biocube no longer going to be a fuge?

Ok, so, now that's I'm about 1 day away from finishing the BioCube project, a friend wants me to take their tank tomorrow, because they're moving. It's a Tetra Half Moon, currently set up as a freshwater tank with some mollies and painted glass tetras.

I was wondering, if I got rid of the fish, cleaned out the tank really well and got rid of their equipment, and plumbed it in to my system, could it be useful as an area where the water level could vary, and maybe put a legit fuge? Having the BioCube full instead of down to 2/3rds would be sweet, if that would be possible because of a sudden tank acquisition.

These two tanks would be on the same level, both just on the bottom of my stand, otherwise I wouldn't even consider the following strategy lol. Could you put a siphon tube between them, instead of doing an overflow/drain setup? I would plumb it with hard PVC, and put an Aqualifter in the middle to keep any problems related to a siphon break from happening.

I don't see how I could do a drain, without raising the BioCube with some sort of mini stand inside the RSM stand; then I wouldn't be able to open the top of the BC though.

 

man ive been dying to see the bio cube fuge

 

I still need to wait for the rock to start the siphon, or I'll end up misjudging the max and min water levels.

I was just wondering about this plan, since I'm coming in to that tank and have absolutely no desire to keep some mollies and tetras in a totally artificial tank.

 

how does a rock start a siphon

 

It doesn't...

The rock takes up space in the tank. If I started the overflow right now, it would fill the BC to about 1/3, which would be the minimum water level that I have to mark. I'd fill it full, then start the return pump, and then I'd have a max fill water level to mark.

If I put in the rock after doing that process, those water levels would be messed up, and I'd likely end up flooding the living room because they're off. So, the rock needs to be in a sump that's going to be done DT style like this one before the overflow starts running.

 

Of course it would be impossible to reset levels after the rock came. lol
If the people who owned the THM ever used copper to treat anything it's no good for saltwater.

 

Why is your biocube only 2/3 filled? The major issue with just having a siphon tube is that there's nothing to mitigate the water flow. If your return pump stops, as in a power outage, the siphon tube will suck all the water out to the bottom of the tube, breaking the siphon, then when the power comes back on, you will have a flood on your hands. Plus, in that size tank, fish and inverts will eventually get sucked up into the tube and into the sump. That could block the water flow in the tube, again resulting in a flood. I don't think it's a good idea.

 

PITA factor on #1; I may as well hook up the whole system at once rather than do it piecemeal. It didn't happen on #2, I tested for copper in their water that hasn't been changed in 6 months, got 0.

 

I didn't realize that. If it's in the back you should be ok.

 

bump