How to Make a Low-Price DIY Canister Filter Using 2 Glass Containers At Home:
Fish tank filters are costly
& you may not find the right filter for your aquarium, particularly if your
aquarium is big. It is always a good option to make your own filter from
homemade stuff. This type of filter will depend on your needs. I can help you
if you want to build an effective filter that will crystal clear your aquarium
water.
The inlet of the canister filter
will draw dirty water. Its outlet will send clean water back to the aquarium.
Building a homemade canister
filter is simple. 2 glass containers are required for storing mechanical &
biological media. It uses a similar concept of a canister filter such as water
from the aquarium is sent to the mechanical filter & then water free of
solid particles enters another container that stores bio media & clean
water is pushed back to the aquarium.
DIY canister filter for aquarium:
In this tutorial I will tell you
how to make a DIY canister filter using 2 containers. Both containers are made
of glass & they are locked with a plastic lid. Both glass containers are
leak free. Each container contains 1.7 Liter of water & they have combined
water capacity of 3.4 Liter.
First container contains
mechanical filter media & the second container contains bio media. I am
using a 200 L/H flow rate pump & it is filtering a nano aquarium that can
only hold 20 Liters of water. If you need a larger canister filter then still
this tutorial will help you.
Biological media breaks down
dangerous ammonia into nitrites which is less toxic than ammonia. Nitrites are
further broken into nitrates which is even less toxic than nitrites. Also,
other impurities like dangerous ions are removed & bio media will keep
neutral water PH. Clean water is pushed back to the aquarium using a
submersible pump.
Stuff required for making a Canister Filter:
- Inlet & outlet hose
- 2-way snap on connector
- Vinyl tube joiner
- Elbow connector
- 1.7 Liter airtight glass container
- Filter Pump 200 L/H
- Suction Cups
- Ratchet Clamps
Step 1: Drill holes in both containers:
Remove labels from the glass
jars. Drill 2 holes in both containers' lid. Refine edges using sand paper.
Step 2: Insert tube joiners & connect pump:
Insert 2 vinyl tube joiners in each
hole of both containers. Pass motor wiring through the hole in the bio media
container & attach a submersible pump to the outlet vinyl tube joiner of
the container from the inner side.
Submersible pump will suck water
from the aquarium. Water will enter the first container containing mechanical
media & then using a hose, water free of solid particles, will enter the
bio media container. Then a submersible pump will push clean water back to the
aquarium.
Step 3: Apply glue to all connections:
Use aquarium safe silicone for
sealing connections that will prevent water from leaking through both
containers. Wait till the glue fully seals all connections.
Outer side of Mechanical Media (First) Container:
Attach a snap on connector to the
outer side of the inlet vinyl tube joiner. You can rotate the snap on connector
in both directions. It will be used for drawing dirty water from the aquarium.
Inner side of Mechanical Media (First) Container:
Attach a pipe which contains many holes to the inner side of the inlet vinyl tube joiner. Wrap a fine foam around the pipe for trapping waste particles that enter this container.
For mechanical filtration media,
I am using fine foam. It will trap even very tiny waste particles & will allow
water free of waste to move into the biological filter chamber.
Outer side of Bio Media (Second) Container:
Connect another snap on connector
to the outer side of the outlet vinyl tube joiner. Snap on connector can be
rotated in both directions. It will push clean water back to the aquarium.
Inner side of Bio Media (Second) container:
Attach a plastic T hose joiner to the bottom end of a hose & connect the top end of the hose to the inner side of the inlet vinyl tube joiner. The inlet hose will collect water from the mechanical media container & will release it in the bottom of the biological container using T hose joiner. Submersible pump is attached to the inner side of the outlet vinyl tube joiner of this container.
Add the following biological
media to the bio media container.
- Ceramic Rings
- Bio Balls
Ceramic Rings:
It biologically cleans your
aquarium water & saves your fish from pollutants. Outer part of the ceramic
rings has many tiny holes, & there is a hole in the center. Water not only
flows over the ceramic rings but passes through its center too.
Ceramic rings look like noodles
so they are also called ceramic noodles.
Bio Balls:
Bio Balls allow all the good
bacteria to build colonies on its surface. It has lots of surface area for
allowing good bacteria to cling to. They have grooves & spaces for holding
an abundance of beneficial bacteria.
Bio Balls will keep the PH of
water at neutral for a longer period & it will absorb & dissolve toxic
ions. Bio Balls are an effective solution for cleaning aquarium water.
Connect Canister Filter to the Aquarium:
Connect an elbow connector to the outlet vinyl tube joiner of the mechanical filter media container. Use another elbow connector for the inlet vinyl tube joiner of the biological media container. Use a small hose for connecting both elbow connectors. This will join both containers & will complete setting up a canister filter.
It is time to connect the
canister filter to the aquarium. Connect one end of a hose to a plastic
strainer & another end to the inlet snap on connector of mechanical media
container. It will draw water from the aquarium & will avoid sucking small
fish.
Connect one end of a hose to an
elbow connector & another end to the outlet of the snap on connector of a
bio media container. Water will be pushed back to the aquarium using a
submersible pump & it will flow through the hose & the elbow connector.
The End:
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial & it helps you in making a canister filter for your aquarium. Please feel free to ask any question in the comments.
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