DIY Combining two 10-gal fishtanks?
by Aquaboy on Friday, April 30th, 2010 | 7 Comments
I have two 10-gallon tanks. I was wondering if there is any way to combine them somehow, they were free and they are shaped/built the same, so it appears. If i purchase some aquarium safe silicon/adhesive, etc… like if i made it more of a cube shape, or just a really long tank, well, as long as two 10 gals would be side by side. lol Any suggestions on how to go about this, or is this even feasable? I know water pressure can be a concern, but If only for “20″ gallons maybe its do-able. Any suggestions would be more than welcome. Thanks!!
build stank that holds both, 2 filters, each tnk hold dif fish. con convicts in one, and tetra in other,
I would imagine it can’t be reliably done. I don’t think you could seal 2 tanks meant for 10 gallons each well enough to hold 20 gallons…it’s twice the pressure of one, and the seals would have to be mid-way… Know what I’m getting at?
If you did combine them, it would DEFINETELY leak. And while the adhesive would be drying, it would fall apart, and you would have to throw both tanks away. I would use one for saltwater and one for freshwater. Or I would buy a bigger tank. Remember to rinse the tank before using it, and NEVER with soap. It will kill the fish. Remember that when you buy fish, buy ones that don’t grow big. There should be 1 inch of adult fish per gallon
The sealants are meant for resealing tanks after the original sealant wears out, or building your own tanks. If you glue two tanks together, it will not be watertight. However, if you want to use the tanks to house reptiles, or something that does not require water it will be doable.
You could put a large syphon tube (large “U” tube,) that connect the two. But they would have to be on the same level or the lower one would overflow. If you could find some clear acrylic tubing of at least 3 inches then you could see you fish swimming for one tank to the other. You could run a small power head that will push water from one tank to the other so that both tanks get circulation. Use your head for more than just a had rack and don’t let everyone tell you that something cannot be done because where there is a will there is a way.
this is not a good idea, it is most likely to leak, of not break. Instead of joining them together, you can set them up separately, side by side, and have a similar theme.
Two 10-gallon tanks on top of the other (the bottom of one removed) is not recommended because of water pressure problems and a resulting “ugly” looking tank with silicone adhesive at the horizontal center of the tank.
The “cube shape,” (one aquarium behind the other) with the front glass pane of one and the back pane of the other tank removed and the two joined together, is quite workable. That is provided wide glass braces are constructed on the top center of the tank to hold the glass from the water pressure which is greatest at the center of the two jointed tanks.
Finally, the two tanks joined side by side to make a long tank. One side of each tank is removed. This is the most feasible to do and you can do it this way. Water pressure is not much of a problem because the tank would only have a height of a little more than12 inches. Glass braces on the top center of the tank is still required and an unsighty center joint can be seen.
To do any of this you must have experience with glass and silicone adhesive removal (using a razor blade) and then joining the two tanks together with silicone again. If you don’t, then don’t do it!