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Q- How can I make a canister filter?
First there are two designs I have. One is where it hangs on the back of the tank. This one I think would be the most simple and effiecent as far as pumping the water into it and getting it waterproof. You go to a plastics shop and have them bend a piece 1/4" plexiglass or better yet lexan (which is stronger). Your going to want two "plastic" screws I'm not sure what they are made of, to keep it level. The second will sit (if you make it right) in your stand or on the ground.
The Basics- 3 12" tubes. Your going to want the white kind of pvc.(it holds more pressure) The first tube is 4" in diameter. This one is the mechanical filter. (I'll cover what to put in them later) The other two are chemical modules. You could do with two instead of three. But three will cover a whole tanks filteration. You could also
try a heater module but good luck on that one. 1/2" pvc and tubing will work to pump into the canisters. Next the caps use the screw in type of caps that are white and have a square on them. You want to screw in the caps on the bottom upside down. so they sit flat and seal them completely. The top ones go in regular like and use the thick kind of thread tape to seal the lids so you can get into them to change the media. I don't know if you want to use pvc sealent or epoxy. I know that pvc sealent is toxic so that one is up to the maker. Use 1/2" tubing and drill holes on the sides of the caps. Drill a couple holes on a scrap piece of tubing make sure the bit doesn't get hot enough to melt the pvc. Use water to cool it down. If you mount it on the tank the tubing that goes in the bottom can go into the
bottom of the cap and you can use regular caps on the bottoms. In the first tube the water goes in the top then goes out through the bottom to the bottom of the second tube then through the top of the second to the top of third then to the bottom of the third back to the tank. That way all the water passes all the media. Make sure the tubing is on the sides of the caps so that you can open the lids. MEDIA- You could use a sponge before it goes into the canister but either way this will work. A prefilter will cut down on how much filter maintence you have to do. I the first mechanical/biological module put two pieces of fluval foam. It is coarse foam. Then under it fill the tube with filter floss (about $2 a bag at a petco) In the 2nd module/tube put a fluval round pad in the bottom (so the chemical stuff doesn't go into the other canister) and fill half or all the way with carbon. Then if you fill it half way put another fluval round foam piece on top of the carbon and add X-phosphate or X-nitrate or crushed coral to buffer the water or peat for soft water. Then put a another piece of fluval foam on the top. In the third you can fill it with whatever you want. I would use the third for a water bufferer. Just make sure to put in the fluval foam so that it doesn't dump out into the tank or into other chambers. You could use something besides the fluval foam like a sponge just make sure not to pack the canisters too tight because it will restrict the water flow. The pump- Use at least a 400gph for the three chambers. Get a pump that has good pressure. I don't really care for Rio brand because they don't have good pressure. You could use two pumps-one to push the water in and one to pull the water out. Put the intake on the other side of the tank so that you have good water flow through out the tank. Also I use the filter floss almost solely in my power filters. It saves me money and if I want I just add a bag of carbon. It also gives me more room for bacteria growth. Before you start this go to cichlidae.com and check out their diy fluidized bed filter in the articles. This might help on what to use to waterproof it. ALSO make sure you have a pump that will fit the tubing. I have noticed that 1/2" tubing that fits on the pvc nipples will only fit on the intake of hagen powerheads. Use plastic ties to keep the nipples sealed. Also I have heard that you can make your own sponge filters. Buy a sponge for doing grout from a home depot or whatever. Make sure there is no soap in it. Soak it in water and put it in the freezer. Than once it is frozen drill a hole in it or use a piece of copper pipe that has a "tooth" to it and cut a hole so that a piece of 1/2" pvc tubing will fit in it than drill some holes in the pvc and hook up to a powerhead. I just bought a couple of sponges to do a river setup in my 55gal. They were $2 at home depot. It should be easy to do. Remember this is a hobby have fun.
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