Diy: Re Plumbing Aquaclear Hob

[bitteraspects]

(did this DIY write up for a member on another forum, but if someone else can make use of it, more power to you)

this is my first attempt at a smaller hob, so bare with me. i have done ac110 and canisters in the past, but this is a bit smaller. same concept though.

the HOB filter is a great idea. and works great for most aquarium systems, however there is a major flaw in the design. with the intake tube directly under the silde (waterfall portion of the filter), youre recycling a lot of clean water that just came out of the filter. im not sure about the exact math, but id be willing to say its AT LEAST 50%.
by moving the intake to the opposite side of the tank, you create a larger cycle area in your tank, and maximize efficiency of your filter.

lets go.

what youll need:








- aquaclear 50 HOB filter. (if im not mistaken, the AC30 also uses a 1/2" intake.
-1/2" pvc ($2 for a 10' pipe at home depot)
-2 hose clamps (though i only ended up using one. more on that later)
- 1 1/2" end cap for the pvc ( $.20)
- 1 1/2" 90 degree elbow ($.30)
- 5/8" tubing. you can usually find this for sale at your LFS. and if i remember correctly, they sell it by the inch. you will only need about 2" for this application.
- silicon (i dont use it, but you can if you want to make sure everything is tight.)
- a chop saw or hack saw with a fine toothed blade. (the finer the tooth pattern, the less likely you will have any problems cutting the PVC)
- a drill (with drillbit)
- a pot for boiling water ("what the hell is he talking about?!?!?!?")


first the measurement. i did this DIY for a 20L, so if youre using a different size tank, you will need to adjust it to fit.
this isnt an exact science, so, while you could get out the tape mesure and actually measure everything out, i found that eyeballing it was just fine.
you will need 2 pieces of PVC. one that runs the length of the tank, and one thats about 2" shy of the height. again, not an exact science, so you will have to adjust a little to fit your needs.

after you cut the 2 pieced of PVC to length. you will want to put on a pot of water and get it to a boil.



more on this in a minute...

while your water is coming to a boil. get your drill, and put a few holes in the far end of the longer piece of PVC. (the side away from the intake)




after you holes are drilled. clean out any debris from the inside and around the holes. id suggest giving it a good rinse to be sure. then place your endcap on the drilled side, and 90 degree elbow on the other. make sure you assemble it so that the holes face forward, and the elbow is facing up.









is your water boiling yet?

take the intake "U" tube off the filter. you will also need your hose clamps and the shorter piece of pvc.




with a pair of tongs (i use my fingers, but you might not want to get that close to the boiling water) stick the piece of tubing in the boiling water. just a few seconds should be long enough to soften it up.

when the tube is soft, slip it onto the end of the "u" tube and the end of the pvc. and clamp with hose clamps.




(the hose i used was thick, so the second clamp didnt fit. but also, the squeeze was so tight to get it on, it wasnt necessary)



and thats about it. assemble the pieces of PVC and reattach the "u" tube to the HOB.
this is where you would want to use the silicone if you want. i find its overkill though. and if you do use the silicone, you will need to let it cure for 2 days before filling the aquarium.

since i didnt, it was fill and go for me. lol















happy with their new filter











thats all folks. all thats left to do is rock out!

 

[bitteraspects]

You can apply this concept to other hob filters with cylindrical intake tubes as well as canisters. Just make sure you match the inner diameter of the PVC (or CPVC where applicable) to the inner diameter of the intake tube on the filter accordingly so as not to hinder the flow.

 

[Gazoo]

Nice work BA. I especially appreciate all of the photos.

 

[rabbut]

Not a bad soulution Not bad at all

 

[CKutz]

hey BA
dragging this topic back up..

Would it be possible to do the same thing with more intakes?
me and some other members are toying around with the idea..i guess it wouldn't really be necessary in most tanks.
Also, could you use clear tubbing instead of the white pvc?
here's the thread with a crazy ideas
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...p;#entry2378525

 

[bitteraspects]

hard lining PVC and CPVC is going to give you a much more stable and efficient system, and ultimately its much easier to work with because of its rigidity.

with the diagram posted in that thread, you will run into a couple of major design flaws. first and most importantly is the issue of substrate getting into the intake. we all know substrate and impellers are not friends. lol.

second. with multiple inputs placed so far apart, it will not properly function. one intake will pull the majority of the water. (the one closest, or most directly in line with the inlet tube. water will take the path of least resistance). but because of the 3 openings, it will also greatly diminish the flow taken in from each inout, possibly to the point that it pulls only water, and no debris, (which i assume was what you were trying to accomplish with this design)

i usually go with a slotted intake rather than drilled. especially when i re-plumb large canisters like my FX5's. it seems to be more effective.

if you want to get more debris off the substrate floor and into the intake, i would suggest doing a UGJ system. it is extremely easy to make with pvc, and works very well if set up properly.

hope this answered your questions. im not really sure what you were asking, so i started babbling instead. lol