redneck take on old-school corner filter

[TheDrake]

Started talking about this in the shrimp forum, but DIY is probably a better home.

I was looking at some ancient corner filters I adopted from my dad probably from the 70s. He used to put marbles under the floss, just to weight them down, and the unit acted as a simple mechanical filter. But with a different weighted substrate that has more surface area, they could now function primarily (or at least equally) as bio filters. But forget the fancy plastic box, just grab the nearest jar! The beauty of this approach is that one can easily match the filter size with the bioload by using a different size jar with more or less substrate and airflow. These are done with a 1-qt mason jar (but you can use any size you want/need/have) and an old cartridge housing from an RO filter after the threads broke off. Just drop your biomedia in the bottom, floss on top, and a 1/2" PVC pipe down the middle--just right for the airstone. Cheap, easy, and made from stuff I already have sitting around--perfect DIY. Enjoy.

[Soothing Shrimp]

I really like this idea. You can make it as cheesy or ornate as you wish.

[Diana]

Wouldn't it be easier just to put a sponge around the bubbler? Then you would also have a feeding station for shrimp, fry and anything else that would eat the microorganisms.

[kingjombeejoe]

Nice DIY simple cheap and right to the point. I see these all the time and people always try to complicate things and usually its the same end results(filtration wise). I use the bubbler filter your talking about (I think). When I was in Albany NY there was an old school LFS called Davey Jones Locker who used these as their only filtration in every tank and they were all clear and healthy. I'm lucky enough to have a LFS who sells them for $3.88 I throw in some gravel and filter floss and thats it. I guess I should use some bio media and it would be a lot better.(then what will I do with all that rainbow gravel that came with my betta tank?)

pic of my Bubbler in the tank

[moto826]

That's cool I have been looking for one


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[TheDrake]

Originally Posted by Diana

Wouldn't it be easier just to put a sponge around the bubbler? Then you would also have a feeding station for shrimp, fry and anything else that would eat the microorganisms.

not sure what you mean...wrap a sponge around the airstone, or the south end of the PVC? I can't see how the former would accomplish much. the latter is fine, if you have sponges sitting around that conform to that use. I don't care for sponges because they are trying to be both a mechanical filter and a biofilter at the same time, and the better they are at mechanical filtration (sucking junk in), the worse they are as biofilters (because now they are plugged up). with the jar filter, the floss acts just as a mechanical prefilter, keeping gunk off the biomedia so it always has good flow. the floss is easily changed without disturbing the biomedia, and it provides as nice a grazing area as the sponge, in my experience. but I would love to hear more about how you use the sponge; if there is a simpler way, my ears are open!

Originally Posted by kingjombeejoe

I use the bubbler filter your talking about (I think).

yep, that's the one!

Originally Posted by kingjombeejoe

When I was in Albany NY there was an old school LFS called Davey Jones Locker who used these as their only filtration in every tank and they were all clear and healthy.

there was a time not so long ago that those filters were about all that anyone used. you can't stock quite as densely as with the more efficient pump-driven filters we have today, but they do work great and are far less likely to have any sort of mechanical problems. I have in my collection one of the 1st transitional filters--a side-hanging box filter with air-driven flow! i'll have to take/post a pic of that one, it's a classic.

Originally Posted by kingjombeejoe

I throw in some gravel and filter floss and thats it. I guess I should use some bio media and it would be a lot better.

gravel is a great biomedium. there are more expensive media out there claiming massive surface areas, but I really have to wonder how many of those microscopic nooks and crannies actually receive water flow when the media are colonized/covered by a bacterial biofilm. would love to see some real world data on that. gravel worked for my dad, and his dad, ...

[Shangrila]

I have been using box and sponge filters for years and have never had a problem. I am also one to not understock a tank and they still work fine. They are cheap and effective and if I have the need to "instant cycle" a tank or holding bin, I just move them from one tank to another. If you keep up with WC's and don't overfeed(which you should do no matter what filter you have) they work quite well IMHO.