DIY Filter

[GodFan]

I think I may be brilliant. Like a genius greater than this hobby has ever seen! I am also very very humble and modest. Just sayin.

Anyway I have this idea for a filter that I am thinking about building. Read on and tell me what you think.

Purpose:
1) to stop the splashing noise from hobs (for people who are lazy like me or want a tank not all the way full like me)
2) to hide the filtration in smaller tanks
3) (this is a biggy) to provide effective low flow filtration for thise pesky water flow hating betta fish!

So here it is. I was thinking if I take a small plastic bottle and stuff it with bio material (matrix for me) and then put 2 tubes in the cap (outflow and input) and attach one end to a pump with some kind of mechanical prefilter (pause for breath) then bury the plastic bottle beneath the substrate, I would have a great, cheap, concealable, low flow filter!

I would like some suggestions on pump and prefilter though.

So whaddya think?! The next million dollar idea or what?

Thanks and God bless!

 

[threnjen]

Interesting!
I think you just run it with a powerhead or a pump where you can put a sponge around the intake.

 

[Mebbid]

I would switch it up with PVC and you have something there. Put the intake on one end and the outlet on the other to provide maximum flow through the media.

My only complaint would be the lack of surface agitation for clearing up bio film and oxygenating the water.

 

[threnjen]

Mebbid the pipe is brilliant. In one side and out the other.

You guys are really inventing something here

 

[GodFan]

Ooooh! Awesome! Yes in one out the other much simpler and more efficient! Keep it up yall! Surface agutation is a difficult thing. I suppose the outlet coukd be expanded upwards to allow the water to disturb the surface but that would hurt the low flow idea.... or I could integrate a sponge filter into either the intake or output powered by an airstone... we would need a good prefilter anyway to keep sludge out of the biomedia that would be below the substrate and therefore difficult to clean.

V1.1!

 

[GodFan]

Another thought before I go to sleep. What if we scratched the bottle and used a lenght of pvc instead? We should have ample room in a decent lenght of pvc for the biomedia. Sleeker, easier to hide, and less water bypass. The only thing you would see is a pump with prefilter on one side and an output pipe on the other that would point toward the surface to disturb the growth of biofilm. If flow was too high a diffuser could be rigged up very easily.

 

[Mebbid]

I would switch it up with PVC and you have something there. Put the intake on one end and the outlet on the other to provide maximum flow through the media.

My only complaint would be the lack of surface agitation for clearing up bio film and oxygenating the water.

Another thought before I go to sleep. What if we scratched the bottle and used a lenght of pvc instead? We should have ample room in a decent lenght of pvc for the biomedia. Sleeker, easier to hide, and less water bypass. The only thing you would see is a pump with prefilter on one side and an output pipe on the other that would point toward the surface to disturb the growth of biofilm. If flow was too high a diffuser could be rigged up very easily.

That's like something straight out of a movie...

 

[Old Scales]

That's what it takes. Thinking outside the box. Think about the guy that first came up with the impellor driven HOB filter. (Or Old Scales and his electric fish catcher.)
Seriously, you may be onto something Godfan. OS,

 

[Fresh2o]

How about hiding it out in the open? Since a length of PVC might be hard to hide (unless you bury it, making maintenance on it possibly disruptive to the tank) what if you took a pane of black/opaque acrylic and placed it in one of the corners (vertically). A series of slits or a screen would be present at near the bottom and the top of the acrylic would be just below the water level. Yes, what I am describing sounds like a commercially available internal filter but not as obvious. Have not figured out the details on the inside but basically a pump would draw water in via the slits/screen, thru the mech and bio media and out through the top. This could handle a decent flow rate and would address the surface disruption.
Perhaps someone could run with this idea. Just my $.02

 

[Brookster123]

Liking this shark tank! Some great ideas in here guys/girls

 

[cowfish7]

...build photos...

 

[GodFan]

I think the acrylic is good but both would be good to have as options! I would rather have it beneath the substrate but I also didnt plan on maintanence beeing needed alot since it is just bio in the pipe itself.

 

[Mebbid]

Go big or go home. Put it in a hollow pet log or a cichlid stone. There's a hundred ways to hide something like that.

 

[GodFan]

Go big or go home. Put it in a hollow pet log or a cichlid stone. There's a hundred ways to hide something like that.

Too true! One over each end. A hole on the top of the output side would allow surface agitation....

 

[NYgiantsRP]

A friend of mine did this with with PVC. He tried to apoxy rocks to it and painted it so it looked like a ornament. Looked silly and amateur-ish but worked.

 

[GodFan]

Yea glueing rocks can be tricky to makes turn out right. I think the best way to do this is either under the substrate or behind an acrylic pane like stated above.

I was thinking we coupd do this: the whole fixture would look like this [ except laying flat. The intake and output would be hidden behind a pet log or rock with a sponge prefilter on the intake and a diffuser on the output if needed. If that doesnt make enough surface agitation then an airstone can be added.

Somebody find a conpany to buy this! We got something going! Lol

 

[Old Scales]

Better file your patent application! OS.

 

[GodFan]

Better file your patent application! OS.

Yes yes of course lol I wont sell the design but after Ive had a successful build then I could he persuaded to make some for people on this forum.... lol

This would be perfect for tanks like those little 5 gallons. Although it could definetly be made for larger tanks.

 

[GodFan]

Ok yall I decided its time. I came home frkm work to fnd the power had gone out and the filter didnt come back when the power did. I will be sure to keep yall up to date on my progress!

 

[threnjen]

Good luck! I'm excited to hear how it works.