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DIY Mini Canister Filter for nano tanks

41K views 76 replies 41 participants last post by  Guillermo 
#1 ·
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#2 ·
great find! thanks for posting! I've been trying to come up with something like that for my desktop nano (which has a red sea nano filter totally overwhelming it at the moment... scaling down the hoses for "pico" tanks should be a piece of cake.

Oqsy
 
#6 ·
Interesting find there. :)

Looks good, but I'll just stick with my Red Sea nano for the while being. Already have them up and running and the only thing that shots in the tank is the wiring from the heater and the uplift tubing from the HOB.
 
#7 ·
ok, already given it a try, and I can say that the Lock & Lock brand must be made of a different plastic than ziploc "twist n' loc", because mine cracked beyond use after trying to poke the first hole... I was able to salvage the job with the second container (came in a 2 pack) what will probably be usable now that i've used half a tube of silicone on it... then again, it might leak, but I'm too dizzy from vinegar fumes to know the difference right now. I'll report back with pics if it works, if not, I'll try again with a tougher plastic that doesn't shear so easily.

Oqsy
 
#9 ·
This is a great find. And the concept is very scaleable. My head is spinning with the possibilites of a 5 gallon bucket, and a mag5! I have sitting around :) Too bad I don't need it, but I'm still thinking about it.

The Twist and Lock containers are actually a hard plastic, and I have a crack in one that I used to store my ferts in.
 
#10 ·
I think I'm going to try that.. for my 5-ish gallon tank.. would be great to be able to hide the pump in the shelf behind..

and maybe for a 8-10 gallon I'm planning on getting after christmas..

but for filter material.. what should be used?

those blue filtermats?

and wouldnt it be better to have the pump placed on top of the canister..
when you filtrate the water, the larger, heavier particles would fall to the bottom instead of just clogging up the filtermat...
edit: i should have read the whole thing :) I should try reading before posting..
 
#11 ·
I think you can do this DIY canister on a large scale size by increasing the pump size and the container size. I already have two extra pumps that I'm not using but one of them is too weak and the other too strong LOL. I think you can find a cheap pump somewhere :thumbsup:. BTW, I think Harbor Freight sells really cheap fountain pump too.
 
#12 ·
#13 ·
the link seems not to be working on my sister computer.I am interested in making this for my 5-ish gallon tank that I am going to house some cherry shrimp in to breed.Thanks!!
 
#15 ·
JBN said:
I think you can do this DIY canister on a large scale size by increasing the pump size and the container size. I already have two extra pumps that I'm not using but one of them is too weak and the other too strong LOL. I think you can find a cheap pump somewhere :thumbsup:. BTW, I think Harbor Freight sells really cheap fountain pump too.
Only thing you have to watch is time and money. With the Zoo Med 501 available for under $30 I would have to be able to build the filter for less than $10 and in less than an hour to make it work for me.
 
#16 ·
I am going to be trying one of these in my week off for the Holidays. I have a few new Rubbermaid "Take Along Deep Square" Containers that seem to be good for this. They hold water fine, I've filled it and shook it a few times and it seems to hold fine. I'll try to find a cheap pump, but I want to have enough flow because I'll use it on my 10 gallon shrimp tank (unless I get the ZooMed 501 turtle filter for Xmas). I should be able to either use plumbing stuff from other filters and other projects, but I'll just stop by lowes for anything else I need. It will probably cost just what the pump costs.

BTW, does anyone know how big a container to use? The ones I have are 5.2 cups. And anyone know what kind of pump would work best?
 
#17 ·
A submersible pump, not too big would work. Harbor Freight sells 66gph pump for $9.99, ouch. The container should be bigger than the pump and should hold whatever filter material you want in it. I'm still wondering if the container could be any size (that is, not beyond the limit of outrageous).
 
#19 · (Edited)
I've tried it now with the Rubbermaid container. I came along some problems:

-Not tall enough (width doesn't matter nearly as much as height)

-Hard to drill through the sides (plus I was using a crappy drill bit)

-Leaked due to drill bit cracking the plastic when it drilled

Anyways that was just an experiment. Now I know that it works in theory, I'm still working on making it practical. Every example I've seen has used the "Lock & Lock" brand containers. I looked on their website and came up with THIS ONE from Ebay. Volume is 2.6 liters (for reference Eheim Classic 2213 is 3 liters), so this one should be pretty big. I'm using a Pico Pump 350 from Hydor. Its rated for 92 gph (eheim 2213 is 116 gph) and since I'm going to be using this filter right next to the tank (10 gallon tank, 12 inches tall I think) and the pump will be at the top of the container (about 7 inches up) there won't be much head to worry about.

I have drawn up plans and am ready to do this. I just need to get the container. It'll be on its way soon, but its coming from China so who knows how long it'll take...
 
#20 ·
You need to fix your link.

And here it comes. That container is $7 plus shipping. Then you have the price of the pump and your time. The tubing and connectors.

I will admit that DIY can be fun. But it looks to me like you will end up with an expensive filter that may or may not work. Why not just get the Zoo Med 501?
 
#21 ·
You need to fix your link.

And here it comes. That container is $7 plus shipping. Then you have the price of the pump and your time. The tubing and connectors.

I will admit that DIY can be fun. But it looks to me like you will end up with an expensive filter that may or may not work. Why not just get the Zoo Med 501?
The ZooMed is $35 at That Fish Place the last time I checked. I already had the pump from a diy co2 reactor from a while back. The plumbing will be just hose clamps, an elbow or two, and a spray bar (either DIY or the Eheim one). I already have different sizes of tubing (1/2 inch will be what I use). So really the cost is whatever the container is plus $2-5 for plumbing stuff. It should still be a lot cheaper than the ZooMed 501.

The other advantage is that this should have more volume and a slightly better flow rate than the ZooMed. I'm also thinking about making it with a built in heater, one more thing that I couldn't do with the ZooMed.

I probably won't get to work on this for a week or two, but when I do I'll try to take pictures along the way and explain any problems.
 
#23 ·
Nice idea, but I see some potential problems.

The pumps used in commercial aquarium filters use a rotating impellor. They are silent and have smooth flow.

Many pumps for pond, fountain, and utility use a reciprocating diaphragm, just like cheap aquarium air pumps. They move water in quick cycles, not smoothly. This means extra noise and vibration that will be transmitted right up through your hoses and into your tank. Will that stress fish? I don't know.

When a commercial canister filter pump wears out, you buy a new impellor. When a diaphragm pump goes out, you buy a new pump.

Regarding the cracked plastic people are experiencing, probably the best way to repair that is solvent welding. It's been too long since I've done it to remember specific details, or maybe the solvents killed those brain cells. :) The usable solvents will differ according to type of plastic. You can often tell what plastic a container is made out of by looking for the recycling symbol on the bottom - each number corresponds to a certain type of plastic. If anyone is interested, I'm sure Google will be helpful.
 
#24 ·
DIY is fun, no doubt about that. My experience with making my own light fixture taught me that I don't save money this way, and end up with a lesser product. So, for me, the question is: is the fun worth enough to offset that? I'm still not sure. Also, I found that the odds and ends needed for a DIY project really do add up, even though they are very cheap individually. Now, having said all of that, I would really enjoy building a cannister filter - and, of course save a bundle of money too. (Us old dogs just never learn.)
 
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