2 tanks- need help for a system

[cougaran]

I have 1 90 gallon in my livingroom and 1 65 Hex in my den room. The 90 will be housing some fish and a few soft corals. The 65 is going to be home to a future seahorse tank. My goal is to put in the basement a seperate fuge and sump. In the basement I would also keep heaters, protein skimmer, ro/di, and remote deep sand bed.

My question is can 2 systems like this be joined or is it going to be too much trouble and im better off with two seperate systems for each tank? I tend to think the more volume of water the more stable the whole system is going to be. The problem i'm having to worrying about a major flood upstairs. I was thinking of purchasing 2 seperate HOB overflows for each tank. I was also thinking of buying one large pump to run the return for both tanks. I want most of the flow to go into the 90 and less with the seahorse tank, so i was thinking of reducing the piping and maybe even using a valve to control waterflow to the seahorse tank. I was also thinking i'm going to need valves upstairs just in case of an overflow emergency. I was also thinking of a t valve located near the pump with excess going back into pump in case i need to lower flow for upstairs. I'm not sure what size pump I would need, as the line is going to split off in the basement at 8 feet or so.
Anyone with experience with this? Your comments and opinions are most welcome..

 

[cougaran]

bump

 

[jchaney33]

I have two tanks also and thought about connecting the two together in the basement but if one gets fouled, mechcanical failture or some type of parisite so does the other. So I would recomend two independent systems, but up to you.

 

[putman201]

i've thought about doing something like that as well... but after looking at the costs and the risk involved, i think its just better to have 2 seperate systems. The only way i could see that sort of a setup working is to have one tank drain into another, then have that tank drain into the sump in the basement but since each tank is in a different room, i don't think that would work all to well especially since one is going to be a seahorse tank.

 

[cougaran]

I'm not experienced with seahorses(yet) I know they prefer the nitrates low, but I was thinking that the 90 gal should have low nitrates too. I'm worried that the seahorses tank may be more of source of nitrates than the 90 due to the mysis shrimp feeding.

How do the fish tank stores do it? I'm fairly certain most of the sytems are tied together in some way.

I'm worried, as I'm sure others, about a major flood upstairs.. Would a double reverse float system in the sump(lowest point of water system) that shuts off the pump in a low water situation. It would have to be fairly high up in the sump. The other thought is it possible to do 2 floats in each tank that will shut off power to the pump downstairs in a flood situation.