Plumb Tanks Together?

DavidRZ · Jun 16, 2022

I'm a longtime aquarist that just recently switched from freshwater to marine tanks. I shut down most of my freshwater systems and setup a 26 gallon AIO to dip my toes in a bit. I have since moved all of my fish and coral to a larger 6' Waterbox frag tank that I purchased with the intention of shutting down my smaller 26.

Now, my son has asked if we could setup the smaller tank for him. My question is, should I keep it a separate system or cut out the AIO portion, drill it and plumb it together with the larger tank? I know there are positives and negatives to going either way, just curious what the community thinks.

Eagle_Steve · Jun 16, 2022

DavidRZ said:
I'm a longtime aquarist that just recently switched from freshwater to marine tanks. I shut down most of my freshwater systems and setup a 26 gallon AIO to dip my toes in a bit. I have since moved all of my fish and coral to a larger 6' Waterbox frag tank that I purchased with the intention of shutting down my smaller 26.

Now, my son has asked if we could setup the smaller tank for him. My question is, should I keep it a separate system or cut out the AIO portion, drill it and plumb it together with the larger tank? I know there are positives and negatives to going either way, just curious what the community thinks.

Personally, I would leave it as an AIO. If making it "one system", you are going to have to invest into an overflow, extra return pump and verify that your existing sump can handle any back flow in the event of a power outage. You lso need to check to see if the AIO is tempered glass or not. With the insert still installed, this may be a bit tricky to do, but you can always call the manufacturer and ask, as well.

End of day, I would leave it for the above reasons and to know I had a "good tank", if something ever crashed in the other tank.