sump system for a tropical set up

hi i am jim new to the forum
please can anyone send me a diagram of a simple sump system set up that i want to set up for three tropical tanks, i,m new to the tropical side of things having only pond fish (fresh water) before now
my email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
thanks and hope to speak to you all at some stage
jim

Welcome to the club. I'm a little confused by our common language. Are you referring to a filter setup, a way to connect all three aquariums, or a way to drain water? For filtering, I prefer the old time under gravel rig, but I'm in a small minority on that preference. For cleaning the gravel substrate and doing partial water changes, I really like the Python system. A good place to learn what's available is one of the on line aquarium supply places like Drsfostersmith.com. They even have some brief write-ups on how to chose different kinds of aquarium equipment.

i need to set up three tanks so that the sump filters the water with a overflow pipe system in each of the 3 tanks the last being into the sump then i think a return to the top via a pump but not quite sure?

I wish I could help with the sophisticated filters, but I'm stuck on the old time under gravel gadgets. If you're thinking about connecting all three tanks to a common filtering system, here are a few things to consider. A single system may be convenient, but the water in all three aquariums will have the same chemistry and temperature. Different aquarium fish do well in different conditions, so it's tough to provide them all with a proper environment unless they're all the same species. Lots of the fish stores use a common filtering system, but lots of their fish turn up sick after you get them home. Also, if there is a disease or parasite in any one aquarium, all of them will have it.

I think most hobbyists are better off using one system per aquarium. This is also just an opinion, but highly sophisticated filters are not necessary if you do regular (weekly) partial water changes and avoid over crowding or over feeding.

I hope this is at least some help to you. Please feel free to ask more questions and tell us more about your aquarium setups.