Michigan Cichlid Association

General Category => DIY => Topic started by: Ron on July 04, 2015, 08:12:16 PM

Title: DIY Bucket Filter
Post by: Ron on July 04, 2015, 08:12:16 PM

I put together a few DIY air-driven bucket filters today. The size of the container can be scaled to the size of whatever you're putting it into. Not exactly rocket science, but figured I'd post some pictures in case it helps anyone else...

Pictures are worth a 1000 words.  8)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%201%20copy.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%202%20copy.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%203%20copy.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%204%20copy.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%201.jpg)
^ Washed lava rock to serve as biomedia (and also weigh down the bucket a bit)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%202.jpg)
^ Extra odd shapes of Poret foam I had around to be used as extra biomedia

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%203.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%201%20copy%202.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%204.jpg)
^ Lid retains filter floss from floating away, especially when it's first sunk into the water. Hole cut to allow the stand pipe to pass through and the additional cuts to allow water inflow - should be greater than the standpipe diameter in order to not serve as a restriction.

Finished product:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%202%20copy%202.jpg)

In action:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/RonACRF/photo%203%20copy%202.jpg)

Cheers!

Title: Re: DIY Bucket Filter
Post by: Regalblue on July 05, 2015, 02:39:22 AM

Nicely done

Title: Re: DIY Bucket Filter
Post by: LanaK on July 06, 2015, 09:58:44 AM

You do such awesome DIY tutorials - Thanks for sharing!

Title: Re: DIY Bucket Filter
Post by: Ron on July 06, 2015, 10:24:49 PM

 :)

Title: Re: DIY Bucket Filter
Post by: Jasvin2000 on July 16, 2015, 09:40:29 AM

Just curious so this bucket will be in tank ?   (New member)

Title: Re: DIY Bucket Filter
Post by: Ron on July 17, 2015, 07:46:19 AM

Quote from: Jasvin2000 on July 16, 2015, 09:40:29 AM

Just curious so this bucket will be in tank ?   (New member)

Yep - last picture shows it underwater.

You would want to scale the size of the container to the size of the tank. In my instance it was pretty large, so I used a 5 gallon bucket and lava rock for the media. For a smaller tank, they sell smaller buckets (1-2 gallons) and you could either crush up the lava rock, use a porous gravel, or a ceramic media made for filters instead of the larger rocks, in order to provide greater surface area within a given volume.