canister...

[wow_it_esploded]

I posted this on another forum (oscarfish.com, most of the members there are here also) so it will be a little out of context, but I thought that the idea was valid enough to share. I was inspired by some of the diy canister designs I have seen on the internet, but I always thought that they were WAY too complicated...

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I finished my sump (finally) but now I wanna try something different... I know, I know.... I am ok with not getting fish for a while, I have waited this long, a little longer wont matter... OMFG did I just say that?

I was reading about diy canister filters, and I think I found the perfect parts. It is a 6 gallon bucket with a screw on lid, the whole set is about 15 bucks. link1 link2

I would mount the pump to the top (using bushings and a gasket) and I would make the inflow at the bottom. The bulkhead for the inflow would be in the lid, but there would be a piece of PVC in the bushing (threaded or tight slip fit, removable for maintenance) in the canister (aka, bucket) so that the water is injected (per-say) at the bottom, under the media.

I am sure you COULD mount the pump into the canister, but that would involve getting a special fitting to run the cord through the lid of the bucket, cutting the cord of the pump, and make maintenance a friggin' pain in the ass because the pump would be attached to the lid.

Even if this ended up costing you 200 bucks (including pump), I am sure that it would be better than the FX5. The FX5 holds 11liters of media in the center, while this could (potentially) hold twice as much media (20 liters, assuming that a half gallon is taken up with misc crap like fittings and eggcrate... oh and pvc). Plus, the flow could be phenomenally greater, with the ability to plumb any size bushings/bulkheads you could use like a magdrive 24! Talk about flow. And this design could EASILY be chained together and use a much larger pump to run a HUGE tank. I am talking 300-400 gallons here.

I just wish I had the money :/ Just wanted to throw this idea out though And, of course, you could use a smaller bucket and pump (these lids will work with the 3.5 gallon buckets that they sell) for a less monster tank, or a tank that you do not have enough clearance under for the height of this contraption (don't ask me, i havent built it )

In addition, I can draw diagrams but it might be a while seeing as I am in the middle of midterms, mid^2 terms per-say. i know, killer pun

 

[mrunlucky07]

you could use a smaller bucket and pump (these lids will work with the 3.5 gallon buckets that they sell)

Or monster size it and use a 60 gallon food barrel. They are always on Cl in my area for $20, or free if you go to the processing plant.

 

[wow_it_esploded]

The only issue I could see with those is the height and the fact that the lids probably aren't removable.

 

[Liam]

The only issue I could see with those is the height and the fact that the lids probably aren't removable.

how can they be used if the lids aren't removable, LOL? nothing will be stored in them then

 

[Jgray152]

Dejavue...

I was inspired by some of the diy canister designs I have seen on the internet, but I always thought that they were WAY too complicated...

To make a proper canister to function under extremes and be reliable, they need to be "complicated" when factoring in variables others leave out.

My Thread Here;
DIY 6 Gallon Bucket Canister Filter
And Here
DIY 6 Gallon Bucket Canister Filter
Page 7-8 is the newer design. This filter is still not finished. The reason is stated in the thread.

I would mount the pump to the top (using bushings and a gasket) and I would make the inflow at the bottom. The bulkhead for the inflow would be in the lid, but there would be a piece of PVC in the bushing (threaded or tight slip fit, removable for maintenance) in the canister (aka, bucket) so that the water is injected (per-say) at the bottom, under the media.

so you will have mechanical media on the bottom and bio on top? Meaning, you will have to remove the bio media to clean the mech media?

Its better to have bio media at the bottom so you never have ot disturb it and hve the flow come from the top.

I am sure you COULD mount the pump into the canister, but that would involve getting a special fitting to run the cord through the lid of the bucket, cutting the cord of the pump, and make maintenance a friggin' pain in the ass because the pump would be attached to the lid.

This is what I will be doing. Maintance would be easier, because the pump would be on the inside/bottom of the canister, reducing any other items on teh outside.

Even if this ended up costing you 200 bucks (including pump), I am sure that it would be better than the FX5. The FX5 holds 11liters of media in the center....

The Fx5 holds less than 6 liters.

while this could (potentially) hold twice as much media (20 liters, assuming that a half gallon is taken up with misc crap like fittings and eggcrate... oh and pvc). Plus, the flow could be phenomenally greater, with the ability to plumb any size bushings/bulkheads you could use like a magdrive 24! Talk about flow. And this design could EASILY be chained together and use a much larger pump to run a HUGE tank. I am talking 300-400 gallons here.

