# My diy filter



## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

I have a 600 gph pond pump driving my under gravel jet system. I really just wanted it for the circulation factor but put a sponge over the inlet to keep the fish from sucked in (it has some serious suction. Well as a byproduct that sponge became a super mechanical filter. The downside was that sponge became gummed up after a day or two and greatly reduced the flow rate. So I went to home depot and for less that ten bucks I made an easy maintenance large surface area filter.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Looks like a workable solution. No need to spring for the big bucks if you do a lttle thinking on some items. Now go buy some fish with the money you saved????


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## Pizzle (May 24, 2011)

I like it. Did you purchase the three white pieces as one package? Is that supposed to be used as a floor drain? How many jets are you powering?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Do you have pics of it in the tank?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I'm guessing the drain is two parts and the third is a reducer to drop the 11/2 or 2" size down to fit his tubing.


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## Steveboos (Dec 23, 2011)

13razorbackfan said:


> Do you have pics of it in the tank?


X2


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

it is 3 pieces, a floor drain with grating, the reducer bushing, and a short piece of 3/4 pcv(not pictured)

It is powering one jet with a 3/4 outlet

I dont have pics of it in the tank because I hid it behind my rock work/plants but will try to get one this weekend when I do my water change


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

You may have given me just the right nudge to solve my problem. I have been wanting a DIY filter to tuck behind rocks that would use a powerhead but be a filter to suck plant litter in to hold it until I could pull the filter out and scrape off the debris. Objective was to keep things like leaves from floating aimlessly around. My crew think they are tree trimmers and I get tired of netting their leftovers. 
My "design" used a cutoff soda bottle to hold the media. I weighted the soda bottle with concrete so it would set on top of the powerhead so I could pull it off with one hand. Like you, I found sponge stops up way too quick and made the powerhead noisy. I tried a filter floss type bonded pad but the fish pull it out or it sucks down too tight. The pot scrubbers look like a good option to try. I may also have to go to the floor drain to keep the little demons from pulling it out. I have a Kenyi who objects to anything in HIS corner.


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

They come in different sizes, the one pictured has an 8 inch diameter. The only problem is most the smaller ones have stainless grading. One other issue you may find is the flow on mine was greatly increased and now the pump is clearing a path through my sand. Maybe time to add another nozzle.


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## cgmark (Aug 18, 2010)

I use scotchbrite pads for power head filter intakes. Don't just cut one and put it over the intake, that has too little surface area and will clog quick. I roll up the pad to form a tube big enough for the powerhead intake to fit inside then I use nylon zip ties wrapped around that to clamp it to the intake. Put a hole in the bottom of the pad tube opening and close it up with another zip tie to seal the bottom. It forms a pouch or sock when done. Total cost is about 50 cents and they are just throwaway when used up. I can make one in about 2 minutes and it doesn't clog up easily because the powerhead pulls from the center across all the surface like a sponge filter .


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

A question the the Scotchbrite pads? I went to the store and came across these pads but they all were marked, "Not for aquarium use". Do you use a specific type, just not worry about the markings or am I in the wrong store? Seems all I found are treated with fungicide to keep bacteria from growing on them as they are for food use.


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

I went ahead and swapped the outlet from a 90 with a flat jet to a 45 with a rounded jet. I took a picture of both together but must have deleted it. Here is the new nozzle installed.
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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

and here is the filter without moving the rocks.









The filter is behind the rock pile on the right and the outlet is on the left.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

That is one really good thing about the holey rocks. All those holes gives you lots of way to hide things and let it draw or shoot out water without being obvious. It's looking good. Let us know how it works out for stopping up and/or cleaning. Maybe takes a few days to find out for sure.

Where did you wind up finding the scrubbies? I went for a quick look and found none without handles built in. A Dollar store , maybe?


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

I will pm you the location, it is a chain store that had 6 for a dollar. The forum doesn't appreciate name dropping.


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## cgmark (Aug 18, 2010)

PfunMo said:


> A question the the Scotchbrite pads? I went to the store and came across these pads but they all were marked, "Not for aquarium use". Do you use a specific type, just not worry about the markings or am I in the wrong store? Seems all I found are treated with fungicide to keep bacteria from growing on them as they are for food use.


They are not really scotchbrite brand but generic. The ones I get are from family dollar stores brand and I think there is 8 or 10 in a pack for under $2 and come in multiple colors. They don't say anything about aquariums or fungicide. I have been using them for about 2 years without any issues with fish. They sell the nylon zip ties in the same store for $1 for 25.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Thanks. I'll check there.


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## Mike_G (Nov 8, 2011)

I think the "not for aquarium use" warning on certain Scotchbrite pads refers to their scratching glass.


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

well I think it is working pretty well this is the result of one week of filtering.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

HOLY COW!!!! One week? How many fish again....? That is a lot of gunk. Was the flow slowing at all or did you just check to see how well it was working?


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

it is actually understocked, the powerhead is rated at 2000 per hour, so I use it for pure mech filtering and have an eheim and xp3 for bio. I also have an attachment that fits onto the pump outlet that I use for draining the tank. I stir up the sand and let the pump force the murky water out of the tank. I decided to check the filter while I was doing the water change, the flow had decreased by 50% so I knew something was up.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

lucid_eye said:


> it is actually understocked, the powerhead is rated at 2000 per hour, so I use it for pure mech filtering and have an eheim and xp3 for bio. I also have an attachment that fits onto the pump outlet that I use for draining the tank. I stir up the sand and let the pump force the murky water out of the tank. I decided to check the filter while I was doing the water change, the flow had decreased by 50% so I knew something was up.


So what are you gonna do? Clean it weekly or try another type of filter pad?


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## lucid_eye (Apr 12, 2009)

I will just rinse it every week when I do water changes. That is a small sacrifice for spotless sand and clean water.


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