DIY Rio 2100 Pump/Lock & Lock Canister filter

Time came to fill my DIY canister with media. In the below photo you can see the 2 carbon media bags on each side of the Rio pump. Also you will not the installation of a tank intake strainer and pressure regulator on the tank discharge side in order to adjust pressure.
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In the next photo below I install a layer of blue/white bio blanket, followed by a 2 inch thick layer of AC bio sponge.
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In the next photo below you can see the profile of the media including the stainless steel sink drain screen I used as a pump strainer.
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Below operating with the pressure valve wide open for 12 hours so far out of my African reef tank.
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Not finished yet. After owning the Hot Magnum and loving its strongest attribute, HOB canister convenience, I have decided that this canister is light enough and just narrow enough to be an hob as well. So even though my DIY will continue to be used I am going to make a harness that can either be attached to the wall or aquarium rim and have much shorter and simpler pluming with only short attachments for length just like the Hot Mag only simpler which will alleviate any under or overpressure concerns since my DIY with be pressure neutral with the tank level, providing full GPH power (600). My hope is the first 1 gallon HOB canister stacking filter you only have to reach behined and lift up and off to remove without having to deal with long hoses, disconnects, difficult priming, bendover maintenance, and siphon flooding of the entire aquarium. If it works it will have all the convenience of the Hot Mag with all of the power of a large capacity (100 gallon) canister filter, yet none of the inconvenience or potential problems associated with floor to tank atmospheric pressures diferences.
 
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The first magnum 350's were HOB's, same size with a plastic hanger. The reason they went to the floor was because cabinet hidden filter were all the rage, and of course with allot of people wanting to plum their aquariums for two sided viewing it the only marketable option. But for me front view is enough. Wall stud support either by harness screws or shelf is an easy option.
 
wow prefect job :) very well done man ;) .. enjoyed watching the process ...
i know how it feels when a DIY project prefectly done :)
 
Very impressive. Since I found this thread, I've been eyeing all the containers in my pantry in a different light.
 
The priceless reward in any DIY when given allot of consideration is what you learn in the precess which gives you an insight into why and how these things work and wont work, and how to overcome and improve them. Now I have a much better idea and appreciation for how and why they work and how to make my own if I want or need to.

As soon as I have designed the HOB modification I will post the results. But for now today is water change day for my 80 tank, another problem I need to streamline somehow lol.
 
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