has anyone made or use a diy filter?i want to make some,but not sure on best type/way to make?
scottie
scottie
filters?
- Thread starter scottie73
- Start date
Hi all,
Scottie, I make all of mine, the advantage is you can get a lot of biological filtration for very little money.
The simplest are maxijet powerheads with a large sponge filter fitted to the filter scaffold that comes with them. I use either large sponge blocks (they are for koi filter) cut down to size, or ppi10 dimpled sponge sheets, rolled up and fastened on with cable ties.
I've also made wet and dry trickle filters, mine were over-tank ones, but you could use a sump. The advantage of these is you get highly oxygenated water, as well as vast biological filtration. The simplest ones were vertical lengths of drain pipe 3/4 filled with hydroleca granules, the water goes in through a spray plate (I used a plant pot with some coarse sponge in it) runs through the media (bioballs or plastic pot scrubbers would be as good) and either back into the tank (overtank) or into a sump, from where it is pumped back up.
In my opinion the best filters are planted over-tank wet and dry ones. I'm trying to find the pictures of these in action (for N2Biomes on PF).
But basically they are a length of angled guttering (the angle doesn't need to be very much, you can adjust it for the strength of the powerhead), with several internal weirs, hydroleca and plants initially planted in rockwool blocks. The water is picked up by powerhead or pump, dumped in the high end of the guttering, and then flows under gravity through the media, plant roots and over the internal weirs, and back into the tank.
Cheap, simple and very high quality water returned to the tank, only real disadvantage is the "water fall" return makes them noisy.
cheers Darrel
Scottie, I make all of mine, the advantage is you can get a lot of biological filtration for very little money.
The simplest are maxijet powerheads with a large sponge filter fitted to the filter scaffold that comes with them. I use either large sponge blocks (they are for koi filter) cut down to size, or ppi10 dimpled sponge sheets, rolled up and fastened on with cable ties.
I've also made wet and dry trickle filters, mine were over-tank ones, but you could use a sump. The advantage of these is you get highly oxygenated water, as well as vast biological filtration. The simplest ones were vertical lengths of drain pipe 3/4 filled with hydroleca granules, the water goes in through a spray plate (I used a plant pot with some coarse sponge in it) runs through the media (bioballs or plastic pot scrubbers would be as good) and either back into the tank (overtank) or into a sump, from where it is pumped back up.
In my opinion the best filters are planted over-tank wet and dry ones. I'm trying to find the pictures of these in action (for N2Biomes on PF).
But basically they are a length of angled guttering (the angle doesn't need to be very much, you can adjust it for the strength of the powerhead), with several internal weirs, hydroleca and plants initially planted in rockwool blocks. The water is picked up by powerhead or pump, dumped in the high end of the guttering, and then flows under gravity through the media, plant roots and over the internal weirs, and back into the tank.
Cheap, simple and very high quality water returned to the tank, only real disadvantage is the "water fall" return makes them noisy.
cheers Darrel
