Roast this DIY Canister filter idea!

Minnesota Mike · Jan 15, 2020

Thank you Thub!!....this was the reply I was looking for.....Thinking I'm going to take some savings I have and will buy this sump in the next couple of months here. Not sure if there is a difference in lava rock from the kind you use by a sidewalk or the kind you use on a bbq grill but the kind that goes on a grill was what I was going to use and the whole bucket idea was just the fact that I have a external pump laying around someone gave me of a speed controlled 1,000GPH pump and was just wanting to experiment and put it to use. Thanks for the feedback!

Minnesota Mike · Jan 15, 2020

Thub said:
The lava rock being 100% natural is kind of the problem. "Lava rock" isn't an element, it's a mixture of elements and molecules, some of which are invariably soluble in water, and will thus leech into the tank water, potentially causing trouble that's easily avoided by using stuff that's meant for aquariums, rather than for lining walkways.
As for the canister design itself, it's generally doing exactly the opposite of nutrient export, and will cause nitrates to rise fast if it's not serviced a lot- like multiple times per week. That works for freshwater, because big water changes can cheaply serve as your nutrient export method. In my FW 125 gallon, a 50% change is like 2 cents. In saltwater, that would be $23 if you use cheap salt.
The canister filter can work, but it's a much worse idea than doing a sump, and a DIY sump, even if you run a DIY HOB overflow isn't that hard. Yes, you'll save money by using a bucket, but that falls well into the "bad cheap" column, where a DIY sump can very easily fall into the "good cheap" column.

Thank you Thub!!....this was the reply I was looking for.....Thinking I'm going to take some savings I have and will buy this sump in the next couple of months here. Not sure if there is a difference in lava rock from the kind you use by a sidewalk or the kind you use on a bbq grill but the kind that goes on a grill was what I was going to use and the whole bucket idea was just the fact that I have a external pump laying around someone gave me of a speed controlled 1,000GPH pump and was just wanting to experiment and put it to use. Thanks for the feedback!

Quote Reply

RichReef · Jan 15, 2020

I don't run filter socks. Once a month I run my overflow through a similar device as this. I blow out my sand and blow off my rocks while this thing is hooked up all day long. I agitate my sump and ATS areas until the everything runs clean.

But I only run it once a month for a day.

Passedyouby · Jan 20, 2020

Run like all hell! Nothing but issues!!!!!!!!!!!! I spent months, killed all my fish, and ended up with a diy sump. Best decision ever!

Passedyouby · Jan 20, 2020

Passedyouby said:
Run like all hell! Nothing but issues!!!!!!!!!!!! I spent months, killed all my fish, and ended up with a diy sump. Best decision ever!

Minnesota Mike · Mar 3, 2020

Passedyouby said:
Run like all hell! Nothing but issues!!!!!!!!!!!! I spent months, killed all my fish, and ended up with a diy sump. Best decision ever!

Confused.........are you saying to run like hell from the DIY pump or was it the best decision you made to have one?

Passedyouby · Mar 3, 2020

Minnesota Mike said:
Confused.........are you saying to run like hell from the DIY pump or was it the best decision you made to have one?

Run from the canister unfortunately. They work for a pond where your pump the water up and let it trickle down, but for a SW tank I fought it for months. Put the pump after the canister and small amounts of air will leak into the canister until eventually the pump loses prime. I even tried using a self priming wet/dry air pump that ran 5 min every hour to suck the extra air out of the canister to prevent the return pump from losing prime! With the pump before the canister everything is pressurized and will blow out the seals on your bucket.
The best decision was throwing it away and switching to a sump. I tried to make it work!!!

Minnesota Mike · Mar 3, 2020

Alright, thanks a lot for the info. This whole idea was hoping to just run little at a time to polish my water with my bucket to be filled mostly with quilting batting and carbon pellets. Sounds like a waste of time and a headache though. Gonna take the advice and run. Thanks !

Miller535 · Mar 3, 2020

Minnesota Mike said:
Thank you Thub!!....this was the reply I was looking for.....Thinking I'm going to take some savings I have and will buy this sump in the next couple of months here. Not sure if there is a difference in lava rock from the kind you use by a sidewalk or the kind you use on a bbq grill but the kind that goes on a grill was what I was going to use and the whole bucket idea was just the fact that I have a external pump laying around someone gave me of a speed controlled 1,000GPH pump and was just wanting to experiment and put it to use. Thanks for the feedback!

Quote Reply

You were planning on using lave rock for a grill?

Passedyouby · Mar 3, 2020

Minnesota Mike said:
Alright, thanks a lot for the info. This whole idea was hoping to just run little at a time to polish my water with my bucket to be filled mostly with quilting batting and carbon pellets. Sounds like a waste of time and a headache though. Gonna take the advice and run. Thanks !

Pick up a housewide water filter for $18, fill it with carbon, and run flexible line to a pump and you could do the same thing. Will need to either put a PVC pipe in there to run water down to the bottom (YouTube DIY reactor), or buy a 4$ solution from BRS that allows you to put any substrate into a little cylindar quick and easy. I made the diy, but it broke after 6 months. Bought the 4$ upgrade from brs and am thrilled. I run ROX carbon in mine, but you could run filter floss. Should change out every 3 days though or it will become a nutrient problem.

Passedyouby · Mar 3, 2020

Passedyouby said:
Pick up a housewide water filter for $18, fill it with carbon, and run flexible line to a pump and you could do the same thing. Will need to either put a PVC pipe in there to run water down to the bottom (YouTube DIY reactor), or buy a 4$ solution from BRS that allows you to put any substrate into a little cylindar quick and easy. I made the diy, but it broke after 6 months. Bought the 4$ upgrade from brs and am thrilled. I run ROX carbon in mine, but you could run filter floss. Should change out every 3 days though or it will become a nutrient problem.

Shoot. It was 7.99. Brs sells a kit for this btw. It's a good deal also

Clear Refillable Cartridge for DI Resin

Filling a DI Cartridge is easy. The most important thing to remember is to tightly pack the DI resin into the cartridge. Loose DI will cause the water to channel through the DI, greatly reducing the effectiveness. Available in Four Sizes: 2.5" x 10" Cartridge (Standard - most used cartridge...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Minnesota Mike · Mar 3, 2020

Miller535 said:
You were planning on using lave rock for a grill?

Not sure what the heck it is, some pure organic volcanic porous rock shi*...no worries it's not the dam* dyed red lava rock or anything.

Minnesota Mike · Mar 3, 2020

Minnesota Mike said:
Not sure what the heck it is, some pure organic volcanic porous rock shi*...no worries it's not the dam* dyed red lava rock or anything.

Not doing the bucket anyways

Miller535 · Mar 4, 2020

Minnesota Mike said:
Not sure what the heck it is, some pure organic volcanic porous rock shi*...no worries it's not the dam* dyed red lava rock or anything.

A good rule of thumb is if you do not know what is in something, do not put it in your tank.