DIY In Hood Canister Filter

[Fish Eat Fish]

Hello everyone,

I have been gone for a long time and haven't had a tank setup in a few years I caught the bug again and bought a used 55 gallon tank setup for $120. It came with an FX5 canister that I am selling tomorrow for $150 so I basically made $30 and have a tank, stand, HOB, and two powerheads! The bug has bit me hard so I am already selling the 55 gallon setup for a 75 gallon. I cant go any bigger because I need to be somewhat mobile in grad school.

I was kicking around filtration ideas and I love DIY so I drew up a few things.

I think this could be a great design that I could hide entirely in the hood of the aquarium so that the only thing visible would be the pump power cord. I wanted to share it to get thoughts from my old friends.

I came to this design trying to be simple to build and clean. Both end caps of the main body (PVC) are threaded to accessing filters and bio media (the yellow red and green ellipses are scrubbies). Valves on all inputs and outputs will allow me to remove the whole unit without having to drain it in the hood or worry about much mess.

Any air or gases that enter the system or are generated by bacteria should be carried and evacuated at the main output.

If you shut off the pump, close the input valve and open the back flow valve you could start a siphon into a bucket that would purge the filter with a backflow. I do realize that as drawn the filter would just drain out the main output the moment you open the backflow valve. I am still working on this system.

I would love some feedback and suggestions!

Its good to be back

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

I came up with an alternate design that would put the pump after the filter. This would make priming easier as I could simply fill the canister with water after putting in the media. It would also prevent the filter from eating up debris. The best addition allows the filter to be used to power backflow the filter using the pump. The main problem is complexity haha its not the most simple design but it could work.

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

I am just going to keep talking to myself as ideas come to me lol

Thinking more I realized the more simple first design should work no problem with some creative orders of operation.

To purge the filter I could simply:
1. Leave pump running
2. Close output to aquarium valve
3. Open backflow output (with siphon hose attached)
4. Let the pump start the siphon
5. Turn off pump
7. Open the output to aquarium valve
6. Close input from aquarium valve

That might sound like a lot but I dont think it would be that bad in practice and it makes for a more simple design. It's just a process to start a siphon letting it back drain up the aquarium output.

 

[Murrayb]

Just some thoughts on this idea, is the extra complexity of suspending this above the tank worth the small amount of extra piping required to hide it under/behind the tank? Access to clean the coarse/fine prefilter will need to be regular and it will be more awkward with a horizontal design. It might be worthwhile to have an exit value at the bottom of the filter to completely drain it ion case you need to remove the canopy to do maintenance etc. Another consideration would be than in the event of a power failure most of the water would drain from the filter, leaving the media to dry out and the bacteria to die off in a relatively short space of time. An advantage of a standard canister is that it will remain full of water allowing the bacteria to survive long. Just a couple of ideas, it is an interesting experiment to try.

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

I just sold a perfectly good $350 canister filter...call me crazy I just get way more enjoyment out of using things I've made! I probably am crazy haha.

As to your questions and comments (which I appreciate by the way) it will be roughly 3 feet long and I'm 6'3" and not worried about hauling it to the sink for maintenance and cleaning, plus with the purge I won't have to open it that often. The back flow should clear the sponge filters pretty well so that the crud flows out the purge line. Also with the pump I'm estimating the price to be about $45-50 which is significantly less than any decent canister filter. In the case of a power outage it should not drain as long as the input and outputs are below the aquarium water level. It should hold a siphon and just stop pumping water until the power returns. The other beautiful thing about suspending it above the tank is that any leaks in your fit system won't end up on the floor (assuming you have enough media in the filter such that the water inside wouldn't overflow your tank).

I also like the idea because you could use the filter in an open area with 360 degree viewing and only have a power cord to hide. Again do these things make it perfect for everyone? No, but if you like to build things and want to have a canister for a fraction of the price I think it's a design you might want to try.

Thanks for the feedback and keeping it coming!

 

[Red_Man]

Hey! I too am like you and can always find an excuse to make something rather than buy something that will get the job done. I have built an over tank canister very similar to what you are showing. Short answer.... The tank mini cycled every time I did a water change due to the rapid die off of bacteria in the media once removed from water not to mention maintenance on it just became a chore and a hassle.
Long answer..... The canister worked after a couple simple tweaks. Intake can come in at any angle you desire however the exit MUST be dead vertical and there must be ZERO pipe or fitting lip inside the canister in order to expel any air or gasses stuck inside of it. Pump must force water into the canister not pull water out because you could starve the pump for flow and burn it up. Forcing water in also helps expel any air or gasses. Maintenance is a chore because of the canister being side mounted and the need for ball valves to remove the canister become a much needed item... Or you could just swamp a couple light fixtures and splash all the gunk right back in the tank whilst trying to remove it. The next issue is the threaded ends required for maintenance. Buy a large roll of thread tape as you will need to apply it just about every time you remove the cap for maintenance. Lets not forget removing the canister again once maintenanced due to leaking threads. Gee wiz that's always fun. Once the canister is out and ready for maintenance make sure not to lose your grip and drop it or smack the door frame on the way to the sink. An unnoticed cracked pipe or fitting is always fun since PVC glue dry time is a minimum of two hours for any repair. Longer if in a pressurized system! (!!which the canister will be!!) Next aspect of note is the pumps placement. Since any self priming pump capable of the gph needs of most aquariums are far and beyond pricey for most we will assume that you will either need to submerge the pump in the aquarium or drill the tank and install the pump inline. Installing the pump inline is by far the cleanest look you can achieve and also the cheapest. If you need to place the pump inside the aquarium however this becomes a fight against an eye sore. Covering it in a manner that is both appealing and functional will become a challenge in itself plus just one more step in the build process. Oh! Don't forget a check valve on the pump side. Not cool to over fill your tank every time the power goes out. LOL.. Enjoy chapter one. I think I have rambled enough

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

Thank you for the feedback and first hand experience! I didn't consider some of those issues, specifically leaky threads...that's almost a deal breaker. Looks like it's back to the drawing board for this one. I might do a vertical PVC HOB type that isn't under pressure and only has threads at the dry top...seems easier. This is why I like to share these ideas before getting out the PVC cement haha