I know there are many diy bucket/container filter plans but.....

[tanker]

Thank you Jessica, but doesnt the time spent emerged and flow rate have ANYTHING to do with the biological process?

It is not about immerse time, but flow rate. You need the oxygen to help with the BIO rate.

 

[tanker]

Thank you Jessica, but doesnt the time spent emerged and flow rate have ANYTHING to do with the biological process?

It is not about immerse time, but flow rate. You need the oxygen to help with the BIO rate.

 

[jcarson]

How are you sealing a 5G square bucket lid?

It was actually a tall slim trash can that i WAS going to build a lid for.

I think unless you plan to do something extreme with pressure or flow rate you'll be good.

Gravity fed would be the easiest option and just a decent pump to get it back up.
I wasnt looking for high turnover, just another way to add water volume to the tank.

You don't say where you are planning to locate the filter,

personally I would worry if it were below the aquarium in case of power outage, especially if not sealed.

Personally I would put the filter above the aquarium, and pump water into it, and let it flow out back.

Above the tank isnt an option. I like that my wife kinda likes me (lol) and dont want to do any thing to mess that up. lol

So what I decided to do was forgo the diy plans for this tank at this time.
Just getting another canister filter.
Thanks everybody for your feedback.

 

[jcarson]

How are you sealing a 5G square bucket lid?

It was actually a tall slim trash can that i WAS going to build a lid for.

I think unless you plan to do something extreme with pressure or flow rate you'll be good.

Gravity fed would be the easiest option and just a decent pump to get it back up.
I wasnt looking for high turnover, just another way to add water volume to the tank.

You don't say where you are planning to locate the filter,

personally I would worry if it were below the aquarium in case of power outage, especially if not sealed.

Personally I would put the filter above the aquarium, and pump water into it, and let it flow out back.

Above the tank isnt an option. I like that my wife kinda likes me (lol) and dont want to do any thing to mess that up. lol

So what I decided to do was forgo the diy plans for this tank at this time.
Just getting another canister filter.
Thanks everybody for your feedback.

 

[effiebaby1284]

I mean as long as you have this set up as an overflow. with water going down into the 5 gallon bucket. then pumped back up. it would be a vacuum inside of the bucket not pressure.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The greatest risk in terms of the nitrifying bacteria in a canister is related to oxygen. In an established filter there are more mircororganisms thna just the ones that deal with ammonia etc. Most of these are aerobic, so they are using the oxtgen in the water. In a canister the O comes in with the intake water. What goes out the return side contains much less O than when it entered the filter. That oxygen will normally be replaced by the return water creating surface agitation. All a drip tray really does is to spread out the incoming water so it moves through the entire pile of media below it rather than being a single stream mostly going through a limited amount of the media.

I cannot speak to other Eheim canister models, but I have several of their Pro II 2026. The flow is from the bottom to the top and there are no drip trays/plates involved.

A canister must be sealed while a sump in an "open" system in this respect. The difference is if something breaks or clogs in a sealed system this will not result in a flooded floor. This requires that the filter actually leaks. With a sump system, one must take additional precautionary measures to protect it from a pump failing or a hose clogging which can result in flooding and worse.

Also, both for the initial start and then after cleaning, you will need a way to cut of the intake so you can remove the bucket to get the media out. Then you need to restart the flow once cleaned. You need to figure out how you will prime your bucket filter. Also make sure if your returm is via a hole in the bucket not in the lid, that leakage is a concern.