My DIY HOB

[Mumma.of.two]

My sister had a 2nd hand octagonal tank that she passed onto me, with her betta, when she moved across country. It's about 10 - 12L (2.5g). He didn't have a heater or a filter. As soon as I got him I got him a heater. But he still needed a filter. I've been changing out his water every few days for months now. Because of the size of the tank I don't want to use a sponge filter (would take up too much room). We are a bit tight on cash at the moment so buying one was out of the question. I decided to make my own HOB.
This is how it looks:

 

[ilostnemo]

how will the water get back into the tank?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I bought a cheep snap lock container. It doesn't need to be watertight because the water never reaches the lid. The size of it is definitely an overkill lol.



PVC pipe.



2 PVC elbow joiners



Sponge



Bio media I already had.



A small (very very small) fountain pump from a fountain I was given and never use.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

how will the water get back into the tank?

Ahh I'm getting to that (slow Internet)

 

[Mumma.of.two]

View attachment 52990

I had to make holes but I don't have a shed full of tools to use so I had to use what I had in the kitchen.

View attachment 52991

I heated a knife sharpener over the gas stove and poked it through the container then I heated a fork handle and uses it to enlarge the holes.

View attachment 52992

View attachment 52993

I cut the sponge so I fit tightly in the bottom of the container. I then cut a hole to fees the PVC hose through.



My bad siliconing skills.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Pain in the *** Internet. Only half my pics uploaded. But you should get the idea.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I will post photos of the finished product a bit later on. My phone/app dont want to cooperate with me. Basically the pump pulls in the water and pushes it to the bottom of the container. The water then travels through the sponge then the ceramic rings to then poor out the two elbow joints that are hooked over the edge of the tank. I am testing it now and it's working great! I just wish the pump was a bit bigger. The flow rate isn't huge but it should be perfect for a betta tank.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Finally!

Here are the pics of the finished thing.

 

[picture_117]

Looks nice!!! Haha

 

[o.jonathan.o]

<img src="http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=52976"/>

I bought a cheep snap lock container. It doesn't need to be watertight because the water never reaches the lid. The size of it is definitely an overkill lol.

<img src="http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=52977"/>

PVC pipe.

<img src="http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=52978"/>

2 PVC elbow joiners

<img src="http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=52980"/>

Sponge

<img src="http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=52981"/>

Bio media I already had.

<img src="http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=52989"/>

A small (very very small) fountain pump from a fountain I was given and never use.

Where did you find a container like this. I can't find them anywhere

 

[MrBeta]

Looks sharp and very functional.
Thumbs up!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Where did you find a container like this. I can't find them anywhere

Bunnings hardware Australia. might be a little far to travel lol. You should be able to find one at any store that sells kitchen stuff or storage solutions.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

Bunnings hardware Australia. might be a little far to travel lol. You should be able to find one at any store that sells kitchen stuff or storage solutions.

They have cheap ones but I'm looking for one that can withstand 300 gph (1100 lph)

 

[Mumma.of.two]

They have cheap ones but I'm looking for one that can withstand 300 gph (1100 lph)

Mmm. Maybe one of those house water filter containers or I think you can get water proof boxes that you keep on a boat for flares and stuff. Might be pricey though.

 

[o.jonathan.o]

Mmm. Maybe one of those house water filter containers or I think you can get water proof boxes that you keep on a boat for flares and stuff. Might be pricey though.

Oh very good idea. Smart smart. I would have never thought about that

 

[scottayy]

nicely done!
very cool looking

could you have gotten a HOB filter for about the same price as the materials? I know I got a nice whisper hob for $11 from my LFS. Granted, this was half off, but there were some other ones around the same price.

It's always more fun to do a project though.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

nicely done!
very cool looking

could you have gotten a HOB filter for about the same price as the materials? I know I got a nice whisper hob for $11 from my LFS. Granted, this was half off, but there were some other ones around the same price.

It's always more fun to do a project though.

It was fun! I think it all cost about $10au including the huge packet of sponge I'm going to use in my canister and 3m (about 10foot I think) of hose which I only used a tiny bit so I'm happy

 

[Biocube14]

Same thing I was wondering Scotty.. Great job btw

 

[TigerBarbs]

That's pretty cool and it takes up way less space in the tank than a store bot one. It probably really quiet too

 

[Mumma.of.two]

That's pretty cool and it takes up way less space in the tank than a store bot one. It probably really quiet too

Thanks! It is really quiet. It's right outside my bedroom and I can't here it at all unlike my 70 around the corner.