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 L# Technical Tinkering
  L# Homemade Alterations
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SubscribeHomemade Alterations
bagoegg
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Fingerling
Posts: 26
Kudos: 16
Votes: 0
Registered: 12-Jul-2006
male usa
I was wondering if anyone had any pictures of homemade filters, intakes, outputs, or anything homemade having to do with your filter system. I have always thought of tweaking my filters (fluval 404's) but have never had much success with my contraptions.
Post InfoPosted 03-Aug-2006 20:03Profile Homepage PM Edit Report 
keithgh
 
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*Ultimate Fish Guru*
Posts: 6371
Kudos: 6918
Votes: 1542
Registered: 26-Apr-2003
male australia au-victoria
To be honest why bother. Having an Eheim Pro11 there is not a problem with it so why fiddle with it. No matter what you do they are all designed to work at their best. Getting a faster flow does not mean a better filtration.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
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Post InfoPosted 04-Aug-2006 02:04Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
bagoegg
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Fingerling
Posts: 26
Kudos: 16
Votes: 0
Registered: 12-Jul-2006
male usa
I wasnt interested in getting a faster flow, thats why I didnt ask how to get a faster flow.

I am interested in a different output flow other than one giant jet that blasts my fish across the tank. I tried the fluval spray bar system but wasnt too impressed.
Post InfoPosted 04-Aug-2006 03:05Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
stuff_gnome
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Fish Addict
Posts: 620
Kudos: 382
Votes: 0
Registered: 13-Aug-2003
male usa
EditedEdited by stuff_gnome
You can do pretty much anything you can think of really. Its fairly easy to make your own returns using PVC. All you need a barbed fitting to attach your canisters vinyl tubing to and then take it from there. Drill holes or slots in your piping and place them wherever you like: above the water line for a spray bar, below for a power head effect, or under the gravel for under gravel jets. If that sounds a bit to run of the mill then get into the wonderful world of garden hose. Reinforced vinyl tubing can be linked to a section of hose with a hose mending fitting. Once that has been done then you open your self to a whole world of spray attachments, just look through a gardening centers watering department. Your imagination is the only limit.
Post InfoPosted 04-Aug-2006 04:53Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
poisonwaffle
 
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Mega Fish
Posts: 1397
Kudos: 591
Registered: 11-Feb-2003
male usa
I built an entire cannister filter in a 1qt jelly jar

But... I crammed it too full of media, had too weak of a pump, and had it too far below the tank--so I got about 4gph of flow thru it

And now that it's been running for a while, it's plugged up with junk as well as media, so it's gone down to a trickle.

But all of this is a good thing! I'm running carbon in the filter (long de-activated/used by now, but still there), and I've got a colony of de-nitrifying bacteria living in it. The bacteria feed off of the carbon, remove nitrates from the water (release as N2 into the water, which dissapates into my room), and the whole process puts out REALLY clean water! I'm down to about 1 drop every hour or 2 that flows thru the thing, but it works...just slowly...

My nitrates have been below 10ppm since a few months after I set the thing up. This is also because it is a moderately planted tank, though

I'll post pics if you want them... just let me know
Post InfoPosted 04-Aug-2006 06:04Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
monkeyboy
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Fish Addict
Posts: 521
Kudos: 375
Votes: 223
Registered: 10-Apr-2005
male usa
i'm currently working on home made canister filters and home made inline heaters. best thing to get instructions or how people have upgraded theirs, is just go to your search engine of choise and do a search for diy canisters. i have had the best luck going threw google images finding instructions

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction
Post InfoPosted 06-Aug-2006 01:45Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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