DIY canister?

[yogurt_21]

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.

and yet a magnum 350 has only 4 metal hold downs on the lid, less than half of the capabilites of said 5 gallon bucket with water tight lid and I've yet to see anyone post up with a magnum 350 failure.


it's all in the design, #1 do not use 90's they restrict flow and increase pressure. actually if you can avoid using pvc all together that would be preferable. pvc is great for outdoor pond use and high pressure systems for high gallonage indoor use, but for sub 125gallon tanks it's restrictive to the size of pump and counter productive to diy canisters.

flexible tubing like in store bought canisters will do the job without restricting flow and can be had from your local ace hardware for a few cents a foot.

next where you put the canister and where you place the fittings matters ALOT. if you go under the tank then you've increased the pressure if you can hide it behind the tank at the same level, pressure will be reduced. also placing the inlet higher than the outlet also increase pressure.


all in all a wet dry would be simpler but larget and more of a pain to clean. but a diy canister is possible for sub 100$, heck even sub 50$ if you're patient. buying a pump from lowes is NOT recomended as you're paying a high price tag for alow gph and low head pump that consumes 3 times as much power as it should. ebay, amazon have some sub 99watt pumps that push 1500-2000gph at 15' of head while costing 40-50$

shop around and do your homework and it'll come out perfectly.

 

[jschall]

I was able to modify the seal so it fit tighter so it could withstand a bit more head pressure.

Details?

 

[Jgray152]

and yet a magnum 350 has only 4 metal hold downs on the lid, less than half of the capabilites of said 5 gallon bucket with water tight lid and I've yet to see anyone post up with a magnum 350 failure.

Yes the magnum uses 4 METAL clips/clamps to hold down the lid. The plastic bucket DOES NOT. Why do you think you don't see canister filters with "Snap on snap off" lids?

Also, the magnum 350 has a lot less surface area under the lid than a 5 gallon bucket so you don't have as much force pushing against the lid as you do with a 5 gallon bucket lid. Something you have not thought of in the ...... "design".

My Fluval 304 has TWO plastic clamps to hold down a lid with more surface area than the mag 350.

Point is, clamping the lid will yield success.

it's all in the design,

Yup, and I have engineered designs.

#1 do not use 90's they restrict flow and increase pressure.

True, but you actually don't loose as much as you think.

actually if you can avoid using pvc all together that would be preferable.

I agree to a point, but not because of flow loss.

pvc is great for outdoor pond use and high pressure systems for high gallonage indoor use, but for sub 125gallon tanks it's restrictive to the size of pump and counter productive to diy canisters.

PVC is not restrictive at all. Its the 90 degree fittings that could pose a very very slight restriction.

flexible tubing like in store bought canisters will do the job without restricting flow and can be had from your local ace hardware for a few cents a foot.

Agree

next where you put the canister and where you place the fittings matters ALOT. if you go under the tank then you've increased the pressure if you can hide it behind the tank at the same level, pressure will be reduced. also placing the inlet higher than the outlet also increase pressure.

Most can't hide a 5 gallon bucket behind their tank. If you can, great, you will only have a few inches of head which is fine.

Also placing the outlet higher than the inlet above the tank will increase pressure

all in all a wet dry would be simpler but larget and more of a pain to clean. but a diy canister is possible for sub 100$, heck even sub 50$ if you're patient. buying a pump from lowes is NOT recomended as you're paying a high price tag for alow gph and low head pump that consumes 3 times as much power as it should. ebay, amazon have some sub 99watt pumps that push 1500-2000gph at 15' of head while costing 40-50$

shop around and do your homework and it'll come out perfectly.

Next in the design, DIY bulkheads which can withstand the pressure if used the correct parts.

 

[Jgray152]

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

Don't think of the 5 gallon bucket as "wasted space". The larger the cross sectional surface area of the mechanical filtration media, the less likely the filter will clog prematurely. A 5 gallon bucket can go a while without cleaning. a 6" pipe will need cleaning more often.

 

[AndrewMack]

ive got one made from a 5g pickle bucket from a deli, it has a screw on lid with rubber gasket. and when i was using it, i had the pump inside my tank pumping down into the bucket and letting that build up enough pressure to push back up into the tank. Worked great

 

[swede]

this thread has become ridiculous. by the time i buy enough media to fill a 5 gallon bucket, i would've spent as much as i would just buying a high end canister. you kind of contradict yourself anyways. you tell me a 5 gallon bucket will fail, then you try to prove that its better cuz it doesn't need to be cleaned as often. you adamantly tell me it will fail, then suggest why i should use it.

 

[Jgray152]

you kind of contradict yourself anyways. you tell me a 5 gallon bucket will fail, then you try to prove that its better cuz it doesn't need to be cleaned as often. you adamantly tell me it will fail, then suggest why i should use it.

No, I never said, "You should use a 5 gallon bucket".

You said that a 5 gallon bucket is a waste of space for a tank your size and that you should use a 6" pipe.

I said its not a waste of space and that you should look at the cross section surface area.

With enough engineering, you CAN get a 5 gallon bucket to work but NOT right off the shelf like you and others are thinking.

There was no contradiction in my statements at all. You guys just don't like to listen and none of you like to SEARCH! As this has been covered 1000 times.

this thread has become ridiculous

Your right. It should have never been made because through some quick searching you could have seen many other attempts with failures in the same threads. This thread would have been fine if you or others brought some engineering into the topic instead of trying to think that a bucket and cover off the shelf will work when I (who has tried this and performed calculations just for you) tells you it will not be reliable.

 

[AndrewMack]

All i can say is i built my a DIY canister in 2004, used it till about 2 years ago without a problem. and i added nothing to the bucket. it was a pickle bucket with a screw on lid. i let bleach and water set in it for about 3 weeks to get the vinegar smell out. drill a hole in the lid of the bucket on one side with a piece of tubing going to the bottom of the bucket, drilled another hole on the other side for the return. Done. so saying "it will" fail is like saying a light bulb will go out, it will Eventually. I have a ehiem canister that is about 8years old(give or take) and sprung a leak last year, does that mean know1 should ever buy them cause they will absolutely fail, No.

 

[Jgray152]

so saying "it will" fail is like saying a light bulb will go out,

LOL! You were using a different style cover. For all I know they have it fit tighter, or you were dealing with less head.

Your comment about the Eheim is ridiculous. You are another one that has not taken the time to search...huh? The standard covers off the shelf are not reliable. Head pressure is the main cause of the failure and everyone has different head heights.

How much head height did you have?

Details?

All I did was remove the seal and add some silicone to the seal groove. I then inserted the seal and only had the seal raised up about 1/32-1/16"

 

[KaiserSousay]

Your comment about the Eheim is ridiculous

Dude
This ain`t life or death here.
You`ve warned about any possible failures.
Let it go.