DIY Mini Canister Filter

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#21
Feb 10, 2003
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Kentucky
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#21
Now for the bad news: You can sorta see in the last two photo's that when I drilled the hole in the lid I slaughtered it. It's probably the worst hole I had ever drilled. For what ever reason the bit took out chunks of plastic in some parts of it, creating a very un-cirlce like hole. The o-ring on the inside covers the nicks in it, but the outside ring does not. The inside just isn't enough to create a good seal so I'm going to have to rework it somewhat to make a better seal. Also I don't like how far down into the container the pump now sits, so I may end up just scraping this lid and try out the other one and see if I can't do any better.

I noticed something as I was posting these pictures that I'm going to have to check on. The first pic of the new finished intake there is what appears to be a crack in the container. I didn't notice this before now. I'm hopeing that it's just a scratch on the plastic and not a crack. I didn't find it leaking from anywhere along the bottom when I tested it.

I belive that I'm also going to get some more threaded/barbed fittings and remake the intake and return hardware that sits in the tank.
 

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#22
Feb 10, 2003
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#22
Leave it to me to make things more complicated than they need to be. This is my new idea:



Yeah, probably to complicated for such a small filter. One problem I'm having with the 90degree barbed fittings is that it kills what little flow I had comeing out of the filter. So what I'm thinking I can do to correct this is to use 90 degree PVC elbows to make the turns, and use straight barb fittings to conect the harb plumbing to the tube's. The idea behind this is that since the inside of the PVC is going to be so much larger that it will not cut the flow rate as bad. I'll see how well this idea holds up.

I've not ordered the inline pump yet, but should do so soon. I'm sure that it will do a better job than the submersible that I'm currently useing. Then agian, I don't want a large amount of flow either.
 

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
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#23
Feb 10, 2003
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#23
Since Pure drug up this thread from another one, I figured I'd go ahead and update since he saved me the trouble of going and looking for it ;)

I never have got around to trying my idea above, and don't think that I will. I'm sure that it would work great, but I just don't want to take the time to do something like that right now.

I've not done a whole lot in the past little bit. I added the 90degree elbows to the container, and while that really helps with getting the tubeing in the right place, it killed the flow rate from the small pump. Another problem with the small pump on the inside of the container I was having is that it wanted to pump water out of the container faster than it could suck water in. I'm sure that it wasn't leaking anywhere and letting air in, because I can watch a vacum form because it sucks the sides of the container in. Eh, go figure.

Last weekend I tried an external pump to see how that worked. All I did was hook up the motor from a duetto filter to the intake hose, and put the motor in water. This worked great. Flow rate was really improved because of the more powerfull pump. I would say it was going somewhere (just to guess) close to around 60-70 gph. So by the time I added any media it might be around 40-60, which is right where I would want it.

Now my issue is how to situate the pump in the tank without sucking up small shrimp. A while back I took another duetto filter and made it a power sponge filter. All I did was take the small pipes that held the sponges, and drilled two holes in the filter box of the duetto. Here are the pipes that I used (stolen from the first post):
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c219/rlswafford/DIY projects/DSC00012Medium.jpg
Then just took a piece of plexi, heated it up to bend around where the intake used to be on the filter box and siliconed it water tight to force it to draw water from the sponge pipes. Works great.

But, this looks bulky in the 10 gallon tank that I'm useing it in, so I know it would look very bulky in a 5 gallon. So this is my impass. Tring to figure out how to get a pump, that is shrimp safe, on the inside of the tank without taking up too much room.

Since it's supposed to be rainy and dreary all weekend, I may have to take the time to play with this somemore and see what I can't come up with.
 

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#27
Feb 10, 2003
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#27
The size of the conatainer depends on how much media your going to want to use. Also the avalibility of such a container that is air and water tight can become a quest in itself. 5 gallon buckets with lids are often used for tring to make this filter, but I've only seen one or two actualy work for a long period of time.

If your looking to save money on a filter, go to ebay. Most DIY projects aren't really money savers in the end. Most of the projects I do are for the sake of DIY because I enjoy it.
 

Pure

Pure

Elite Fish
#28
Nov 1, 2005
3,216
7
0
Jacksonville, FL
#28
Orion, I know it would mean revamping it, but I bet you the efficiency would be greatly increased if the flow through the filter was reversed and the pump motor was at the bottom of the canister.
 

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#29
Feb 10, 2003
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#29
That, and I wouldn't have to worry about priming the pump any. I tried this with the small pump, but I was still getting the vacum effect. I'm sure the duetto motor would give even more of a vacum, plus the less holes that have to be made the less chance I'm going to have any leaks.

I've got the filter 'done' and am testing it now. I modifed the intake of the duetto filter without the media container to take the sponge filter pipe. So far I'm likeing what I'm seeing. To get the pipe to fit I had to do away with the flow adjustment and was a little worried that it might be too much but from what I'm seeing that isn't going to be a bit of a problem. Got lots to work on on my tanks today, so I'll try to get some pictures up in the next little bit.
 

Orion

Orion

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#31
Feb 10, 2003
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#31
This is the main filtering unit:




This is the pump section that is going to be inside the tank:




This is the return pipe. I used the intake tube off of a HOB filter to keep from having to use another sharp bend in the pipe, and to help keep it on the back of the tank without falling off




As ever paranoid as I am, I drilled holes in the intake tube/return tube so that there wouldn't be any way for a syphon to start in the tube and start draining water out of the tank because the bottom of the tube is going to be underwater. May not have happened, but now it can't.



This is a close up of the bottom of the duetto motor. The sponge stick fit right into the bottom of it with just a little bit of effort (and a file). I still dabbed a little bit of hot glue just as a temp meassure to make sure that it was going to intake water where it should. The zip ties are just to make sure that the impeller is going to stay where it should as well.

 

H

HaWk16

Medium Fish
#33
Nov 27, 2005
86
0
0
Edmonton, Alberta
#33
so then when the pump takes in the water it fills the unit and the water keeps rising till it hits the return pipe and flows out back into the tank rite? that is basicly how it works?

EDIT: Also would a powerhead provide the same pressure and GPH and work just as well? cause its ezer to find a high power low costing powerhead then it is to find a high power low costing pump on the big als canadian site.
 

Last edited:
Igor The Cat

Igor The Cat

Superstar Fish
#37
Jul 14, 2003
1,678
6
0
31
Seattle, Washington
#37
build a very large one with a WAY overkill pump and use identical lengthed tubes from each aquarium joining into one where it goes into the filter, and the same for the output, mind you i havent done it and this is all from jsut theory

cheers

-Java
 

B

brnttoast

Small Fish
#38
Sep 16, 2006
30
0
0
winnipeg manitoba
#38
walmart sells a cheap powerhead that has a intake port and the outlet for the difuser is round enough you can clamp a hose on it, says its not supposed to be completely submersed,but... the suction cup on it bites and mine has been underwater for 3 months now, and it has very good flow, i've had to put a plastic plant infront to slow the current from it, btw i'm a tradesman, anythin diy,pumps,electrical etc fell free to ask, i know alot more about that then the fish i keep
 

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