My DIY canister filter...
- Thread starter Conner
- Start date
nice idea u have here conner,
i've been try to make an effective DIY canister,i think i should try your's..
but i still don't get it,what kind of pump are u use here?is it a dry pump?
is it an aquatic powerhead?
n how it works?
does the pump have the long age?
can u wash this DIY canister?
sorry for those question,but i really want to try it here....
thx,regards...
i've been try to make an effective DIY canister,i think i should try your's..
but i still don't get it,what kind of pump are u use here?is it a dry pump?
is it an aquatic powerhead?
n how it works?
does the pump have the long age?
can u wash this DIY canister?
sorry for those question,but i really want to try it here....
thx,regards...
IrnGynt;3755172; said:
Yah, that stuff is expensive... $200 for a 10ft piece of 4" diameter... ouch.
The pump is an external, Little Giant brand pump. It is NOT designed to be submerged under water. It is also not a self-priming pump, which means you have to prime it with water some way (I just suck on the hose to draw water in it until I'm lightheaded and almost pass outrico-holick;3755306; said:nice idea u have here conner,
i've been try to make an effective DIY canister,i think i should try your's..
but i still don't get it,what kind of pump are u use here?is it a dry pump?
is it an aquatic powerhead?
n how it works?
does the pump have the long age?
can u wash this DIY canister?
sorry for those question,but i really want to try it here....
thx,regards...
).The pump should have a very long life of filtering tanks, as its very simple. It's basically a pump, a pvc cylinder, and whatever filter media you put in it.
It is washable, as I put in a screw cap on the top of the canister (visible in pictures). This way you can remove the media when the flow becomes restricted.
Well, I used the canister for the first time yesterday. I think I underestimated the amount of sh*t in my sump!
I got the filter filled with media and hooked up, turned off the pumps in my tank, took out the drip plate, and started running the canister. It lasted about 5 minutes before the flow dropped to (literally) a trickle. I turned it off, opened it up, and too out the top piece of micron pad. There was a layer of crap and slime twice as thick as the pad was! I threw the pad away (it was nasty), and cleaned out the media under it. I then put it back together, hooked it back to the sump, and started filtering again. This time it lasted about 10 minutes before getting completely clogged. So I took it apart, pulled out the media (not a 50 micron pad this time, just bonded filter pads), threw away the top pad, and cleaned out the rest. Again, really nasty slimy crap all over the top pad. Put it back together, and put it back into action.
So far, 15 minutes of filtering, and an hour of taking apart, cleaning media, putting back together.
I started filtering a 3rd time, and this time it made it about 20 minutes before it clogged up. So I cleaned the media again. At this point, my pumps had been off for about 2 hours, and the heaters are in the sump. I got worried about having the tank off for too long, so I started the pumps back up. I hadn't realized how MUCH gunk was still in the sump, which had now been disturbed by me cleaning... The entire tank got so cloudy, I couldn't see the fish unless they moved right up against the glass! I hooked the canister back up to the sump, and between it and the filter sock in the sump, it took about 4 hours to get the water to a clarity level that was acceptable.
The canister isn't clogged too badly, but the flow has been cut back by about half, so I need to clean it and run it again tonight. It's going to take several more days (evenings) of running the canister to clean out the sump and get the water clear.
Overall, the canister works very well. My sump is just so dirty that its clogging the media immediately. Once i get rid of all the gunk, this filter should work very well for water polishing, as well as a normal filter (as long as you change/clean the first filter pad on a regular basis).
I got the filter filled with media and hooked up, turned off the pumps in my tank, took out the drip plate, and started running the canister. It lasted about 5 minutes before the flow dropped to (literally) a trickle. I turned it off, opened it up, and too out the top piece of micron pad. There was a layer of crap and slime twice as thick as the pad was! I threw the pad away (it was nasty), and cleaned out the media under it. I then put it back together, hooked it back to the sump, and started filtering again. This time it lasted about 10 minutes before getting completely clogged. So I took it apart, pulled out the media (not a 50 micron pad this time, just bonded filter pads), threw away the top pad, and cleaned out the rest. Again, really nasty slimy crap all over the top pad. Put it back together, and put it back into action.
So far, 15 minutes of filtering, and an hour of taking apart, cleaning media, putting back together.
