DIY Nano Canister filter beginner

[Heelllooo]

Hi,

First of i'm a new member here ( first post ) and im pretty new to the hobby.
I have my first and only tank since last November. It's a Superfish Start kit 70 Lowtech stocked with 1 female Betta, 6 Amanos and 3 Nerite Snails.

Right now i'm using the internal filter provided with the kit ( which is working perfectly ) but i'm getting sick of seeing it and i'm craving some new project so i want to upgrade to an external filter.

Problem being that I can't put it in the cabinet on which the tank is sitting and i have very little space on each side of my tank.

I could get things like TRU [XL Size] Nano PVC Canister Filter For Mini Aquarium Nano Tank Shallow Tank (Partly hand-made) which is in sale but still a bit expensive and only cap at 400L/h.
Or Amazon product ASIN B00FZVLC4C which is ugly and i'm afraid of the quality and longevity.

So i would like to dyi a canister filter and I was planning on doing the exact same build that this guy.



I have the same canister from Ikea ( 0,5L ) and the other furniture should be easy and cheap to get. Except I want to use a 600L/hor even 800L/h dimmeable pump to match the water volume of my tank. And so that the canister could be used in other future tank.

Do you see any flaws with the build done in the video ?
Is it feasible to upgrade it to a stronger pump knowing the volume of the canister is only half a liter ? Or there will be too much pression inside it ?
And of course if you have experience in dying canister filter you are welcome to help me

Finally I know that doing this type of build is a lot more risk and work than buying a filter directly for few monetary gains but i'm thrilled by the project and the fact that i could modify it in the future and change the pump if it dies.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Heelllooo]

Ok so I've made it.

I've been extra cautious sealing from the inside the top part with silicon too.

Right now I'm using a 300L/h USB pump on it for testing and it's working well, it doesn't seem to have any leak for now.

The only problem I got right now is that i can't find any 600-800L/h pump with ajustable flow and an intake on which i could connect a hose.

If somebody know where I could get one on internet ?

 

[Heelllooo]

+some pics.

It's really small as you can see

 

[Hufsa]

The only problem I got right now is that i can't find any 600-800L/h pump with ajustable flow and an intake on which i could connect a hose.

You can adjust the flow through the filter with a ball valve on the pressure side (never on the suction side).
A valve there is how almost all the regular canister filters do it anyway

 

[zozo]

For example, a PWM motor controller can control any DC 12V brushless motor. And this is what a DCV water pump actually is... Then you only need to be sure the motor has a lower startup voltage. Most do but some don't. So if you buy one ask the seller if they know the startup voltage, usually it's specified on the label. It needs to be at least 6 volts because if it doesn't have a lower startup voltage it will not start running again after a power out. And only starts running at full power...

Something like this could work.
www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005780372528.html?

www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005073352047.html?

As said, if not specified ask the seller if he knows the startup voltage, and find one that has a 6-volt startup. I just picked a few examples but if you search for a DC 12-volt water pump you'll find pumps with different turnovers and different types of hose connectors.

PWM motor speed controllers are relatively cheap in all kinds of designs. Put it in between the DC 12-volt PSU and Pump.
www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-pwm-motor-speed-controller-12v.html?

 

[Heelllooo]

Thanks a lot guys !

I did find this right now.

Amazon product ASIN B0B2WNQL91.

But it's pretty much the same as what you just linked me but more expensive.

Concerning the flow? I will use the ball valve solution though, i think.

but one time i could upgrade the setup more !

 

[Hufsa]

but one time i could upgrade the setup more !

Thats something I quite like about DIY filters, usually they are quite modular

 

[Heelllooo]

An update :

I've nearly finished it and installed it on my tank.

I've decided to use the pump from Amazon I've linked previously and a ball valve.

It's working really well except from sucking a tiny bit of air sometimes from a joint that need to be tightened more.

I just find it a bit noisy ( a quiet "hum" ) but since I've never owned any canister filter, I can't compare it to anything.

It's not pretty by any mean but I like the industrial look to it and it's definitely better looking than generic plastic canister filter.

Long term the plan is changing my cabinet, drill some holes and put all the hardware under the tank.

In the end I'm really happy with it and I have no regret but I will seriously not recommend doing a similar project to anybody for multiple reason :

- in the end it did cost me around 80 euros which is 20 less than a OASE Filtosmart 100 which would just be a better filter. I could have done it for 50-60 euros if I had taken cheaper plumbing parts and look for better prices.

- I'm really worried about the durability of it, how it's gonna take the disassembly for maintenance long term. And I'm afraid one day I'm gonna find my tank half drained from a joint having failed.

- the maintenance is gonna be such a pain.

 

[Heelllooo]

On a sidenote I'm trying to think of a way to change how it's arranged and to have the pump above the canister.

But I don't see a way without changing the elbow at the top of the canister and pretty much redo the silicone joint and everything.

Does somebody know a way to make an elbow with some standard 12/16 water tube ?

 

[Heelllooo]

Update :

Disappointment time...

Maybe someone could help me.

So I talked to soon and the air sucking got worse and worse.
Not that the filter wasn't working but it was making a terrible noise and filled my tank with micro bubble.

So yesterday I disinstalled it and remade all the joint but it didn't resolve anything.
It's sucking air through the slot between the lid and the metal body of the canister and through the joints of the plumbing elbows. Even though I did put a ton of silicon in the inside.
I think the thing is unusable with a pump of this power.

So today I found this thing at my LFS :
Sera Prefix Filter
Thinking it would be perfect.

And I made this monstrosity :

Then the real trouble started.

I did go through half an hour trying to make it work but no way, the pump never pushed the water.

And then the pump or the alimentation bloc just died.

So now I don't why it wasn't working.
Either the pump is not powerful enough but I doubt it, or it was my installation.

The thing was at the left of my tank but the lily pipes were at the right and the water had to travel horizontally behind the tank ( so 60cm) through hoses.

I don't really know how to test if the pump is dead or if it's just the alimentation bloc.

And I'm back with the old internal filter ahah.

 

[_Maq_]

Perhaps I can comfort you. I've got a plan, a very efficient external filter. I'm not going to reveal the details for now, but my difficulties are quite similar to those of you - combining pieces taken from various sources is a hell of a job. I can tell you that I'm struggling with it for two months already, and still not sure whether I'll succeed in the end. In any case, you're not the only one - not the only one adventurous mind who tries to push our hobby a bit further.
I wish you persistence and good luck!

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

Most canister filters with external pumps seem to have them mounted horizontally. This means the outlet from the canister is off to one side, the ADA is a classic example of this. I’ve always thought that if the inside of the canister lid was slightly conical the filter would be self purging. The outlet though would need to be in the centre. Is there any reason most pumps couldn’t be mounted vertically to accommodate this? The outlet from the pump would come out horizontally but I don’t see this as a problem for most installations?

 

[_Maq_]

The outlet from the pump would come out horizontally but I don’t see this as a problem for most installations?

Not sure whether I can understand your idea precisely, but degassing is definitely an issue you must think of carefully in any installation.

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

Not sure whether I can understand your idea precisely, but degassing is definitely an issue you must think of carefully in any installation.

The underside of most canister filter heads are generally quite flat. On some models this requires rocking the filter backwards and forwards to expel trapped air. If the underside was conical I would expect any trapped air to be quickly expelled? A quick sketch, blue is a grid to retain media etc.