Fluid Tank

Place tanks side by side or on top of each other: they merge into a single tank, with one content and a capacity that adds up, 8 buckets per block. The fluid spreads through the whole thing on its own and the level rises like in a big aquarium.

A tank's base is always square: 1 × 1, 2 × 2 or 3 × 3 blocks. Four blocks in a square make a 2 × 2 tank, nine blocks a 3 × 3. Beyond three wide, build a second tank next to it.

Upwards, the tank grows to 32 blocks. The largest one is therefore 3 × 3 × 32 = 288 blocks and holds 2,304 buckets, enough for a whole factory's output. The fluidTankCapacity and fluidTankMaxHeight server settings change these numbers.

Right-clicking with a Wrench adds or removes the tank's windows. With windows you can see the fluid level; without, the tank is opaque and blends into a base. The wrench has no effect on capacity.

A tank fills through any face, with a Fluid Pipe and a Mechanical Pump. It accepts one fluid at a time: water, lava, honey, chocolate, milk, tea… While it is not empty, no other fluid can get in.

Pumps can push or pull fluid through every face, top and bottom included. The same tank then works as a buffer: one pump fills it on one side while another empties it on the other.

A comparator against the tank gives a signal proportional to its fill level. Wired to a nixie tube it shows the level; wired to a pump or a valve, it stops production when the tank is full. The Threshold Switch does the same with adjustable thresholds.

In Survival, you cannot fill a tank with a bucket by hand, nor empty it. To get fluid from an item into a tank you need an Item Drain or a Basin; for the reverse, a Spout that fills buckets and bottles.

In Creative mode, the Creative Fluid Tank supplies an endless fluid. Right-click it with a bucket to set that fluid, then pumps can draw as much as they like. Any fluid sent back into it vanishes: it is also a liquid bin, handy to test a factory.