my 15g tank was always cloudy even with a penguin 150 on it. so, i decided to build my own custom designed filter. i did some brainstorming while at work, pondering the idea and came up with a simple, but really effective design.
parts:
aquaclear 20 powerhead- i had 1 on-hand
1 16 or 20 oz pepsi plastic bottle- 1.00 from the corner store
1 sink strainer- 1.50 at dollar tree
a small wad of foam- 3.00 for a big pack at lfs
1 jar of seachem matrix- had about 1/2 a jar on hand
1 rubber band
1 coffee mug (not needed for the filter but useful while constructing
1 black marker
the jist of it is the bottle has the bottom missing with tthe sink strainer attached with a rubber band to the to the top where the powerhead is. water is forced through the media- no bypass filtration.
lets see, i didnt document this whole thing with pictures, so let me just explain step-by-step.
here we go!
take the pepsi bottle and peel off the label. get some ice cubes and enjoy it while working!
next, place the bottle cap up in the coffee mug and using the marker, outline a hole roughly the same size as the inlet pipe on the powerhead stem.
use the drill in the center of the cap and start drilling from there, kinda moving in concentric circles around the last one at an angle.
this way, you can keep testing the hole size as you progress with the powerhead. then, after drilling off like a considerable hole about 1/2 to 3/4 the size of the cap itself, the powerhead will slide in real tighly, which is what you want.
i took off just enough to snugly fit the powerhead into the cap without anything holding it together. its really easy, you just have to constantly check to see if the hole you just enlarged with the drill is large enough to tighly slide the powerhead into.
next, unscrew the cap with the powerhead attached. lay them aside for now.
ok, the tricky part is the bottom of the pepsi bottle.
the plastic is thick and pretty tough.
it took me a little bit to finally cut through it, but i didnt use a mug to steady myself whiel drilling; just my hands. word of the wise; use the coffee mug to help yourself with the grip.
what i did was mark, using the black marker, a series of black dots on the flat part of the bottom, forming a circle.
after you have drilled those through, take the marker again and mark on the bottom where the plastic has grooves on it where you want to drill. be careful here; the drill will slide as the marks you just made are at an angle, so if possible , ask someone or use clamps to hold the bottle while you drill.
after its all set and done, you can just pull off the bottom you just drilled. there may be soem sharp edges on the plastic, but thsoe can be drilled down.
whew! you're in the home stretch now!
erv:
put the cap and powerhead back on. wash the seachem matrix if its new, as its really dusty. i put about 1 liter or something like that into the pepsi bottle.
then, i put the wad of foam into the pepsi can. situate the foam so that it covers the matrix. now push the strainer over the bottom (it makes a perfect fit). attach the rubber band over the strainer and the outlet pipe of the powerhead.
excellencia! its done! now, just put it in your tank!
its no by-pass filtration. the water is forced through the foam and then through the matrix. you could add a small bag of carbon too to the top near the powerhead if you like, but my tank is planted so i have no need for it.
i might still do it though just cause :silly: !
you can even use the snorkel thing hagen gives you with their powerhead kit and create aeration in your tank. i am using it and fish seem to appreciate it.
the strainer allows easy access to the foam and matrix for service. o by the way, make sure you wash with a little soap and warm water the rubber band to remove anything bad!
my tank water was cloudy and the fish were lethargic. within hours the water was crystal clear- i mean it looked like glass not a cloud mess! water tests always showed the params way above norm. that was a few days ago. the params are quickly dropping to the normal range.
im really proud of myself. i thought this up; no searching online or stuff. i have seen diy filters now on youtube and stuff, but nothing like mine. i mean they're good, but well, mine's better.
here is a pic of the filter running in my tank. pic quality is not very good.
anyway, that's it. i hope this adds to collection of great ideas aquarists have come up with themselves when the out-of-box stuff fails.
when i build another, ill try to document it with pics to show what i mean behind the steps given.
enjoy and thanks for reading!
parts:
aquaclear 20 powerhead- i had 1 on-hand
1 16 or 20 oz pepsi plastic bottle- 1.00 from the corner store
1 sink strainer- 1.50 at dollar tree
a small wad of foam- 3.00 for a big pack at lfs
1 jar of seachem matrix- had about 1/2 a jar on hand
1 rubber band
1 coffee mug (not needed for the filter but useful while constructing
1 black marker
the jist of it is the bottle has the bottom missing with tthe sink strainer attached with a rubber band to the to the top where the powerhead is. water is forced through the media- no bypass filtration.
lets see, i didnt document this whole thing with pictures, so let me just explain step-by-step.
here we go!
take the pepsi bottle and peel off the label. get some ice cubes and enjoy it while working!
next, place the bottle cap up in the coffee mug and using the marker, outline a hole roughly the same size as the inlet pipe on the powerhead stem.
use the drill in the center of the cap and start drilling from there, kinda moving in concentric circles around the last one at an angle.
this way, you can keep testing the hole size as you progress with the powerhead. then, after drilling off like a considerable hole about 1/2 to 3/4 the size of the cap itself, the powerhead will slide in real tighly, which is what you want.
i took off just enough to snugly fit the powerhead into the cap without anything holding it together. its really easy, you just have to constantly check to see if the hole you just enlarged with the drill is large enough to tighly slide the powerhead into.
next, unscrew the cap with the powerhead attached. lay them aside for now.
ok, the tricky part is the bottom of the pepsi bottle.
the plastic is thick and pretty tough.
it took me a little bit to finally cut through it, but i didnt use a mug to steady myself whiel drilling; just my hands. word of the wise; use the coffee mug to help yourself with the grip.
what i did was mark, using the black marker, a series of black dots on the flat part of the bottom, forming a circle.
after you have drilled those through, take the marker again and mark on the bottom where the plastic has grooves on it where you want to drill. be careful here; the drill will slide as the marks you just made are at an angle, so if possible , ask someone or use clamps to hold the bottle while you drill.
after its all set and done, you can just pull off the bottom you just drilled. there may be soem sharp edges on the plastic, but thsoe can be drilled down.
whew! you're in the home stretch now!
erv:put the cap and powerhead back on. wash the seachem matrix if its new, as its really dusty. i put about 1 liter or something like that into the pepsi bottle.
then, i put the wad of foam into the pepsi can. situate the foam so that it covers the matrix. now push the strainer over the bottom (it makes a perfect fit). attach the rubber band over the strainer and the outlet pipe of the powerhead.
excellencia! its done! now, just put it in your tank!
its no by-pass filtration. the water is forced through the foam and then through the matrix. you could add a small bag of carbon too to the top near the powerhead if you like, but my tank is planted so i have no need for it.
i might still do it though just cause :silly: !
you can even use the snorkel thing hagen gives you with their powerhead kit and create aeration in your tank. i am using it and fish seem to appreciate it.
the strainer allows easy access to the foam and matrix for service. o by the way, make sure you wash with a little soap and warm water the rubber band to remove anything bad!
my tank water was cloudy and the fish were lethargic. within hours the water was crystal clear- i mean it looked like glass not a cloud mess! water tests always showed the params way above norm. that was a few days ago. the params are quickly dropping to the normal range.
im really proud of myself. i thought this up; no searching online or stuff. i have seen diy filters now on youtube and stuff, but nothing like mine. i mean they're good, but well, mine's better.
here is a pic of the filter running in my tank. pic quality is not very good.
anyway, that's it. i hope this adds to collection of great ideas aquarists have come up with themselves when the out-of-box stuff fails.
when i build another, ill try to document it with pics to show what i mean behind the steps given.
enjoy and thanks for reading!
