds like you are leaning toward a breeding setup, this is where air driven sponge filters shine.

If you see yourself expanding in the future, plan ahead, and get double the size of air pump you need. Bleed air off of the system for now, if you expand you just need to build & run more manifolds.

If you have the tanks set up two across and three high, the bottom tanks will be cooler than the ones above. Quite often the top tanks will be 4C or more above the bottom ones.

I use a Resun40 blower and have 19mm poly pipe (black irrigation pipe) attached to it. The pipe is made into a large rectangle that goes along the back of the stand and has more pipe-work running along the top of each tank. Airline comes off the pipes and goes into the tanks to run airstones and sponge filters. I use little flow adjusters from the reticulation store to put into the pipe and have the airline coming off.

I heat the bottom and middle row of tanks and find the top row is kept warm by the heat rising from the tanks below.

I have a pic to stick on here showing what I am talking about but the stupid site doesn’t want to let me upload the pic. If you know how to get images onto this page then let me know and I’ll post a pic of my set up.

Where are you setting up the tanks. house/shed...
Regards
BigC

its being set up in the spare room downstairs, and yes, its pretty much going to be a breeding set up, corys, and live bearers mainly,

so i think thats probably the best option, air driven filters and individual heaters in each,

if you guys have got any pics of how you have done it, it would help

just going to be dead basic tanks, no substrate, just to make the upkeep easier,

but as i said, basic planning at the moment, and i will make sure to do a diary when the work starts

Thanks

Rich

Breeding should always go hand in hand with cleanliness, Small tanks with Air Driven sponge filters are the best method of filtration for this purpose. No gravel depending on species of course allows you to syphon uneaten food and detrius. That sort of setup inside your home would mean you using individual heaters (space heating would not be an option as you would need to insulate. I usuall have three tiers. Top tier is small tanks for breeding and fry rearing, middle tier is for intermediate fry rearing and sexual separation and the bottom teir is for growing out and stock for sale. Also make provision for brineshrimp hatching. A small insulated cupboard with a light can hold all your hatcheries The light will also provide the heat.
http://www.fishforums.net/content/forum/10...hrimp-Hatcher-/
Regards
BigC

I prefer substrate for my breeding tanks. Particularly the corys. Put a thin 1/2 inch layer of sand on the bottom of the tank and gravel clean it once a week.
The livebearers prefer a substrate as well and lots of plants.