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

[BadFishPa]

i have mentioned this in past posts. when ever i have money and time i will redesign the 5 gallon bucket but my point is to prove that it can be done with a regular 5 gallon bucket a regular lid and stuff you can get at lfs and hardware stores.

Sorry if i offended you with the screw on lids comment..I was thinking it was helpfull advise..I saw an easy fix for what looked like quite a bit of work tightning and etc to seal. You yourself mentoined when you have money and time you will redesign the 5 gallon bucket,a different lid i thought may be a good idea.. I surely dont think it deserved a repremand for posting..:duh:

 

[Star_Rider]

Sorry if i offended you with the screw on lids comment..I was thinking it was helpfull advise..I saw an easy fix for what looked like quite a bit of work tightning and etc to seal. You yourself mentoined when you have money and time you will redesign the 5 gallon bucket,a different lid i thought may be a good idea.. I surely dont think it deserved a repremand for posting..:duh:

don't worry about it. it is a valid suggestion.
it has merit here as the bucket may be adapted to do the same thing

 

[iamvictor2k]

Vic...it's ok...calm down a bit....we all want to see you succeed on your project. Typical with DIY posts..even though you state your intentions...you're still going to get all kinds of friendly advice/suggestions/what-have-you. It's just normal banter. Don't read anything into it that you have posted your intentions and others seem to "disregard" them. We know what you're doing, what you're looking to accomplish.

I want to see this thing work myself as I'm really curious on it.

GL and keep up the good work!

thanks i apreciate your comment. thanks for actualy reading.

 

[iamvictor2k]

so polly fill first with a little bio ceramic. eventually ill get sum expensive stuff if i ever get a larger tank but i just dont think its needed currently.
next a nice layer of sand. 3rd small rocks 4th large rocks. i have been running it for 30 min with no problems and it still has negative pressure even with the substrate so all is well there. the lid sealed great. will keep running it for several hrs just to make sure it all works well then tomorrow i will throw it on the tank. i also just though about this but i need to come up with a way to block the hose in the bucket that is going threw the substrate to allow better filtration. im sure that it is pulling water threw and would probable filter fine but for my peace of mined i will block it. if yall have any suggestions on how to block the hole it would be greatly appreciated. and the last pic is me demonstrating how high the pump actually pushes the water. way above what i need.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Sounds great and looks great so far. But do yourself a favor and use a tube under your aquarium and test it in the on and off power mode for at least a couple of hours. The negative pressuer sucks everything closed and tight, the real test will be when it encounters positive pressure from the inside out and the lid bows in the opposite direction under those seals. Hope it works well.

 

[iamvictor2k]

Sounds great and looks great so far. But do yourself a favor and use a tube under your aquarium and test it in the on and off power mode for at least a couple of hours. The negative pressuer sucks everything closed and tight, the real test will be when it encounters positive pressure from the inside out and the lid bows in the opposite direction under those seals. Hope it works well.

basically i have done that already in previous test. i applied way more pressure than two 3/4 inch tubes at 4 ft would apply pressure. i took it out side and hooked a garden hose directly to it with one port closed to see what pressure it could take with out blowing the seal. the fist time i blew it cause i only had 6 j bolts but the next time i did it it took all the pressure of the house water pressure with no leaks except the top inlet seal did leak a little cause i did not tighten it down all the way.

 

[nc0gnet0]

If I am seeing your build correct:

top fed syphon feed to large gravel to polyfill to medium gravel to polyfil to small gravel to polyfill to sand to bottom of barrel to pump and out. ?

Couple suggestions:

1) Get the sand out of there, its going to clog and clog fast, then you have to disasemble the whole thing (no small chore) and constantly clean it. Once the sand clogs 90% of your flow is going to be blow by with minimal filtration. It will also find its way thru your polyfill and into your pump dramatically shortening the pumps lifespan. If your intent on giving it a try, at least line the bottom of the tray with something like landscape fabric to catch the fine particles of sand.

2) Better sealing of output line from pump to top of barrel. Couple suggestions, some expanding spray foam or maybe some rubber pipe insulation in right diameter.

One of the advantages of the motor on the top of the canisters is it allows for filtration fom the bottom up. This means the top layer of filtration usually consists of some material to polish the water. As this is most always the layer that needs cleaning/changing first, having it on top is much easier to service. To servie yours you are going to have to manually scoop out all that gravel and try not to kill all your BB in the process.....just something to contemplate.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

If I am seeing your build correct:
One of the advantages of the motor on the top of the canisters is it allows for filtration fom the bottom up. .

Agree, except for your statement up there, just how is a top motor have an advantage over a bottom motor design? Just pointing it out since there are reasons for just the opposite, mainley becasue top motor designs that lift water from the bottom allow major bypass, cannot be emptied using the pump before moving for cleaning and are very susceptible to loss of prime water within a margin of 1 inch.

 

[mott]

Agree, except for your statement up there, just how is a top motor have an advantage over a bottom motor design? Just pointing it out since there are reasons for just the opposite, mainley becasue top motor designs that lift water from the bottom allow major bypass, cannot be emptied using the pump before moving for cleaning and are very susceptible to loss of prime water within a margin of 1 inch.

Think of the Eheim classic design it has ZERO bypass top mounted motor.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Think of the Eheim classic design it has ZERO bypass top mounted motor.

The older 2217 series without baskets yes I agree, reason why so many like them over the basket design where the basket grates and voids allow flapper bypass.