1 Filter System Or Seperate Systems For Multiple Tanks?

[Gurglar]

I'm in the process of getting everything organised to start my own LFS and theres one question I can't answer, since I will be running alot of tanks i'm wondering what would be the best thing to do run one massive filtration system for all tank or seperate ones for each tank??

first off I need to know how many tanks could I run off one system without it being crazy?

I was thinking running one system would be a hell of alot easier but then diseases will be spread to all my tanks taking out all my stock so I was thinking I could run a couple of systems and split the tanks up into different sections so I don't infect the whole store if something should happen but don't know how much trouble that would be setting up??

Or I have thought of setting up a quarantine area on a different system so new stock is put into them first before adding them into the main system just incase they have something.

So just wondering what peoples opinions would be on what they would do if it was them??

 

[bitteraspects]

if the filter is big enough, you can run an endless number of tanks on it.

it sounds like you have the basic idea. as long as you keep a good sized quarantine area and quarantine your stock before adding them into the main system. then you would just need one large sump or wet/dry filter, and a large blower (not required, but will help keep all the tanks oxygenated, and will help when it comes time to clean the main filter).

alternatively, you can go with the blower, and individual HOB filters.

 

[Tolak]

For shop display tanks I would do a hybrid system stealing the tanks from Petland, the banks of filtration from Petco. Three 90 gallon tanks per rack, each dividable into 3 sections, run off of one sump filter beneath. This limits any spread of disease to one bank, gives you the flexibility of 30, 60, or 90 gallon tanks, while having the ease of water changes of a sump filter. Heater goes in the sump, keeping the tank free of clutter. Each bank would have to run the same temperature, with several banks you can have a variety. If you want to get into RO you could do that by bank, few shops do, most run tap.

Using these you can set up a new bank if it gets busy, shut one down during slow periods. Having identical units you will have commonality as far as parts; replacement pumps, heaters, and other hardware.

As far as quar, back room, away from the customers. Air driven filtration on each tank, keeping each tank separate from the others. Easy to take tanks in & out of service. One large air pump, cheap to run. Each tank can have differing parameters, medication in one tank is not an issue.

You can make a centralized system on a sump as large as you want, the same with a centralized air system. Bigger system, bigger pumps, smaller system uses smaller gear. Crazy to you might be awesome to others, largest I've ever seen was 12,000 gallons between 300 tanks, 300 gallon tub of bio balls, huge UV sterilizers, just amazing.

 

[Gurglar]

I see, I think I will most likely end up with a few systems filering different parts of the shop but not all in one massive system as i'm to paranoid about spreading disease through the whole shop but i'll still have a relatively easy job with water changes.

I can't see myself running HOB filters on every tank as there is gonna be alot and that will be way to hard to keep up on maintenance so splitting them into groups like cichlids, tetras, cories etc. or 6 tanks to a filter, would be alot easier and if I lose one part of the shop i'll still be able to make some money with the rest of the shop.

Was thinking of what tolak said about dividing bigger tanks into smaller ones and was gonna do that with bigger types of fish and drill holes into the dividers to let water though the whole tank so i'd only need one inlet and one outlet for the whole tank instead of seperate inlet/outlets on each divider, cause less piping is gonna be easier and less chance of leaks.

Also bitteraspects is a blower just an air pump? Wasn't really aware that I would need one as the water movement from the sump to the tanks would be suffiient enough??

 

[OldMan47]

One of our LFS, the better one, runs a separate filtration system on each rack of tanks. They also segregate fish into those same racks based on water needs. This means that all of the common livebearers are near each other and are on a common system while the cories, angels,rams and other soft water fish are in another bank on its own filter system. Where this ends up is that they can cater to the water preferences of each type of fish that they keep while still using a central filter system. Each tank also has a box filter in it bubbling away so that if they bring in new fish they can merely shut off the supply and return to that tank and presto, they have a functional QT in place. They do not, economically cannot, quarantine all of their fish but if they see something in a tank it gets isolated immediately. One of the hazards of a common filter system is taken care of by having a UV treatment system on each of the central filter systems so that disease is not easily spread throughout the bank of tanks on that filter.