Build DIY Aquarium Filter At Home:
Aquarium filter is very important part of every aquarium. If you are setting up your aquarium, then make sure you find the best filter based on the size of the aquarium. For larger aquariums, it is recommended to use a powerful pump that pushes lots of water to the filter. Aquarium filter not only removes visible waste particles from aquarium but it also oxidizes water & helps in generating good bacteria which decomposes the waste into less toxic components that can be easily removed from water.
Hobbyists love to build DIY aquarium filters & I have plenty of videos that assist you in building the best filter at home. In this video, I talk about building a DIY SUMP filter for a mini aquarium using powerhead pump. This concept of building DIY aquarium filter is very simple & it is just like my previous tutorial on DIY overhead aquarium SUMP filter.
However, I recommend you to
consider this DIY filter because it is an improved version of my previous tutorial on DIY SUMP filter. I have sorted out a couple of the problems that I had in DIY
SUMP filter.
A spare parts tray is used as a
container for DIY aquarium filter & I am using a number of dividers that
give me the choice to adjust the height of compartments. This filter lets water
flow through the biological media. Unlike other videos based on top tank
filter, where water simply run over the filter media. I am using washer on the
tap & hose connector which acts as a double seal & avoids the addition
of silicon. I have tested the flow of water & leak before adding this
filter to my new mini aquarium. I am using submersible pump to power this
filter which is available for free with the aquarium.
Inlet hose for DIY aquarium
filter is 16 mm & outlet tap is 20 mm, this allows water to run smoothly
without any problem of overflowing. The size of tank filter makes it more
suitable for a mini aquarium. Use the same procedure if you want to build a
bigger filter for a larger aquarium.
Mechanical Filtration:
Mechanical filtration traps waste
particles & other debris present in the water. My advice is to use 2 types
of foams: coarse & fine foams. Use coarse foam first which traps all the large
particles & it is then followed by fine foam which can help offer efficient
mechanical filtration. This order of filtration will ensure that none of the
micro pores in the bio media will get clogged by waste particles. Changing the
order of mechanical filtration will affect the overall efficiency of the aquarium
filter & over time the performance of filter will be reduced.
Biological Filtration:
Biological filtration is crucial of all types of filtration. If your aquarium has lack of bio media, then it might kill your fish.
Bio Baki Ball is a breathing bio ball fired by high temperature. It helps in making nitrifying bacteria. It helps in restoring the quality of water, & provide the best environment for your fish.
Zeolite offer a large surface
area & can absorb very well, & offers ion exchange capacity &
chemical stability which makes it a very important bio media.
Ingredients:
I am using the following
ingredients for this filter:
For mechanical filtration I am
using:
Fine Foam
Coarse Foam
For biological filtration I am
using:
Zeolites
Bio Bakki Balls
Steps for building DIY aquarium filter:
Follow all steps correctly if you want to build a seal proof DIY aquarium filter. Have a look at video below which shows how to build DIY fish tank filter at home:
Step 1:
Use spare parts tray of dimension:
30 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (L x W x H). This tray can help build the best aquarium
filter. It has multiple compartments for storing mechanical filtration media
& biological filtration media. Also you can adjust the height of the
divider so that water passes through the filter media & now just flow on
top of it.
Step 2:
I am using a couple of
attachments to connect blue hose to powerhead. Connect a pipe to the outlet of
powerhead. Then connect a thick pipe to the other side of the pipe. Make sure
water does not leak through the pipes. Further connect aquarium filter inlet
pipe to the powerhead.
Step 3:
I am using 20 mm paddle bit for
drilling a hole in the container for the outlet. Another hole I am drilling for
the inlet hose so for this purpose my paddle bit size is 16 mm. After drilling the
holes, it is time to sand the rough edges. Inlet valve is connected to
powerhead via blue hose. The submersible pump pushes water into the SUMP. Water
then passes through the mechanical filtration media & then passes through
the biological media & from the outlet valve flows back into the aquarium.
Step 4:
I am using a netted pot for
storing coarse & fine foam. Water hose is used for connecting powerhead to
aquarium filter. Water Can tap is used for allowing water to flow back to the aquarium.
Size of the water tap is: 20 mm fine threaded.
Step 5:
I have installed the water tap in
the outlet hose. I am using hose connectors that come with garden hose. For
tight seal use washer on both attachments. Then I tested all connections for
leak. This is the point I want to know whether silicone is required for sealing
the connection or not. I have filled the SUMP with water, & I am glad that there
is no leakage.
Step 6:
I am using coarse & fine foam
for my mechanical filtration. For coarse foam, you can also use sponge. I have installed
my mechanical filtration media inside a netted pot. Coarse foam will trap all
the big particles & then water with small waste particles will pass through
the fine foam & hence only clean water will enter biological filtration
media.
Step 7:
Adjust the positioning of
dividers so that water flows through the biological filtration media. I have
cut the divider so that I can adjust it to make sure water does not flow over
the bio media. It must flow through it & enter aquarium through the tap.
Step 8:
For biological filtration media I
am using zeolites that are crystalline compounds of volcanic origin. I am also using
bio bakki balls. My recommendation is to rinse media before using it for
aquarium. Make sure you remove all dirt before using this filter.
Step 9:
Connect the blue hose of filter to powerhead. Make sure SUMP is completely filled before you turn on the water tap for allowing water to flow back to aquarium. I have successful tested the pump & I am using it for my mini aquarium.
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