DIY Filter...

[ChrisH]

As a broke student, who has just bought a 350l tank I am looking for the cheapest filter option. Has anyone ever tried to make their own filter?

 

[cutecotton]

umm nope, i've used corner filters but that requires an air pump

 

[mr_br0kn_drmz]

try dr. foster and smith. they have some cheap hob filters

 

[endparenthesis]

http/www.petfish.net/diy_filter.htm

I've made one of these in the past but I really haven't used it much. I don't really like the filters that move water like this... it seems like almost all of the water that goes in just shoots right back up again.

 

[Tolak]

Get a cheap submersable pump or powerhead. You can attach a 2 liter bottle to the intake with the proper sized scrap of tubing. Cut the bottom out of the bottle, and place a scrap of plastic with holes in it up by the neck inside the bottle. This will keep your media from being sucked into the pump. Next fill it with some filter floss, & sponge materal, much like a cannister filter.

You are in effect building a submersable cannister filter, so if you can get your hands on some cannister media to stack in there, all the better. Just make sure that the last round piece of coarse sponge fits in reasonably tight, to avoid water bypassing the media, and smaller fish from being sucked in.

I've built a smaller one with a 1 liter bottle, & all foam media with a 550 gph pump to keep the bottom of my 55 gal. tank with plecs clean. The water flow is great, my total cost was around $20.

Try pm'ing ste2k3. He is a guru at building these sort of things, and will probably have a ton more ideas.

Tolak