# DIY can filter



## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

I've been tinkering with the idea of a DIY can filter for a little while now. I am still in the planning stage where I plan out my materials. I want something with large capacity and great flow rate. I found a product which I think will do just that, Tell me what you think and anything wrong with my idea so I donâ€™t end up wasting my money and time :lol:

For the canister itself I was thinking

http://www.aquariumgarden.com/store/car ... ry_id=1781

It says Water/Air tight and I believe that the lid would come off for easy maintenance.

Or this

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/prod ... =107110010

Now... I am VERY skeptical if this will work. I think for the price and how big it is its too good to be true.. Does anyone know of any other good material that would work as the canister?

Also for the pump I was thinking a Quiet One 2200 which has 581 gph flow. I think I could get one around 30 dollars shipped. AGAIN, any comments on this?

I havenâ€™t figured out what I want for media yet but I will cross that road when I get to it.

Any insight is appreciated!


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## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

From what I have seen in the past people who try the diy canister filter thing give it up. It just costs more to do it yourself. If you did manage to do it cheaper, it would be harder to clean. Good luck. :thumb:


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## Bweb (Mar 31, 2009)

Not sure if those containers could hold water pressure they might be able to keep moisture in or out but when you ad a pump the the mix that changes everything.

FX5 :thumb:


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## bonehead (Jul 14, 2009)

why not use an old pressure cooker find at yard sale cheap it will surelly hold the pressure tight fit lid drill holes in top for lines pump use a marine bildge pump 550 or 600 use brass fittings for lines tap the holes for screw in fittings.[/list]


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

That is just a bucket. A very expensive bucket.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

Okay, letâ€™s throw a few more ideas out there..... I really want this to work, mainly because I am bored and I can't find anyone doing something similar to this.

For a bucket I came across something like this

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... 3%26um%3D1

Now I was thinking of adding some clamps to the top for added support, even though it screws on and off (probably wont need to add the clamps).

Also I was thinking of using a Via aqua water pump that Dr. FS sells for around 30 dollars shipped (600 gph!) I think if I could get the bucket for 7 dollars, 30 dollar pump, and perhaps 30 dollars for other materials, the cost would be worth it.

Also I was looking at containers such as.. http://www.sunnysports.com/prod/UKT609B ... u=UKT609BK

Now it only holds 1.26 gallons of water so I would probably get another container, perhaps smaller like a 409 which is 20 dollars. In the 409 I would put mechanical filtration and the larger 609 I would fill with bioballs or something, but it would be on a path with less water flow, as in branched off of the 409 with 1/2'' tubing, and connect back to the main line, so there would be bi-pass of bio filtration. Would this be ok, or would the bio be fine with a about 500gph (accounting for losses from the 600 gph pump)

So, am I just wasting my time with these ideas?


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## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

cichlidfeesh said:


> am I just wasting my time with these ideas?


Yes


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

That bucket is no stronger. It is a normal bucket with a snap on cover that has a screw off insert. Doubt it'll hold much pressure.

Why not do a wet/dry? Much more logical. Lots of things "aren't done". Most with good reason.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

Right, hmm didnâ€™t see that part for some reason. I am not sure why I choose to think about this project, my tank has more then enough filtration, over 10X turnover already. I guess I just feel there should be a DIY large can filter that moves a good amount of water out there.... oh well, I guess I will continue to keep my eyes open and see if there is something that will fit my needs.


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## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

Make yourself a diy wavemaker, it will keep you busy for a while. Wave tanks are awesome. :thumb:


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I agree a DIY canister is a wonderful ideaâ€¦ but a very difficult realityâ€¦ Iâ€™ve tried a few approaches and will happily share some of my results/lessons before I gave upâ€¦

The first trick I learned that opened a lot of other doors, put the pump inline AFTER the canisterâ€¦ With the pump before the Canister it is pushing water into the Can putting extensive outward pressure on the Canisterâ€¦ putting the pump AFTER the canister creates a sucking pressure within the canister making a leak far less likely.

Now with that in place, when the DIY canister was connected to a tank and the pump was turned off, the canister still had to handle the pressure caused by the weight of water in the hoses while I turned off valves and disconnected the canister for maintenance. Snap on lids did not hold under this pressureâ€¦

With added seals I was able to get a screw on lid to seal under this pressure for a short time, but when the pump was on it sucked so much air into the canister it was far to loud for me to deal with. Using a smaller pump would have allowed far less, maybe no air to be sucked in but a high powered filter was my goal. I donâ€™t remember exact sizes but I was dealing with larger pumps than you are suggesting.

In the end I bought a BioForce 2000 Pressurized Pond Filter and an 1800 gph pump. Man, was I impressedâ€¦ Almost twice the media capacity at literally double the flow rate as an FX5 for the same price (years before the FX 5 hit the market too!)â€¦

If you want to live inside the box that the manufacturers have built for you, the FX5 is a great filterâ€¦ but with a little research, a little forethought and a little assemblyâ€¦ there are better options out there 

Sumps are great tooâ€¦ IF your tank is drilled for large enough overflowsâ€¦ and IF you can get the plumbing silentâ€¦


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

This is one of the best, most thorugh home builds I`ve seen
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/.../62265-diy-pvc-pipe-canister-filter-step.html
One of the better ideas kicked around here was .. 
1in. line to pump, into a whole house water filter, into a 4in pvc pipe(appx. 5ft tall) acting as a bio media tower, that went back into the tank.
BTW: the bucket thing will be a dead end..make that a wet, dead end


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Large size marine mixes (saltwater) often come in buckets with screw on/off lids very similar to these but with strike plates so that you use a hammer to seal and unseal them. I'd think it would help to put it at the level of the tank to keep water pressure at a minimum. The problem I see is that there are limited flat areas to install bulkhead fittings. Even those have limits as to what pressure they can handle. A guy here with a 48" tall tank put bulkhead fittings in the bottom and always had a problem with slow leaks.

Maybe a sump pump vault would be a better choice. It has designed-in flat areas for attaching pipes, and you could use a large O ring and lid to seal the top. Several times bigger than a bucket though.....


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

I was originally going to stay away from PVC becasue i have done so many projects with it already, but it seems that will be my best option if i want to keep my floors dry.


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## mtopheles (Jul 22, 2009)

pvc works great for me 
i made my filter about 8 years ago
4" sch 40 about 18" long x 3
3 chamber
1 floss
2 carbon
3 bio balls - not sure why, just have them
i used bondo to keep it all together
all conected with 3/4" sch 40 pvc
dirty water comes in from top
goes out from bottom
the hardest part was to keep the **** things watertight
that is where the 3/4 is mated to the 4"
i might get back to you later it is 3am
goto go


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

> used bondo to keep it all together


 :-? 


> the hardest part was to keep the darn things watertight


Just curious as to the bondo use, instead of pvc cement.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Mcdaphnia said:


> Large size marine mixes (saltwater) often come in buckets with screw on/off lids very similar to these but with strike plates so that you use a hammer to seal and unseal them.


I tried these buckets with gaskets and couldn't get them to seal...



mtopheles said:


> i used bondo to keep it all together


How did you access the media to clean it?


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