# DIY canister filter



## sfame

Hi,

New to this site just wanted to say hello, I am a DIY specially when it comes to maintaining a better ecosystem for my Sharks. 
Anyways, after my Marineland c-360 canister filter leaked all over my hardwood florrs I decided to develop my own DIY canister filter made out of a 5 gallon bucket and some inexpensive plumbing parts. It is a dual action 10 phase canister filter that is easy to maintain.. It keeps my water crystal clear like new and also my ammonia levels minimul (see pic)








The dirty unfiltered water comes in from the upper right half of the canister filter is pushed down and is then carried up to the water level tube on the left side and the water is then scrubbed again..and then the water is pushed back out to the tank..(i designed the pics and the name from my shark tank)
It is a relatively easy make it took less than a 1 hour to make and realtively inexpensive less than 20 dollars.. If your interested in the schematics and making one yourself contact me and ill send you the schematics and the step by step instructions at how to do it yourself..
The reason I am doing this is due to I am sick of companies not standing by there warranties ... And once you make one you can remake others for other applications on other tanks so to HECK with them Overpriced COMPANIES
message me or email me and i will send them to you 
Shane







 i used to feel like this changing my water


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## Rodolfo

hey bro sound grate i was just looking for some thing like this im going to start on a fresh water sting ray tank and i need some thing like this could i get more detail from you on how to make it please im not going to sale or give your idea to someone else like you i like to think out side the box and save my self a few bucks and have the pride that i did it my self .


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## sfame

ok cool i will start posting this week equipment and tools


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## Rodolfo

cool bro thanks


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## Rodolfo

what are the ceramic rings and where can i get them o and what do they suck out or grow thank you shane your a good man


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## sfame

ceramic rings are Extremely porous ceramic media for efficient biological filtration. Hollow design effectively distributes water flow and allows massive colonies of beneficial bacteria to grow on and inside each ring. Great for both fresh and saltwater aquariums. FilStar Ceramic Rings are designed for use in all FilStar filters but can also be used with other canister filters. For optimum biological filtration, use 1 liter per 75 gallons of aquarium water.








They generally come in a bag at a pet store rewashable and reuseable I have also seen the use of platic drinking straws cut in 1 inch length and used instead


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## sfame

ggg


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## Rodolfo

Can we see a pic of your sharks? Like I said I would to start a freshwater stingray do you know anything about them any suggestion would be appreciated. I’ve keep spotted rays in the past I think I’m not a total nobe but am debating between a freshwater Atlantic stingray from st jhons river variety which are totally freshwater, or some of the south American Amazonian variety?


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## sfame

Ill post the pics tommorrow my picture uploader is on other computer and gf is doing schoolwork so ill have to upload them tommorrow i couldnt get the whole tank in tho just smaller pics of Sharks.. I did see a freshwater stingray tank and rays for sale up here in wisconsin I ask about them and they seemed pretty cool and low maintenance just a little sand on the bottom of tank but im not sure what they eat or the filtration process
they would probably need water movement like my sharks to keep the water circulating.


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## Rodolfo

Yes! Right they do need the same sort of filtration the bigger the better they feed and defecate a lot do you have anything else to circulate water in your tank apart from the sharke


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## sfame

i aso have a powerhead which circulates the water pretty good when it works t is alos a bad design maybe ill try to make a better one of the


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## sfame

Here is a picture of my 2 biggest freshwater sharks one has lost his eye though due to a pig nose puffer that the guy at aquarium store said would be ok so i call him one eye jack there both about 10 inches long right now i had them for almost 3 years


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## Rodolfo

impressive bro erodesent sharks are some of my most favorite fish they get big. and let me know when you desine that powerhead i would paten it if i where you. i think that as soon as i get the 200gal for the rays ill start doing the filter most likely this weekend.


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## MediaHound

Nice sharks Shane!


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## sfame

thanks man


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## MediaHound

Hey Shane you missed us in chat night tonight!


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## Ironmahn

Do you have more on building this DYI?


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## Dmaaaaax

Why would you have a fine filter on top and the coarse filter on the bottom? Most filters go from coarse to smaller and smaller so that you don't clog the smallest filter with larger matrial/debris. Am I just reading it wrong?

And it looks like about 50% of the water gets recycled back into the filter and 50% goes back to the tank directly?


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## sfame

sorry the filter media is upside down and the pumps are in a seperate holding container so it gets recycled again


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## sfame

sorry was busy the last couple weeks


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## sfame

i was busy trying to get my computer back online which someone would help me with that lol
here are the rest of the pages for the filter sorry i put them on one page to save space


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## sfame

i usuually to find head pressure multiply 5 or 6 times the amount of aquarium


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## sfame

heres some random pics of my sharkey dual action running it is very quite and i had it going for about a month no problems water still clear my nitrates are fine and ammonia zero


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## sfame

my gfs hydor prime 30 took a crap this week so ill be making another one except i will be using a clear bucket and using army men as my bioballs lol i think be cool to watch them floating around
if you have any questions feel free to contact me

my next DIY is probably a powerhead


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## sfame

also it wouldnt be bad to put a check valve in on the return side of the filter just in case 

and also like i had to do if your pump is not big enough put a shut off valve on return side so you can fluctuate the amount of water going into the bucket so it doesnt over 
flow the bucket
otherwise you got yourself a great canister filter for 20 dollars less the price of the pump
i looked on ebay 550 gph about 30 dollars


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## sfame

it has bneen a year and the pump is still running great..no problems and i had to clean it out once..in a year after i checked my ammonia levels were about.50 mg/l but i have 8 sharks and they eat 3 pinches of flake food a day


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## sfame

also i updated my pump got a 450 gph due to the fact my tubing is 3/4 inch if i used smaller tubing like my gf one i made you could easliy get away with a 180-250 gph


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## sfame

ok i got a great idea and a diy trickle filter from walmart drawers for my gf tank it is quite easy to make and very inexpensive


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## sfame

still working on my 9v wavemaker also using a dc motor


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## sfame




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## sfame




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## sfame




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## sfame

Also Get A large Holding tank to put the bucket into A safety precaution just incase of overflow!!
Make sure the sub pump is 4 times the amount of GPH the size of your tank (i.e. 70 gallon tank at least 280 GPH pump)


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## sfame




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## sfame




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## sfame




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## sfame

put a ball valve on the top inlet screw on so you can adjust the gravity flow of your siphoned system ot would be pic B


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## sfame




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## sfame




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## sfame




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## sfame

Put a ball valve on the intake to your canister filter, it will help you adjust the water flow from your aquarium to your tank


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## sfame




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## sfame

Be sure about the Overflow tank Large enough to hold the bucket...
I have a new revised system which uses Walmart plastic trays which have holes punched in (those are the media slots) Easy to access....and take out ....
ALSO I forgot to ADD Make a small hole on your Inlet hose that sucks from the tank about 2 inches down this will help duriong a power failure so you dont have 100 gallons laying on your ground....
Any Questions email me or pm me 
[email protected]

Shane


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## sfame

Also if anyone has any ideas to improve letme know...I am always up for new ideas!!


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## sipres87

i would love to get the scematics from you, on how to make my own filter!!!


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## sfame

sipres87 said:


> i would love to get the scematics from you, on how to make my own filter!!!


Its a step by step instruction if you would read it prettybasic stuff


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