# Nano Cannister Filter (56 K W)



## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

the reason there is a gap of air at the top of your filter is that is where the inlet and outlet pipes stop.

If they're flush with the top that won't happen.

Nice setup, just make sure it's all nicely sealed or you'll siphon your tank onto the floor!


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## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

Just another thought...

mine, after filling up has a tendency to clear it's throat through the intake tube. just turn it on and off a few times and it will bubble back through the intake, and fill up


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## Guillermo (Dec 19, 2005)

Hi Curare, thanks for your input.



> If they're flush with the top that won't happen.
> 
> Nice setup, just make sure it's all nicely sealed or you'll siphon your tank onto the floor!


I've tried everything but the gap appears again and again, I don't know if I can let it as it is, I hope its safe.

I will leave the 5 gal bucket until I'm sure the filter has no leakings, 6 gallon in the carpet won't be nice at all, specially for the wife, LOL.I'm thinking about changing the container, maybe a 2 liter Coleman's or Rubbermaid container that has thicker plastic.



> mine, after filling up has a tendency to clear it's throat through the intake tube. just turn it on and off a few times and it will bubble back through the intake, and fill up


Yep, I've done that and works ok.

Thanks again for your thoughts on my filter (this is my fist attempt at building filters by the way)


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## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

Mine too


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## esarkipato (Jul 19, 2005)

Very nice! You make it look so easy. . . . .

One Q: did you use equal sized tubes for the intake and return lines? REason I ask is on my odyssea cfs4 the intake is much larger than the return.


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## Guillermo (Dec 19, 2005)

Curare, hope you succeed in your first attempt too.

Ernie, thanks for your words, it was really easy, but I would like to replace the container for a thicker one. The intake tube is larger than the return tube.

Talking about the air gap, a friend of mine who read the post in a Spanish forum suggested me to add an air hose (the one we use for air pumps) on the top of the filter for the air to get out, put check valve and the hose to the aquarium, this way I rest pressure on the container, sounds like a good idea, I will do it ASAP and let you know how it worked.

Thanks for your input.


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## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

Guillermo, mine has been working for some time.

About a month total now, she's just ticking away, heating the tank at the same time.

The filter is great, the tank isn't.


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## Guillermo (Dec 19, 2005)

Nice to read your filter is fine, the tank will be fine too, it's just a matter of time Curare, some tanks are slower to settle :smile: 

Well I added the suggested air line, I'm still waiting for the epoxy plastliline to "cure" and get solid.



















I'll keep you posted on how it works.


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## exmt (Apr 11, 2006)

Good luck, Guillermo!


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

I've seen this done before, and would like to do it myself for a small 2 gal. nano.....

Problem is: Nobody discusses how they dealt with the electrical plug for the pump....?

Are You guys just cutting it to run it through the top and then just splicing it back together with wire nuts....or what?

Any help would be appreciated....


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## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

I just cut the plug off, and re attatched the plug after poking it though the lid.

so easy, why didn't I think of it! 

oh wait, I did.


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## Guillermo (Dec 19, 2005)

Thanks exmt, I will need it LOL.

Naja002, I just did what Curare said, cut the plug and re attach it, very easy.

Some people drill a hole and put a little device like this to pass and attach the wire, but the plug must be cut anyway.

http://www.kss.com.tw/e4/e4-7/m0710.jpg

I just used epoxy plastiline, maybe in the next project I will use those, and bulkheads for the water lines.

Talking about the air line, it is working very well until now, no leakings an the air gap is gone, I notice some air bubbles though, I guess it's because I'm still having the HOB working.I will still running the filter inside the bucket for some more time until I'm sure there will be no problem.


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Thanx for the replies. That what I thought was done....just seems like a fire-hazard. Was wondering if anybody had devised "A Better Way".

If You look at these threads--this one included--nobody shows pix of the spliced plug.....


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Well, I went ahead and built one yesterday for my 2gal. Red Ramshorn Nano.