It will be easy to get 18-20 liters out of this. My design allows for 19 liters.

There is a LARGE potential issue with using large pumps, They can create a large vacuum and potentially could colaps the bucket walls.

Also, another dangerous issue is the pounds of pressure exerted on the under side of the lid. There will be around 190lbs of pressure on the underside of the lid. I have not tested to see if the lid can stay on. Especially during a pressure spike when the pump is turned off.

Also, these covers are designed to let products in the bucket "breath" according to the description. Even though they seem to hold water for me, I don't know about holding water when its running or after the pump is shut off.

I just wish I had the money :/ Just wanted to throw this idea out though And, of course, you could use a smaller bucket and pump (these lids will work with the 3.5 gallon buckets that they sell) for a less monster tank, or a tank that you do not have enough clearance under for the height of this contraption (don't ask me, i havent built it )

I ran out of money when I started building it....Unfortunatly.

In addition, I can draw diagrams but it might be a while seeing as I am in the middle of midterms, mid^2 terms per-say. i know, killer pun

me too....

 

[wow_it_esploded]

Oh I see the issue with the mech media. Then I would just put outflow on the bulkhead that is attached to the pvc.

I do not see anywhere on the gamma seals where it says breathable... I do see where it says air-tight and leak proof though.

Also, I would not use a large pump unless I had daisy chained a few of 'em... Then you could have, instead of the run o the mill "trays" of media, canisters of media. Someone asks, what do you put in your canister trays, and you can say:

Well, in the first tray I have 20 liters of quilt batting, cotton, and blue bonded padding. Then in the 3 trays after that I have about 60 liters of pot scrubbies

These little mistakes are what happens when you write things up at 4 in the morning

 

[Jgray152]

A 1000 GPH through a 10.75" diameter with 19 liters of bio media equals out to plenty of contact time. About 19 Seconds of contact time. You won't need more than that usually.

Oh I see the issue with the mech media. Then I would just put outflow on the bulkhead that is attached to the pvc.

Completly confued with what you are saying here.

You also need to build th canister so that it will purge 100%.

It seems its not in every description, but the coveruses a patented V groove seal, what ever that meas, which allow items to "breath". Doesn't really make sense to me when I read it.

[quot]Also, I would not use a large pump unless I had daisy chained a few of 'em... Then you could have, instead of the run o the mill "trays" of media, canisters of media.[/quote]
This would be persona preference. I personally don't have room for more than one of these. Pretty large.

 

[wow_it_esploded]

I meant that I understand what you mean about the mechanical media being at the bottom of the canister, and how it would be hard to clean.

Why would the canister need to be built to purge? I have a magnum 350 canister that doesn't have anything to purge and it runs just fine...

Why would there be too much pressure on the inside of the lid? I thought that, because canisters are gravity fed, there was very little pressure on the inside. Wouldn't making the intake about a half inch to inch larger in diameter also reduce the pressure on the inside greatly?

 

[Jgray152]

Why would the canister need to be built to purge? I have a magnum 350 canister that doesn't have anything to purge and it runs just fine...

Im talking about the trapped gases such as air. From what I have been told, the mag 350 is not very good at releasing trapped gases. No experience with the filter.

If you don'y allow the canister to purge completly, the canister will be very noisy and may not function as well as if it was completly filled with water. Just one little air bubble can make little noise that you don't wan't to here.

Also, purging allows the pump to become primed.

Due to canisters being gravity fed, this is the exact reason why there is so much pressure in the canister. The large amount of pressure is reduced when the pump is on, but when the pump is off, the weight of the water starts to increase the pressure.

Every 2.31ft of water there is 1PSI. For high flow volume you wan't to use 1" ID or larger tubing. I don't think tubing size matters as its the weight of the water per sqaure inch. Obveously ig you have 10 pounds per sqaure inch, you will not have 10 PSI in a 1/4" ID tubing. You will have 2.5 psi, roughly anyways.

If your canister is 6ft from the rim of the tank, there will be 2.59 psi. Times the area of the cover (forgeting the area but will make believe its 11" diameter)

11" Dia = 78.5 sqin area
78.5 * 2.59 = 203 PSI

This is just very rough calculations and the actual number could vary.

Also, to use effectivly use the entire area of the bucket for filtration, its good to have the water swirl down or up the bucket.

 

[Jgray152]

I am working on designs using a different style bucket, which will use clamp like devices to hold the cover down. It has to be user friendly and perform its intended function.

I also have been thinking of designs using the 6 and 7 gallon buckets.