ExcessiveHerps
Leo Addict
- Messages
- 447
- Location
- Las Vegas NV
Sometime ago I manufactered a DIY filter for a 150 gallon rubbermaid stock tank. I used the following items to construct it.
1.) Mag Drive #3
2.) 18 Gallon rough neck rubbermaid storage container
3.) .5'' PVC pipe with elbow and T connectors
4.) 3'' grey bulkhead & PVC for the output
5.) Rubber gasket
6.) 1/5'' clear hose
7.)Media in the form of filter floss, small lava rock, bio balls, & ceramic rings
The filter turn out OK yet after set up it was clear I could have made it better, the biggest things where that I had the water enter from the intake into one of the corners with a connecter which the intake hose fed into. Due the the input being in just a single corner water didn't make it to much more than about 1/3rd of the filter. So I had all this media which was probably never inhabited with bacteria as the output is at the bottom
of the container and the input being in the 1 corner.
I also had too much weight on the output which was noticely weighed down and angled, plus it was on the rigth side of the container sticking out maybe 3-4'' out into the water which the habitats inhabitant very much enjoyed to wedge himself inbetween it and the side of the stock tank.
Since this intial DIY filter I have constructed 2 more smaller filters with the same sized mag drive pumps, I would say I have improved with each filter slightly due to the experince from the previous ones. For sometime I have considered re-doing the filter for the 150 gallon & I did just that last night.
I had went out & repurchased nearly everything even upgrading to a mag drive #5 and getting a PVC T connector which allowed for an male fitting to be screwed into for the hose. The new & improved filter had the output coming from the center & a limited # of water coming into the filter from the center to allow even distrubtion & providing more water covered media for bacteria from the entire container. Pictures are provided below.
Here you see all the items used minus the .5'' PVC tubing, mag drive #5, male fittings from the filter & mag drive. As you can see I did end up reusing the bulk head yet applying more teflon.
With the bulk head attached and adding PVC inside the filter via the bulkhead to conter balance the output outside the container. The filter floss which was already used for this filter was added to the bottom of this container.
After the filter floss a few inches of small lava rock was added again the same ones which where used for this same enclosure. Fresh filter floss added above it and then a fake grass matt not specific reason, it just wasn't being used for anything else. I also cut away the filter floss from the PVC which leads to the bulkhead and then covered it with the bag of ceramic rings to prevent the next items (bio balls) to go thru the 3'' PVC.
500 bio balls are added and toped with an final sheet of filter floss, this one being the one which will be clean weekly to prevent from maintence in the rest of the media required more than needed.
Here you can see the the PVC construction which the water enters the filter & allows for even distrubtion of the water. Note the wholes where the water exits from
A peek in the filter once completed, here you can see the collection of water born debris from the enclosure, the filter had been running for several hours at this point.
The finished product, note the output PVC & intake house, the brass fitting can be seen (vaguely) where the intake house is connected to the mag drive #5.
1.) Mag Drive #3
2.) 18 Gallon rough neck rubbermaid storage container
3.) .5'' PVC pipe with elbow and T connectors
4.) 3'' grey bulkhead & PVC for the output
5.) Rubber gasket
6.) 1/5'' clear hose
7.)Media in the form of filter floss, small lava rock, bio balls, & ceramic rings
The filter turn out OK yet after set up it was clear I could have made it better, the biggest things where that I had the water enter from the intake into one of the corners with a connecter which the intake hose fed into. Due the the input being in just a single corner water didn't make it to much more than about 1/3rd of the filter. So I had all this media which was probably never inhabited with bacteria as the output is at the bottom
of the container and the input being in the 1 corner.
I also had too much weight on the output which was noticely weighed down and angled, plus it was on the rigth side of the container sticking out maybe 3-4'' out into the water which the habitats inhabitant very much enjoyed to wedge himself inbetween it and the side of the stock tank.
Since this intial DIY filter I have constructed 2 more smaller filters with the same sized mag drive pumps, I would say I have improved with each filter slightly due to the experince from the previous ones. For sometime I have considered re-doing the filter for the 150 gallon & I did just that last night.
I had went out & repurchased nearly everything even upgrading to a mag drive #5 and getting a PVC T connector which allowed for an male fitting to be screwed into for the hose. The new & improved filter had the output coming from the center & a limited # of water coming into the filter from the center to allow even distrubtion & providing more water covered media for bacteria from the entire container. Pictures are provided below.
Here you see all the items used minus the .5'' PVC tubing, mag drive #5, male fittings from the filter & mag drive. As you can see I did end up reusing the bulk head yet applying more teflon.
With the bulk head attached and adding PVC inside the filter via the bulkhead to conter balance the output outside the container. The filter floss which was already used for this filter was added to the bottom of this container.
After the filter floss a few inches of small lava rock was added again the same ones which where used for this same enclosure. Fresh filter floss added above it and then a fake grass matt not specific reason, it just wasn't being used for anything else. I also cut away the filter floss from the PVC which leads to the bulkhead and then covered it with the bag of ceramic rings to prevent the next items (bio balls) to go thru the 3'' PVC.
500 bio balls are added and toped with an final sheet of filter floss, this one being the one which will be clean weekly to prevent from maintence in the rest of the media required more than needed.
Here you can see the the PVC construction which the water enters the filter & allows for even distrubtion of the water. Note the wholes where the water exits from
A peek in the filter once completed, here you can see the collection of water born debris from the enclosure, the filter had been running for several hours at this point.
The finished product, note the output PVC & intake house, the brass fitting can be seen (vaguely) where the intake house is connected to the mag drive #5.