Been wanting to do it for awhile. I used a Via Aqua 180 pump (80gph), 1.9 quart Lock n Lock container and filter floss.

I bought the Lock n Lock for this a couple of weeks ago, but already had everything else..

So far--its working Good!


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## Guillermo (Dec 19, 2005)

Hi Naja002 glad to know your filter is working well. How did you do the attachment of the plug ? I just put a lot of tape, it's safe.

I would like to look some pics of your container, I don´t know those Lock n Locks.

Cheers


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Here's some Pix of the Setup:








































I drilled holes in the pill bottle and I am using it for the intake "Screen". There is a Hagen C02 system with the C02 Coming out of an airstone right below the pill bottle. The C02 goes into the pill bottle and into the canister filter. I have about a 1" amount of C02 build-up at the top of the canister, but as more is added the Pump takes a little bit and pumps it into the tank--seems to be working pretty good all-n-all.

I put the intake tube through the top lid for ease of cleaning, but I have little doubt that I get some filter by-pass--I will have to think on that for a little while....

I may get a bigger pump so that I can put the C02 unit and canister on the floor--out of view....


I spliced the plug and then put it back together with Wirenuts. I then Filled the wirenuts with "Marine Goop"--Silicon would work, but they need to be filled to keep water out should there be a flood or other mishap....











Here's a link to the Lock N Lock website:

LocknLock.com



.


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## exmt (Apr 11, 2006)

Wow, good work. Do you have any biological media in there?


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Just Mechanical--the filter floss.


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## deeplove (Dec 27, 2005)

Naja, does that L&L have a tight lock and keeps the water in? I bought 2 more 2.5G and I wanted to try it. How much did you spend on it and do you think it's better than a Red Sea or Azoo nano filter?


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Honestly, I don't know anything about the Red Sea or Azoo filters, so I can't really comment.

The LocknLock are air tight and water tight--and it says it on the lable.

I bought the ViaAqua 180 pump at Drs. Foster&Smith for $5.49, but I don't see why a small powerhead, etc wouldn't work.
ViaAqua 180

The LocknLock I bought at walmart for $2-3

Everything else I already had....

I bought the pump to do something like this, but the only powerheads that I have are too powerful-(Penguin 1140=300gph). Otherwise, I would have just used a small powerhead, if I had one laying around.

I've got about $10 into it--probably $15 if I had to buy everything--not including shipping.....


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## Guillermo (Dec 19, 2005)

Nice job Naja002, those wirenuts look cool and are really protective, congrats on your setup.Thanks for the link of the lock n lock containers, I have not seen them around here, I will take a look at some big stores one of these days.

Deeplove, I had a Mignon 60 Azoo HOB filter for 5 gal aquariums, it works nice and its really quiet, but I felt I needed something bigger, so I decided to build an external cannister for better performance, and let me tell you there is a big difference between the two, tha Azoo costed me about 9 dollars, and the nano cannister 20, but it's worth to pay them, believe me.The only con I see is the power waste, the Azoo consumes only 2.5 watts, and the pump in my filter is 7.5 watts, big difference too, but, oh well.

I took these pics, I had to add some cuts of Limnophilla Sessiliflora of my 82 low tech to try to hide the pipes, I hope they get covered soon.














































Thanks for reading and looking at the pics :smile:


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Sweet. Wish mine was square. I don't really like this Round container, but it will do for now.

Nice Setup!


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## Guillermo (Dec 19, 2005)

Thanks. Sooner or later you will build another one, this is a never ending hobby LOL. Mine has been setup since Jan 28th, not even 3 months yet and I'm planning a second one already (something smaller for the office maybe, just anubia petit, a rock/piece of wood and baby tears on 1 gallon)


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## acbaldwin (Mar 23, 2006)

I've done the DIY canister with the L&L container and the red sea nano HOB on a 2.5 gallon. The canister was nice to have behind the tank, and filtered better, but not worth the effort IMO. The nano HOB is perfect for a 2.5, and costs less (as low as $6 online).


