Hi everyone im new to this site.

I was looking for some advice. I have a 5ft tank i was looking to divide into 4 sections for shrimp.

I dont want to run a canister filter if possible and i have sponge filters ready to go but does anybody think glass dividers are a bad option?

Hi Darren

Glass dividers in a glass tank would be the preferred option as it would look better. The problem with glass is it is harder to work with, cutting, drilling etc.

Are you going to have a flow through system with the water equalizing in each compartment or separate each one? There are pro's and con's to each of course.

There is no reason you need to run a canister filter as sponge filters are excellent and are really good for shrimp tanks because of shrimps low bio load. No chance of sucking up the shrimpetes either. Sponges dont suck up anywhere near as much mulm as a canister does so you will need to be on top of tank vacuuming during water changes.

What type of shrimp do you plan on keeping?  Do you have any Photo's of the project?

Thanks madmerv

Ive managed to get in contact with someone who can supply me with glass cut to size and silicone. Im think im gonna go without flow through cause i currently have some sakura reds in berry but was looking to get some different ones in this setup and if something goes wrong in a tank the problems are confined to that inividual tank.

If you're going to keep the sections self-contained, solid glass is the best option.  But you kinda have to be fairly sure of your plan since re-doing it somewhere down the line would be a big pain. 

There is a small disadvantage to self-contained sections - you basically end up with 4 smaller tanks that just happen to be stuck to each other and would have to treat the tanks as such: be more aware of potential water quality issues since you won't have as much leeway as with bigger systems.  Many many people keep their shrimp in fairly tiny stand-alone tanks with few issues, so it's not a huge deal if you're keeping an eye on it.

Im not to worried about the tank once i put the dividers in cause its a tank that im not using it anymore.

Ive been keeping a colony in a 40ltr tank and had no issues so far and these ones work out to be about 75ltr so hopefully no issues.

I just got the dividers and silicone so im gonna give it a go.

Nice work on the masking tape :) If you ever do want to drill holes for flowthrough, diamond core-drill bits work really well. The shafts fit in a normal drill well so you don't need a dremel. I got mine from bunnings for 20 to 50 bucks each depending on the diameter. It's pretty easy to match the hole size to the hose you're using. When you drill make sure it's wet. If it dries out to much the glass can overheat and crack. Move the drill bit away from the glass to get the water between the glass and the bit. Don't use much pressure. Be patient and you won't have any dramas.

I've done a hybrid of the 2 recently, so it's individual sections run off sponge filters but it's all 1 body of water, like water filters through the substrate under a gap in each divider and I only need 1 heater across the 4 sections. It was a little complicated but worth it in the end.

has pros and cons though like all designs. For example all the tds is the same, but there's a delay between each section.

you can cut out the crossmembers cause your dividers will give the tank a lot more support anyway.

Edited May 21, 20179 yr by Zebra