# Diy: Effective canister filter



## brokenrules69

all over the internet i have seen these little diy canister filters that hardly do anything 

this is my take on a diy canister filter that will be put into effect as soon as i get the money for supplies 

the most expensive thing is the power head and i have one already 


baisc run down
CANISTER- 5 GAL BUCKET (as of now it think this will work just working on ideas to seal lid and also allow for cleaning/servicing)

-BOTTOM TO TOP- 

egg crate at the bottom - intake 
to not decrease flow

sponge filter for bulk and bio

then bio self explainitory 

ammonia chips for over stock of my cichlids 

then polishing pads to make sure its perfectly clean probably not nessisary 

I DIDNT PUT THIS IN THE SKETCH BUT PROBABLY ANOTHER EGGCRATE AT THE TOP AGAIN FOR WATER FLOW



ideas critisim and help wanted

if u have experience with something like this

THANKS


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## DKRST

Biggest problem you may have is getting a good seal on the bucket and the supply lines. You don't actually need a perfect seal for this to work. However, _when _your power to the pump fails (not if...), failure to have a really good seal will result in a wet floor and a drained tank, potentially. 

That's one issue with many of the home-designed wet/dry systems. People rely on suction instead of overflow and the siphon drains the tank, overflowing the wet-dry when power fails. I know you are not building a wet/dry, but you have the same basic issue regarding water. Canisters can be built, but again, the seals can be problematic. I'm all for DIY and saving $$, but with my tanks on the 2nd floor of my house, I keep any experiments/DIY builds in the garage until I know they are failure-resistant!

Good design, I hope it works well for you. If you use any silicone sealant - please be aware that it does NOT bond with every type of plastic (it won't bond to plexiglass well, for instance). You are much better off with gasket/pressure-sealed plumbing fixture for passing hose connections through the bucket lid than overusing silicone. That can be another failure point on occasion.


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## zof

I was planning the same type of project, what stopped me from DKRST pointed out was getting the air tight seal with the lid and the plumbing, so I gave up on the idea. Let us know how it works out for you and what issues you had to overcome, would be interested in your results!

BTW it might be easier to plumb both the intake and outtake through the lid, instead of the side of the bucket, just run a tube through the filter material for the intake to the bottom.


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## brokenrules69

i was using this guys basic idea using bulk heads on the top

ill make a better vid on how to construct when i get all the materials together 

and about flooding on the intake i was going to use the U part of a hob filter and drill some holes about one inch from the top to allow for equal filtration threw the whole tank and if it fails the holes should allow enough air to stop the siphen


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## zof

With an air tight seal you shouldn't need to worry about a siphon break, thats where the issue comes in finding someway to clamp that lid down tight, its possible but would have to find some fasteners that would work. While silicone wouldn't adhere well to the plastic container it would make a great gasket if you put an even bead all along the lid where it touches the bucket and the use of some fasteners.

I don't like siphon breaks for one reason, if you have alot of evaporation then you could reach that hole with in a week or two then you pump would run dry.

Oh and the reason his is so loud is because he has the pump glued into the bucket, attaching it to the top with rubber feet will lead to less noise/vibration.


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## brokenrules69

yea i was gonna look around for a bucket with a locking lid or maybe even another large container to hold it idk

there is this tall food storage container that i keep my dog food in 
its $1 at my local dollar tree 
it has a lid that screws on to keep food fresh 
but it only holds 4 liters idk if its big enough to work efficiently this is a pic of it

maybe even connecting 2 running off one pump??


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## zof

The strange shape will make it hard to get your filter material in there, plus as you pointed out its not huge. Two in a row would work but you would lose flow with your pump.


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## brokenrules69

but thats y i shape is very small but it seems just big enough for the pump and media to fit in 

and as for the flow i was planing on using the aquaclear 901 with 935gph but i only needed around 600gph for my 55 gallon tank

because i was also gonna have hob filter as well because its for african cichlid tank that must be over stocked


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## zof

Again best of luck will be interesting to hear your results with what ever container you end up with, also just as a side note, have you considered a sump instead? 10 gallon sump on a 55 gallon would work really well, and should be pretty inexpensive.


