# My DIY Internal sand filter



## Marginatus (Aug 30, 2010)

As you probably know sand filters have a huge capacity to eat up ammmonia, nitrites and nitrates. I want to keep my Piranha tank as clean as possible and I don't have much money at the moment so I thought I'd build my own out of the bits I had lying around. This isn't a 'how to' as it's unlikely you'd have the bits to hand but it gives you an idea...

First I took the jet out of the centre of an old Fluval 4 so I could run some tubing through it...










Then I filled the centre bit (where the filter material goes) with sand...










This photo shows where the tubing goes so that the jet comes out at the bottom of the sand, I changed the tubing in case you're wondering...










I put a T piece in so that it wouldn't take the full force of my the powerhead which is a bit over the top for this...










This is it fitted and working a treat...



















The pictures don't tell the full story, it's very tricky to get the balance between blasting the sand right out of it and not moving the sand at all. I had to try lots of different set-ups before I found one that works.

Hopefully it will keep my parameters spot on.


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## Crocer (Oct 24, 2010)

This is one of the best DIY projects I have ever seen! what kind/size of piping did you use to hook up the power head? Do you think it would also work good as a gravel Filter?


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

Seems like you could use something other than sand if you wanted... It's basically a biological filter, right? Why not use ceramic rings or sponges and get some mechanical filtration out of it too?


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*nice*

hmmm i am thinking crushed aragonite in place of the sand to act as a buffer and calcium carbonate releaser in high calcerous needing enviroments like a tridacnid bed.thanks man.


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

Now that would be brilliant... You could even add some LR rubble...


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## Crocer (Oct 24, 2010)

Crocer said:


> what kind/size of piping did you use to hook up the power head?


Whoops, I missed reading that part:roll:


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