How To Make A Canister Filter

water tight gallon or larger jar with hat
aquarium pump running at least 3x the volume of your tank
rubber tubing to fit pump
ii threaded 1/2 PVC elbows
1 connector that is threaded on both sides to fit PVC elbows
one i/2 inch PVC elbow
4-6 inches of one/2 inch PVC pipage
Blue scrubby pads
Red scrubby pads
Bio Balls (optional)
Charcoal in cyberspace purse or nylon stocking
Ammo-loc in internet bag or nylon stocking
cordless drill and bits

Tip

If y'all find leaks you can use aquarium sealant to correct the problem. Brand sure the area is dry and let ample time for it to cure before reattaching the pump and pressurizing the organization

Warning

I can non be held responsible if you did non make sure your canister filter leaked and y'all dump the entire contents of your tank on the flooring or loose fish.

Canister aquarium filters do a wonderful job of keeping your tank looking pristine but they are expensive to buy

If you accept an aquarium odds are you have some sort of filter on it or you won't have live fish for long.

Typically the size of the tank combined with the corporeality of fish in inches determines how much filtration is needed to keep the tank water fresh. The ameliorate the filtration the less h2o changes are necessary to keep your tank salubrious.

You unremarkably desire your filtration to be at least double the size of your tank plus the number of inches of fish. Then lets say you have a 60 gallon tank and you have 30 inches of fish, you desire your filtration to be at least ninety x 2 or amend yet 90 x 3 so you demand a pump that pushes at least 180 gph of h2o. This gives y'all iii choices; Under gravel filtration using a power head hang on filter canister filter

Of those choices the canister filter is preferred just the most expensive. I have a link to a canister filter beingness sold on Amazon.com for $132.50

As you tin meet canister filters are expensive but I am hither to tell you that with a footling ingenuity you can build your ain or if yous don't want to make your own you could buy the i listed below for $132.fifty.

Mine cost me less than $35 to make and keeps my tilapia tank looking pretty pristine. I had near everything hither already so honestly it toll me about $v.

My filter sits right next to my tank and then this is how I will explain it, if your filter will be hidden under the tank you volition need to utilize a threaded coupler instead of an elbow and lengthen the render pipe. Proceed in listen that the higher the pump has to lift the water the lower the output and so adjust appropriately.

Step 1

First thing is finding the container y'all will use for your canister filter. Our family loves cookies and pretzels and since we store at a warehouse shop one time a month we buy some sort of goodie in gallon size or larger plastic jars. So for my filter I used a Ginger Snap container to brand mine with.

Leak test the jar to make sure that information technology tin withstand some pressure level. I filled the jar with water and screwed the lid downwardly tight. So I held it close to my body and gave information technology a good clasp. I figure that since the pressure is uneven it would be more likely to leak this way. This jar passed this test so it is what I used. I tried to take the label off but was unsuccessful and then somewhen I will accept to do something about that, only if you hide the filter in the cabinet stand your aquarium sits on, who cares if the label is still there?

Step 2

Use your cordless drill to place two holes in the lid of your container. These holes need to exist mid style betwixt the center of the lid and the outer edge.

Beginning hole Make sure that the outset hole is slightly smaller in diameter than the tubing that volition be going to your water pump.
Second hole This second pigsty needs to be slightly smaller than the diameter of your connector that will exist attached to your threaded elbows.

Step three

Cut one end of your rubber tubing at an angle and insert information technology through the smaller of the 2 holes you made in your hat. It will be a snug fit and then yous may need to use a petty Pam cooking spray to lubricate it and some pliers to assistance pull it through the hole. Pull the tubing so that it extends virtually 4-6 inches beyond the lid as y'all desire the h2o to be pumped to the bottom of your canister filter.

Pace 4

thread the threaded connector onto one of your threaded elbows and and then thread this downwardly into the hole you made in the lid. This should also be a very tight fit. In one case y'all accept the elbow threaded through the lid as far every bit it will get yous will want to face the open cease of the elbow towards the outer edge of the lid. You lot can use a pocket-sized amount of aquarium sealant between this connector and the lid if you like merely if you lot made the hole tight enough this should not exist necessary.

Now thread the second threaded elbow over the connector that is now protruding through the bottom of your lid. You tin likewise at this time apply a niggling aquarium sealant around the connector at the chapeau if y'all like but if you fabricated this pigsty tight plenty you lot should not demand to do this. Tighten the elbow down equally tight as you can with the open finish pointing towards the middle of the hat. Attach your piece of PVC pipe and place the other elbow on the open end of the pipe with the open end of the elbow facing downwards. This will be the return drain back into your tank.

Step five

Identify your baggies of carbon (charcoal) and Ammo-lock into the bottom of your jar.

If y'all are using Bio-assurance yous can at present fill up your jar 3/4 of the mode full with them. Otherwise, cut up your scarlet and blue scrubby pads into 2 or iii inch squares and fill the jar with them to betwixt 3/four full to almost an inch or and then from the top of the jar. If you are using bio balls you lot will notwithstanding cut upwardly the scrubby pads but place them on top of the bio balls and fill to virtually two or 3 inches beneath the top of the jar.

Next carefully lower the hat over the jar and piece of work the prophylactic tubing downward through the filter media and spiral the chapeau on tight.

Place your filter where it will exist kept. In my case the filter is correct next to the tank. Once I placed information technology there I realized that I did non have enough lift space available then I had to place my filter on an object to get the outlet tiptop just right.

Step 6

This is my finished canister filter. You can withal run across the ginger snaps lable on the canteen

Adhere your pump to the canister filters inlet tubing and make sure that the PVC outlet tubing is over the tank so that information technology can bleed correctly.

Plug in your pump and watch for any leaks. Correct leaks accordingly, in my case I had to tighten the lid slightly.

Make sure that y'all are happy with the h2o flow exiting the canister, you lot may demand to make changes in the pump if y'all calculated incorrectly. My pump has a variable output so I just turned it to maximum.