madcrafted Posted August 24, 2018 Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 I'm fixing to purchase an Alita 6A pump to start a small rack of about 8 tanks. They will be 9 gallon tanks with probably just a basic dual sponge filter in each. I wanted to see what you guys do for making these manifolds. I know I could buy one of those metal manifolds with adjustment valves on them but I'd rather have consistent air pressure across all tanks. I'm not the greatest plumber, so any tips and/or pictures would be much appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicpapa Posted August 24, 2018 Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 You can get a pipe , dril it and put like those airvalves... https://www.ebay.com/itm/10X-Useful-Adjustable-Air-Switch-Pump-Valve-Regulator-for-Fish-Tank-Aquarium-SN/331989881954?hash=item4d4c239462%3Am%3Amcm2mJvEacDHlCA0OCMfaYw&var=541034398812 madcrafted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted August 24, 2018 Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 DIY PVC loop. this should be your only option. any of those manifolds will need constant attention for pressure adjustments. A loop system ensures even pressure to all valves. check out teds YT video. super simple to make can even be small for just a few tanks. madcrafted and ILikeAsianBooty 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcrafted Posted August 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 Thanks for posting that video, Eric... seems pretty straight forward. I only have 4 tanks coming right now, but I want to go ahead and run a closed loop manifold to accommodate 12 tanks. I have only planned for 8 tanks total but you know how these things go. 😉 I can always shut the valves for unused outputs but don't want to have to get in there to add on to the manifold later down the road. So for a 4 foot wide rack with 12 tanks, would 1/2" PVC be sufficient for manifold material or should I go bigger diameter? Will the Alita 6A run 12 tanks okay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted August 24, 2018 Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 1/2" is plenty. I use that for my 6' rack with 12 tanks with approx 20+ outlets. always better to add a bunch more outlets. you never know. comes in handy for breeder boxes or etc. AL6 should be able to, but kinda depends on depth of the water and such. have you already purchased the AL6? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicpapa Posted August 24, 2018 Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 You can see my srhimp room here. how its the pipe and the setup. I use cheap airpump, hailea v60 , for 20 tanks... It run easily 30 airfilters... madcrafted, ILikeAsianBooty and EricM 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcrafted Posted August 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 45 minutes ago, bostoneric said: 1/2" is plenty. I use that for my 6' rack with 12 tanks with approx 20+ outlets. always better to add a bunch more outlets. you never know. comes in handy for breeder boxes or etc. AL6 should be able to, but kinda depends on depth of the water and such. have you already purchased the AL6? Yeah, Just bought the Alita 6 earlier. Tank depth is roughly 12", so lets say 9-10" water depth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcrafted Posted August 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2018 45 minutes ago, nicpapa said: You can see my srhimp room here. how its the pipe and the setup. I use cheap airpump, hailea v60 , for 20 tanks... It run easily 30 airfilters... Nice! Why the separated areas towards the front of some of your tanks? Previous HMF? Feeding area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicpapa Posted August 25, 2018 Report Share Posted August 25, 2018 feeding areas madcrafted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNCarpenter Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 I cant agree enough with the earlier post about adding extra valves. Im now having to either unhook my air system or add valves in place both bad options.Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk EricM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyzazz Posted August 29, 2018 Report Share Posted August 29, 2018 As mentioned above, make sure you run it in a loop and 1/2" pvc should be plenty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcrafted Posted August 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2018 I finally got my manifold built. I decided to run only two shelves because I didn't want to deal with tanks near the floor plus I doubt the alita 6 would have enough power for all those outlets. I did include 2 extra valves on each shelf for breeder boxes and whatnot. With only running 2 rows of tanks, I'll have plenty of space above them for maintenance and whatnot. I wanted to add pvc glue for the pvc connectors on manifold but decided I'd probably screw up the shape of it, being as the glue sets almost immediately. I guess I could have made an alignment mark on the connectors after assembling it but according to the video Eric posted, glue is not needed if they fit snugly. I did do a quick test on it with valves closed for a minute. No obvious leaks, so I guess it's good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyzazz Posted September 1, 2018 Report Share Posted September 1, 2018 Looking good! madcrafted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.