I took a stroll thru the pond section at lowes today, and it totally changed my mind about this project idea. I can make a very nice canister for under 100 like has been said. I found 500gph pumps with about 12 feet or more head on them for 70 bucks. a bucket with lid is under 10. that leaves PLENTY of space for media. Not sure if i would want to use a 5 gallon bucket or use sewer pipe like what was used in a DIY canister build someone linked in this thread. I think the 5 gallon of canister would be a waste for a tank less than 100 gallons
DIY canister?
- Thread starter swede
- Start date
Via Aqua, Catalina or any of the other china made clones would get you more flow for the $.
Whatever you decide, pipe or bucket, once up and running, would like to see it.
i'm not going to build anything til i have the new tank. i'm still trying to pinch together the funds for this project. thx for the interest though! i promise if i end up building one i will let you know and post pics
i wasn't talking about anything specific, but i could easily get food grade stuff for next to nothing. out of all the things on this project, the bucket is the last thing im worried about. i already have 2 5 gallon buckets that i use for water change and transporting. they have lids that seal water tight too
I built an 80gph one with a little fountain pump for about $40, and it only cost that much because of the $8 tube of glue that I've used on 3 other projects so far. It runs my Eheim surface skimmer on my turtle tank.
I used a 1 gallon lock & lock container from wal-mart, the lid snaps down and it has a nice seal. Note that the seal won't handle too much pressure, so you can't keep the top of the canister lower than about 1ft under the water level. Might be reinforce-able.
You just drill 3 holes in the lid, one that's the same diameter as the power cable, one the same as the pump outlet, and put a tube through the third and down to the bottom of the canister as your intake. You have to cut off the plug and either splice the cable or put on a new plug (available at any hardware store.)
You'll want some way to disconnect it, too. Mine doesn't have this feature. In order to disconnect mine, I actually have to drain the tank down to the bottom of the surface skimmer because I also permanently attached the surface skimmer.
I used a 1 gallon lock & lock container from wal-mart, the lid snaps down and it has a nice seal. Note that the seal won't handle too much pressure, so you can't keep the top of the canister lower than about 1ft under the water level. Might be reinforce-able.
You just drill 3 holes in the lid, one that's the same diameter as the power cable, one the same as the pump outlet, and put a tube through the third and down to the bottom of the canister as your intake. You have to cut off the plug and either splice the cable or put on a new plug (available at any hardware store.)
You'll want some way to disconnect it, too. Mine doesn't have this feature. In order to disconnect mine, I actually have to drain the tank down to the bottom of the surface skimmer because I also permanently attached the surface skimmer.
PLEASE SEARCH AND READ ALL THE FAILURES FROM USING PLASTIC 5 GALLON BUCKETS!!!!!
It doesn't matter if the lid can make a water tight seal. The head pressure can EASILY pop the cover off or weaken the seal and allow water to leak out.
If you have a cover that measures 13 inches in diameter. At 4 feet head, there would be 232 pounds of force trying to pop that cover off the bucket!!!!
You seem to be mixed with all the rest I try to warn about DIY canisters and 5 gallon buckets with standard covers. THEY ALL FAIL!
I used one of them for my nitrate filter. I was able to modify the seal so it fit tighter so it could withstand a bit more head pressure. I think 20" of head is what it could handle, I will have to look for my thread again.
i'm really not trying to argue. i most likely WASNT going to use a bucket anyway b/c a 5 gallon or even a 1 or 2 gallon bucket is a ton of space to use to fill a canister for a 55 gallon tank which is what i'm leaning towards getting. if i do build my own, i'm leaning towards using a modified 6'' drainage pipe. But since i'm buying used, i'm trying to find a complete setup and then i can use whatever filtration the tank comes with, and buy a 2nd filter that will pick up the slack
