the infamous 5 gallon diy canister filter. can it be done????

[WeedCali]

so couldnt you just put a small bead of silicone around the inside of the lid to form a gasket?

 

[iamvictor2k]

so couldnt you just put a small bead of silicone around the inside of the lid to form a gasket?

the filter is working great except for one small problem. i did not have a strainer/ fish gaurd on my inlet tube and my white and black baloon belly molly kinda got sucked to its death. but about the lid. no a silicone seal will not hold the positive pressure forcing up on the lid. it isn't like pulling up with one hand its pushing with equal force around the whole seal. and just a few psi can remove the lid or make it spring a leak when this happens. you have to have sum sort of equal even pressure greater than what is exerted on the lid to keep it from leaking.

 

[iamvictor2k]

this is the intake end of the tube. i had a spare hob filter laying around so i raped it for the end. i cut a 1/4 inch slit down the mating surface to allow my electric cord to come back out. i folded the cord in half shoved it in the pre filter and then shoved the tube in the mating surface. worked great.

 

[Squawkbert]

this is the intake end of the tube. i had a spare hob filter laying around so i raped it for the end. i cut a 1/4 inch slit down the mating surface to allow my electric cord to come back out. i folded the cord in half shoved it in the pre filter and then shoved the tube in the mating surface. worked great.View attachment 118973

Technically, I think that's more along the lines of pillage...

 

[dundadundun]

yeah, rape would be along the lines of... ehem, demented... hahaha

 

[Turbosaurus]

I love all the good info in this thread-
and Victor- I feel for you- I totally got the idea that this thread was ONLY about whether it could be done with a 5 gal bucket and common fittings (like the 15th time you said it, ha ha)

Just one thing about the water pressure in a cylindrical container- its true that in a cylinder the pressure forcing outward is constant across each point in the circumference of the container- but that doesn't mean the plastic can't deform- only that it will deform evenly all around (to stop it from expanding, it is not sufficient to have constant internal pressure, you must have equilibrium between internal and external pressure) - AND the idea of constant deformation at every point requires the supposition that the container is not only perfectly round but that the strength and thickness of the plastic is constant at every point. I am sure that is not the case, 5 gal buckets can hardly be expected to be built to exact tolerances.

One question that I came away with from previous posts... I thought that head only applied in an open system, like a sump. In a closed canister, wont the water pressure from the inflow (like any siphon) push the water all the way back up to equilibrium with the waterline? So in effect your pump would only have to overcome the pressure directly proportional to the distance between the waterline and the highest point of the return line (a couple inches at most where it goes over the edge of the aquarium) and any force generated by hte pump in excess of that starts to reduce the pressure inside the canister?

 

[xsdbs]

have you spent more than it would have cost to just buy a filter? just curious if its just the principle of being able to do it and not the money?

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

I thought that head only applied in an open system, like a sump. In a closed canister, wont the water pressure from the inflow (like any siphon) push the water all the way back up to equilibrium with the waterline? So in effect your pump would only have to overcome the pressure directly proportional to the distance between the waterline and the highest point of the return line (a couple inches at most where it goes over the edge of the aquarium) and any force generated by hte pump in excess of that starts to reduce the pressure inside the canister?

If that were true in physics then you would be able to take a garden hose jump into the ocean to any depth and breath air through the hose with the same amount off effort in 1 foot of water as in 30 to 3000 feet of water, which of course ins not the case.

 

[iamvictor2k]

I love all the good info in this thread-
and Victor- I feel for you- I totally got the idea that this thread was ONLY about whether it could be done with a 5 gal bucket and common fittings (like the 15th time you said it, ha ha)

Just one thing about the water pressure in a cylindrical container- its true that in a cylinder the pressure forcing outward is constant across each point in the circumference of the container- but that doesn't mean the plastic can't deform- only that it will deform evenly all around (to stop it from expanding, it is not sufficient to have constant internal pressure, you must have equilibrium between internal and external pressure) - AND the idea of constant deformation at every point requires the supposition that the container is not only perfectly round but that the strength and thickness of the plastic is constant at every point. I am sure that is not the case, 5 gal buckets can hardly be expected to be built to exact tolerances.

One question that I came away with from previous posts... I thought that head only applied in an open system, like a sump. In a closed canister, wont the water pressure from the inflow (like any siphon) push the water all the way back up to equilibrium with the waterline? So in effect your pump would only have to overcome the pressure directly proportional to the distance between the waterline and the highest point of the return line (a couple inches at most where it goes over the edge of the aquarium) and any force generated by the pump in excess of that starts to reduce the pressure inside the canister?

im sure a little pressure is released from the pump from gravity equalizing the pressure in the tubes. if you were to have say a 55 gallon tank level with the canister and one 3/4 inch tube going into the pump and two 3/4 inch tubes going 5 feet in the air the pressure will be greater on the pump. but if you had a 55 gallon tank 5 feet in the air and the canister on the ground and one tube in and one tube out the pressure would be just a little lighter on the pump. the reason is the gravity will pull the water down to a certain point but the pump works faster than gravity so friction is created in the tube and the water molecules on each other. causing the pump to still require a lot of work to be done.


as for the deforming of the canister. essentially what i did was make the lid and bucket one piece by applying equal greater pressure on the lid than the water pushes on it. every thing deforms even the hardest steel gives in and out. that dosent mean it is going to be permanently deformed. once pressure is let off it goes back to its normal shape. its called memory. like springs it has memory to a certain point then beyond that point it "forgets" lol. same thing with plastic.

 

[iamvictor2k]

price list

home depot

zip ties 1.74
2 metal clamps 2.10
purple primer 4.85
pvc cement glue 3.76


wallmart

polyfil 2.97


furguson plumbing supply

2 pvc fittings 3/4 inch to 3/4 inch threaded 1.04


wholesale supply plumbing store

3 male barb 3/4 inch fittings 2.51
3 threaded 3/4 male to 3/4 thread female 2.25


holden hardware store

15 feet 3/4 in 1 inch out vinyl tubing 25.31


local fish stores

small rocks 14.99
4 feet blue filter media 3.96
350 gph mag water pump 79.88


lowes

large rock sakrete 3.18
play sand 3.47
egg crate white light fixture cover 8.00
16 J bolts and nuts 8.80
washers .98
bucket lid 1.98
silicone tube 5.97


free/already had

2 buckets
yarn
caulk gun
box cutter
wrench
pre filter end
large washers
straight bolts

TOTAL 177.74