Cross-flow tank system for aquatic life

A tank system for accommodating aquatic life comprising:

• a holding tank for holding fluid to sustain aquatic life disposed therein;
• a filtering means for receiving extraneous fluid from said holding tank at one end of a filtering area and allowing the fluid to pass through a filtering medium disposed within the filtering area to another end of the filtering area;
• tank discharge means to provide for the discharge and passage of the extraneous fluid from said holding tank to the top of said filtering means;
• recirculating means for recirculating the extraneous fluid passed through said filtering means, from proximate the bottom of said filtering means to said holding tank;
• one side of said filtering means being adjacent to said holding tank and said tank discharge means allowing for the natural flow of fluid from the top of said holding tank adjacent to said one side, to the top of said filtering area;
• and
• a buffer tank being adapted to communicate with said filtering means to provide for a common supply of fluid therebetween;
• wherein said buffer tank is connected to said recirculating means separately of said filtering means to supply fluid for inletting into said holding tank separately of said filtering means, thereby providing a separate and parallel flow of fluid to the flow of fluid through said filtering means, said buffer tank having sufficient headroom to receive and accommodate a sudden oversupply of fluid from said holding tank into said filtering means whilst still maintaining a fluid level within said filtering area, said buffer tank being of a height less than the height of the filtering area to prevent a backflow of fluid beyond a prescribed threshold level.

A method for accommodating aquatic life comprising:

• discharging fluid from the top and along the substantial longitudinal extent of one side of a holding tank filled with fluid in which aquatic life may be disposed;
• filtering out impurities from the discharged fluid whilst gravitating through a filtering area;
• recirculating filtered fluid to the bottom of the holding tank;
• and
• inletting the recirculated filtered fluid into the tank under pressure at a position spaced from and generally parallel to where the fluid is discharged from the holding tank, so that a uniform, circulatory cross-flow of fluid is created along the longitudinal exent of the holding tank about a generally horizontal axis in substantially parallel relationship to said one side.

A method for accommodating aquatic life comprising:

• discharging fluid from the top of a holding tank filled with fluid in which aquatic life may be disposed;
• filtering out impurities from the discharged fluid whilst gravitating through a filtering area;
• recirculating filtered fluid to the bottom of the holding tank;
• recirculating a separate and parallel flow of fluid after filtering from the filtering area to the holding tank via a buffer tank;
• automatically channelling excessive fluid out during the filtering and recirculating steps into said buffer tank when a sudden oversupply of fluid is discharged from said holding tank for filtering, thereby maintaining a fluid level within the filtering area at a prescribed threshold level;
• and
• automatically feeding the excessive fluid back during the filtering and recirculating steps, as the excessive discharge volumes are diminished.