River Tank
- Thread starter OrangeCones
- Start date
No, a River Tank is one that has strong flow from one side to the other, one way flow, to simulate a river.
This link describes how the author did one: A River Runs Through It — Loaches Online
This link describes how the author did one: A River Runs Through It — Loaches Online
You could drill your tank or use an (1800gph or appropriate size) overflow weir. My African tank is like a one way flow. I have an 1800 weir on one end and the pump puts the water back into the other side. I then have a couple power heads on the inlet side to simulate cross currents caused by water rushing over and around obstacles in the water. The Africans seem to enjoy it. The weir flows into my sump then is pumped into my tank. You do not need a sump, you could put your pump right at the weir or the drilled outlet of the tank. I see how they did it in the link you provided, seems a little to busy for me but, it would be cheaper that way.
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Hello; I once modified a HOB filter body to direct the flow. It took a few design failures to get it to work. I eventually was able to direct the flow of water comming back into the tank away from the filter. I placed the filter on one end of a 20 gallon long and had the flow directed toward the other end. The intake was low in the end where the HOB sat. This created a current, thou not much, that was apparent at the far end of the tank. My goal was to channel the detritus toward the filter intake.
I don't want to drill a tank for this project, especially as I'm not sure if it will be too much flow for my fish. The weir idea I've used in reef tanks, where the fish were quite a bit larger than those in my current set-up. That was the point of having the sponge filters on the intakes, to prevent any microrasbora or fry from meeting their end, as it were 
I figured with the set-up like shown in the link, I could adjust the flow out since my powerheads are adjustable, from barely moving, to force like a powerwasher hose at a carwash.
I figured with the set-up like shown in the link, I could adjust the flow out since my powerheads are adjustable, from barely moving, to force like a powerwasher hose at a carwash.
If you want it for small fish the set-up in the illustration would probably be best and least expensive. The weir could be ok if you put plastic canvas mesh over the serrated slots to save the fry. With the the weir virtually everything is out of the tank, it would be a cleaner look with out the pumps and return parts and lines in the tank. I didnt like the weir idea until I had it up a running. It was nice with out all the clutter in the tank. I did loose the fry that came afterward but know I have the plastic canvas mesh over the weir overflow part. I did how ever end up with one fry surviving. He sure is an ugly critter though LOL.
My 220gallon reef had an overflow into a wet/dry filter (took up about 25-30 gallons of one end of the tank, behind a baffle). From there, it was into a sump, then 4 filter stages, before being returned to the opposite side via a pond pump. I loved the set-up, easy maintainance, and was an easy way to feed inverts (would put liquid food into the final stage filter/return hold, and it would distribute pretty evenly. Would also put brine shrimp I'd hatched in there, and watch the fish swim up into the chowline!
someone awhile back did it, wth a long tank, dk about a breeder tank, be hard to simulate the stream fast enough.
they used powerheads though to mimic the current and small pebbles and larger round stones on the bottom. i know he got those river loaches and then some locame local plants i think, try searching for the thread?
they used powerheads though to mimic the current and small pebbles and larger round stones on the bottom. i know he got those river loaches and then some locame local plants i think, try searching for the thread?
This is my layout. Just need the PVC pipes.
Yellow circles are the sponge filters, the black dots in the centers of them are where the t-pieces of PVC pipe will be that lead to the uptake center of the sponges. The blue are elbows of PVC and the black boxes are submerged powerheads (black dots indicate wthere t-pieces of PVC pipes will be mounted).
This picture (from the link in the 1st post) shows the detail better. The original design 3 inputs and 2 outputs. I'm doing 3 of each.
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