# hob canister filter



## dethnode (Apr 5, 2014)

I am sure that this topic has been discussed at length... But I would like to revisit it and ask for any help or advice.

My HOB aqua clear has lost syphon during power outages and does not always kick back on, I have come home to find my fish all at the top one too many times. I watched DIY kings video of a hob canister filter 



 and got some inspiration.

However, it seems that the threaded cap he uses is not widely available as most do not have a lip around them and therefore can not easily achieve a water tight seal without thread tape or pipe dope.

So my thought was, what about using a uniseal on the side, near the top, and a uniseal on the bottom, and for access use a mechanical test plug.

https://www.amazon.com/Sioux-Chief-Test ... merReviews.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I'm very DIY oriented but when I look at any DIY canister filters, I always come down to it being not practical for several reasons. One is that there are so many really good filters at really good prices, that I have not seen one that beats them for long term ease of use and lower price. Throw in the cost of fittings and charge off the labor at 50 cents an hour and it just doesn't make sense to me. But then the standard reply is that it is fun!!  
So if the point is to spend some money to have some fun, go for it! 
I do see lots of folks getting lots of hits on their site and that is the primary objective for many of them!


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## dethnode (Apr 5, 2014)

My reason isn't to save money, my tank is actually sitting on top of a very old buffet table, made from solid oak, so drilling holes to run lines is a no go, wife won't let me sit anything "unsightly" beside the tank so I am left with hob style filters.

But, I'm thinking that a pvc pipe could hold significantly more media and could hang on back of the tank, as well as add an inline heater on the return.

Does the design seem feasible and safe?


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## Cyphound (Oct 20, 2014)

About 5 or 6 years ago I started using a certain brand powerhead in powerhead mode with a sponge attached to the intake in all my tanks. The sponges are sold in 2 packs and are black as well. They do an incredible job of filtering, can be easily cleaned and provide great water movement as well. They never fail to start back up. This might be a viable and inexpensive option to your issue.


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## dethnode (Apr 5, 2014)

Cyphound said:


> About 5 or 6 years ago I started using a certain brand powerhead in powerhead mode with a sponge attached to the intake in all my tanks. The sponges are sold in 2 packs and are black as well. They do an incredible job of filtering, can be easily cleaned and provide great water movement as well. They never fail to start back up. This might be a viable and inexpensive option to your issue.


What do you use for biological filtration?


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## dethnode (Apr 5, 2014)

Is there something wrong with my design idea, some reason it wouldn't work? While I am open to suggestions for other solutions, I am curious as to if/why the idea is not a good idea?


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## Old Newbie (Feb 18, 2017)

dethnode said:


> Is there something wrong with my design idea, some reason it wouldn't work? While I am open to suggestions for other solutions, I am curious as to if/why the idea is not a good idea?


Nothing wrong with your idea; others are just giving alternatives.


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## dethnode (Apr 5, 2014)

Ok, with everyone offering alternatives, I am just curious. I don't want to come home to 55 gallons of water on my floor and a bunch of dead fish...


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

I think your idea would probably work just fine if you used a powerhead to supply it with water, I just don't like the idea of relying on DIY containers not to leak water all over my house.


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## Cyphound (Oct 20, 2014)

My suggestion was in addition to your hob filter. Also mechanical filtration is biogical too.


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