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## brokenrules69

yea sump was my first idea this just seemed so much simpler and easyer to construct no cutting glass and cauking 

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/cichlids/need-help-stocking-55gal-malawi-tank-85118/
goto second page

i was gonna go with a 30g long 36in i have plenty of extra tanks thanks to my addiction to craigslist
but it seems more complecated and more expensive to mee 
probably because i had no clue what i was doing with it 


last night i made a test run of what this would be like and it seemed to work alright but i used a maxwell house metal coffee can ran input and output threw the top but top couldnt stand the pressure popped off every time i plugged in the pump but i also used the model lower of the aquaclear powerheads i used the 70 that puts out 400 gph 

i just basicly just stuffed it full of random stuff i had laying around 

maybe ill rebuild it tonight and make a video


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## brokenrules69

this is pretty big and looks like the lid should do the job and it comes with a grated "tray" or media divider lol


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## zof

Just a heads up foster and smith is have a 5 hour sale today, lots of canister filters on sale starting at $45


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## brokenrules69

ok so basicly i retrofitted the canister to be a 18 gal storage tote it was like $6 this 108 is for 12
Walmart.com: Rubbermaid 18-Gallon Roughneck Storage Box, Blue, Set of 12: Storage & Organization

i siliconed the top to be extra sealed and will use tiny wood screws to hold it down easily removed for cleaning 

this is my new design that i have already started all i had to do was buy the storage bin 

everything else i am removing out of the tank thats in it right now 
the pool filter was in the tank already and the "eggcrate" i think its called was used for a diy undergravel filter which every one knows sucks monkey nuts
so i used the pool filter for heat and threw the other one into the closet lol 
the eggcrate is used to seperate the media and on the top i havent decided what im going to use to stop the water from going down only in that one spot 

my options are glass, plastic, seran wrap lol or acrylic
i will probably use thin plasic or somthing lighter 

all connections will be done with bulkheads

and the tank was already drilled on the bottom 3 times where shown

pic is not to scale as the bio ball "dump" is only maybe 1/2 an in from the cotton


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## zof

Cool glad your making progress, just a few points, be careful of those storage bins, they are not meant to hold water so the sides will bow out and pull the walls you create with it, also will make it harder to put top back on. Also you didn't say what you would be using to drain the water from your tank, but make sure its just over flows so you only have 1 pump doing the work so the flow stays constant. Also a good air tight seal on that lid will be very important, otherwise it turns into a sump with all the possible flooding that those come with.


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## brokenrules69

the eggcrates separating the media will be siliconed to the sides hopefully making the sides not bow
if that doesnt work ill gorilla tape the shit out of the sides giving it more integrity 

and i will be using an overflow system i have seen at my local hospital shown in the sketch
using 2 2in clear acrylic pipes for out put and 1 1/2in pvc for input 
and the black things u see are homemade rock cave that i will be using for my malawi mbunas 

but again its a quick sketch and the acrylic pipes go all the way to the top and the slots are cut something like 1in to 1.5 in long because it is a seamless acrylic tank


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## zof

Silicone doesn't like holding to many plastics so might need to rethink that.


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## Papaleonis

Hey all. I have been thinking about building a canister filter.

I Have a possible solution for your bucket seal problem.( gamma seal Lids) easy thread on and off w/seal 3,5,6 gallon buckets. Havent tried it but seems like it may hold up to pressures. Also benefit of having room to use cheapest submersible pumps.

My other concept is a little trickier. I scored these 4" PVC tubes at a reuse store. They have sealed end and threaded cap end. They are 4' long. Pump would have to be external inline preferably threaded on top or bottom. Cheaper mag drive pond pumps may be ideal. The 4' height is great for my setup since its built into the wall. This would put the water levels equal avoiding potential spillage. Media containers are still up in the air. I'm thinking random plastic containers or hydro net pots.

Lt me know what you think. In any event I thought I may have something to add to this thead. Check out those buckets.

I got scammed on a cracked fluval 404 so I'm weighing other options. If anyone has any busted 404's I may be interested in parts.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mike gergley

The buckets that the chlorine pucks come in for my poo........l lock on and seem to be water and vapor tight......they are only about 3 or 4 gallons if that makes a difference..........hope this helps you


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