Yes I had two tanks side by side that were plumbed together. Personally, this is the only way that I could make two tanks work. Only one skimmer cup to clean, one gfo/carbon reactor(s) media to change, one set of heaters, chiller, etc. it simplifies things that way. Those are the pros. However, there are cons. Because both tanks share water anything that goes wrong in one goes wrong in the other (disease, tank parameters, etc.). You may need larger equipment in order to support both tanks. I had to get a skimmer rated for 300-400g. This was more expensive than if I had gotten a second skimmer rated for a smaller second tank.
Ultimately having the second tank for me failed simply because my lifestyle just can not support having two medium-large tanks, even if they were plumbed together. You still have to scrape/clean the glass on both tanks separately. You still have to feed both tanks separately. Light both tanks, etc. it also didn't help that the "FOWLR" was 28" tall. That may not seem very tall for you big white guys but for us tiny Asians that's a huge pain. I can never have a tank taller than 20".
I did briefly have a second tank in my basement that was about 120g that was completely stand alone and I learned very quickly that that scenary absolutely does not work for me! Two sets of tanks to maintain individually is a royal pain, unless you have a lot of time on your hands. Plumbing together makes having two tanks much more manageable.
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