I started filtering a 3rd time, and this time it made it about 20 minutes before it clogged up. So I cleaned the media again. At this point, my pumps had been off for about 2 hours, and the heaters are in the sump. I got worried about having the tank off for too long, so I started the pumps back up. I hadn't realized how MUCH gunk was still in the sump, which had now been disturbed by me cleaning... The entire tank got so cloudy, I couldn't see the fish unless they moved right up against the glass! I hooked the canister back up to the sump, and between it and the filter sock in the sump, it took about 4 hours to get the water to a clarity level that was acceptable.
The canister isn't clogged too badly, but the flow has been cut back by about half, so I need to clean it and run it again tonight. It's going to take several more days (evenings) of running the canister to clean out the sump and get the water clear.
Overall, the canister works very well. My sump is just so dirty that its clogging the media immediately. Once i get rid of all the gunk, this filter should work very well for water polishing, as well as a normal filter (as long as you change/clean the first filter pad on a regular basis).
I left the canister running all last night, as well as all day while I was at work (its actually still running), so its been running for more than 24 hours straight now. I've gotten the majority of the gunk out of the sump, and most of the suspended particles in the tank as well. Its basically acting as a polishing filter now. I'll leave it running overnight and while I'm at work tomorrow, and then clean it out after work. Then I'll hook it back up again, this time with the 50 micron pads back in it. Then I'll run it for another day or two to really polish the water.
Here's some pics of the first two filter pads I used. The first one is a 50 micron pad, the second one is a bonded filter floss pad.
Here's some pics of the first two filter pads I used. The first one is a 50 micron pad, the second one is a bonded filter floss pad.
I knew you were onto something with this one . The efficiency is quite evident. An ingenious idea indeed 
!
So, I guess the clogging could be slowed by decreasing the media pore in steps. Such as, coarse sponge > Bonded Filter pad > 100 micron media > 50 micron media > Bio media. Also, is it possible to create a system at the canister inlet that sprays water into the canister, instead of pumping a solid jet of water (like capping the inlet inside the canister and drilling holes in the cap)? That may also reduce media clogging time.
. The efficiency is quite evident. An ingenious idea indeed !So, I guess the clogging could be slowed by decreasing the media pore in steps. Such as, coarse sponge > Bonded Filter pad > 100 micron media > 50 micron media > Bio media. Also, is it possible to create a system at the canister inlet that sprays water into the canister, instead of pumping a solid jet of water (like capping the inlet inside the canister and drilling holes in the cap)? That may also reduce media clogging time.
Think I figured out how to lay this down on it's side without the channeling. Gonna sketch some idea and try to build a mockup this week.
egwu123;3760638; said:I knew you were onto something with this one
So, I guess the clogging could be slowed by decreasing the media pore in steps. Such as, coarse sponge > Bonded Filter pad > 100 micron media > 50 micron media > Bio media. Also, is it possible to create a system at the canister inlet that sprays water into the canister, instead of pumping a solid jet of water (like capping the inlet inside the canister and drilling holes in the cap)? That may also reduce media clogging time.
Well, I initially had the 50 micron pad at the beginning and the end of the first attempt. BOTH of the 50 micron pads got completely clogged. I think for most people, using it for water polishing or simple filtering, your stepped media would work fine. But for someone doing deep cleaning like I was, you have to start with all course media, then clean, then go to something finer, clean, etc.
Not sure about using something to break up the water jet inside the canister. I'd be afraid of putting too much backpressure on the pump. If you could break up the flow without creating backpressure, then I'd say it would work fine.
john73738;3761361; said:
Cool, post some drawings if you'd like (or you can start a new thread).
Well,since it works,I think I finally found a use for my brand new external pump that's been sitting in a rotted box for God only knows how long. It had like 15 different price stickers on it and is rated for 300 gph.So the lowest sticker said $40 and I grabbed it figuring I could just use it for a waterfall in a pond or something but have never found a use for it until now.So I am gonna go get the goods to put one together.Great idea and glad it works. I think I'll add it to my sump also but maybe just for bio or half and half.
TheFishJunky;3763564; said:
To be honest, if I were to do it again, I would cut the pipe in half so that it wasn't as long. There's a lot more room in there than you need (by more than double). Making the tube 12" long, with the two end caps, would give you plenty of room, about the same as a decent commercial canister filter, and would work just as well.
Just make sure you start with a very coarse pad and step your way down to smaller and smaller porosity. That way it will be least likely to clog.
