DIY canister + heater

ok weve droped the perspex tube, will be going with 110mm pvc pipe, got the end screw caps today, aswell as the oilseal that snugly takes a 300W heater. its going to be 1100mm long, its not going to fit under the hood. tomorow the perspex plate will be lasercut at the university to house the oil seal, will start construction tomorow, take pics and post some time over the weekend.

the heater is 350mm long, so there will be 750mm length of tubing to use as filtration, it will be mechanical aswell as bio filtration by means of filterfloss (will be using batting) and plastic pot sponges for the bio filtration, theyve actualy got the largest surface area for bacteria growth for the price, and will be using a 850L per Hour fontain pump,

check this thread over the weekend for update, hope it doesn't leak to much

 

Sounds good ... the nice thing about above the tank .. leaks are spray bars by design.

Q: What is "plastic pot sponges"

Warning: Antidotal
Can you add a sponge to the fountain pump in take ... that should cut back on cleaning of the tube. I think a design like this should allow you to run the filter for +3 months without cleaning. (Not sure why but if the filtration is outside the tank it seems to work better for longer)

 

plastic pot sponges are those plastic ones used to "skuur die pot mee" almost like those metal golden ones but only plastid they cost around R6 for 12 in a pack at the Crazy store,

the filters design became to long and will be positioned underneath the tank,

ok on the pump, u can use a inline fountain pump and then buy a air sponge filter (R40 for a double sponge) and modify that so that the water is sucked up via the sponge and then to the filter, u will then never even need to open that filter since the mechanical filtration is in the sponge in the tank, or u can use a normal fountain pump that is situated in the tank, with a small sponge infront of the intake impeller, but its not that efective, im going to try and mary a normal submersible pump to the one end of the filter with pratley puttey (the miracle silution) or will leave the pump in the tank, and use a sponge on the intake in the tank.

 

""skuur die pot mee" OK got it ... be sure they do not have anti-bacterial stuff add in the sponge.

Pitty about the design being to long, now you could have head issues.

 

those sponges are way to cheap to have any anti-bacterial issues,

 

The pot sponges you're talking about are called pot scourers
As for the air filter sponges, I'm assuming you mean those grey cylindrical ones with the grooves in them?
I'm using one on the intake of my DIY cannister filter and I haven't had to open the filter since I started it up like 6 months ago.

As for the pump, I'd recommend having it removable, so that if it dies or you need to change it for whatever reason, you don't have to hack your filter apart.

I hope you take LOTS of photos of all this, sounds like an awesome project

 

Just a simple question, would having the heater in the filter make the heater work more?? My logic tells me that there will be a fairl constant supply of colder water over the heater, thus making it stay on for longer periods of time.

 

Not necessarily...
The water should approach an equilibrium, like in a water cooling system on a computer.
If the flow rate was really really slow then it might keep the heater on for longer,
but then you would have hot and cold spots in the tank as well.
That's why they say you should always put your heater in an area of the tank that gets enough flow.

 

Carl, sorry to go off topic here, you a student in Potch and your avatar is a caracal, any connection here?

Back on topic, there is usually less wear and tear on the pump if it gets restricted on the outlet side versus the inlet side. In other words if you can force the water through your mechanical filter after the pump it will be better on the pump, but then again all the cr@p is chopped finer by the pump impeller so you need more or better mechanical filter.

 

That's so true, I never thought of it that way!
So the thing to consider here is that pre-pump mechanical filtration should reduce the need for multiple levels of mechanical filtration.

 

no theres no conection between my avatar and one of of hostels on campus, but i am a student.

will post all the pics tomorow

 

*sits in anticipation*

 

Waiting waiting !!!!!!!!

 

heres the first ones

next ones

some more

final one

 

looks very interesting

 

first pic is top view of the cap with the oil seal for the heater the water will also enter at this cap,
no2: inside view of oilseal with perspex to hold it in place with silicone.
No3ump married to cap with trusty silicone,
no4:inside view of cap and impeller of pump
No5:heater and oilseal
No6:heater and oilseal outside view
No7: total view of filter water enters on the heater side and exit on the pump side, theres about 350mm of no filter materiaal at the heater side and then another 350mm of filter floss and then the rest is pot scourers(6 packets)
No8: view of heater again, u can pull it out half way to see if light is on or to adjust the temp without any leaks.
no9+10: aditionals

 

"u can pull it out half way to see if light is on or to adjust the temp without any leaks." You've tried this while the water temp is > 23?

Looks good - let the silicone sit for a few days.

Next model make it a foot shorter - then the pump and plumbing can rest on the bottom supports without protruding.

BTW does that pump not have a requirement that is stays submerged or can you hang it out like that? - Check the box.

 

pump looks like a wet/dry model.

If the intake and outlet is separated like that, and allows for screw on connection to the inlet, it usually can stay outside...

 

I likeeeeee this looks like a fun project

 

Looks Awesome so when are you making one for me...heheheheh