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## deeplove (Dec 27, 2005)

The only benefit I see is that you can get more power out of the canister filter. But for a 2.5 I don't see it as necessary. I thought about it but I'd stick with the HOB Red Sea or Azoo. But for the people who can't live without DIY, it's a nice project to do.

I wouldn't do it cause I feel that my 2.5G tanks are too small and they're just housing bettas. And of course it's cheaper to get a HOB.

:smile:


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## exmt (Apr 11, 2006)

Nice tank and lily pipes there!..They look really cleanly bended and smooth.:biggrin: 

Where are you mounting the filter? Perhaps under the stand or behind the tank?


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## Guillermo (Dec 19, 2005)

Hi guys.

I agree with acbaldwin and deeplove, maybe a 2.5 is too small for an external filter, my cube is 6, so I thought it was a good idea to change the Azoo HOB, I think it was short for my nano. 



> But for the people who can't live without DIY, it's a nice project to do.


Lol deep :smile: 

exmt, thanks for the compliments on the acrylic pipes, despite of the leftover sand in the bend, I think they are not to bad for being my first ones.

I'm still testing the hermetism (sp?) of the nano cannister, so it´s inside a bigger container and on the left side of the stand. The stand has an empty space I left in case I need it, so maybe the filter will go inside, but it will not happen until I'm absolutely sure there's no leakings.

This is a pic of the space I'm talking about


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## BigBlue00 (May 11, 2004)

Naja002 said:


> Sweet. Wish mine was square. I don't really like this Round container, but it will do for now.
> 
> Nice Setup!


Actually Naja, I was going to ask you where you got that round container. Looks like a monster cookie jar, but I kinda like the look.


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## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

In regards to the plug, I just cut the old plug off and bought a replacement one which requires you to clamp the cables in, any handyman store will have them. If you're worried about water getting in, just add some sealant and it's done.

I wouldn't feel safe with "twitched together" wires or just electrical tape. Besides I wanted mine to look professional as I could get it.


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## Naja002 (Oct 12, 2005)

Hi BigBlue,

I picked up the container at Walmart for $13.

HTH


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

This is fascinating. No, really. I have a 5 gallon hex here that needs filtration. It has a formfit hood for it so options are very limited. I do not want to go air driven, can't use either of the nano HOBs, and nobody around here carries any of the mini sized internals (well, other than petsmart and their grossly overpriced zoo med).

Some thoughts - that round container reminds me entirely too much of a pasta cannister I got (at walmart I think) - the lid popped off at the least provocation. Could you not use say...a sports bottle? (I know some of the nalgene bottles have larger openings that maybe a small hobby pump could fit in). It is possible to convince a power head to draw water through a filter by hooking it on the outlet (ask me how I know this sometime  )

What size hose did you use?

Incidentally, zoo med does make a small cannister. It's rated up to 10 gallons so I figured it might be too powerful for a 5 gallon betta tank.


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## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

My personal preference for any sort of DIY cannister is anything that has an O Ring seal, and is held down by some clips. you need a compression seal to really be able to sleep at night without flipping out that it's going to pop.

the pressure on those seals is surpisingly high, and if you don't have it sorted the cannister will pop.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

TINNGG said:


> Incidentally, zoo med does make a small cannister. It's rated up to 10 gallons so I figured it might be too powerful for a 5 gallon betta tank.


The ZooMed canister has a very low flow rate, it would probably be perfect for a 2.5 gallon tank. That is assuming you aren't interested in making your own filter.


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

SCMurphy said:


> The ZooMed canister has a very low flow rate, it would probably be perfect for a 2.5 gallon tank. That is assuming you aren't interested in making your own filter.


It does? Guess I should have read the package at petsmart. I saw it sitting there but the box seemed huge. It wasn't until I was websurfing for a mini filter that I found out what it was. I ended up ordering a duetto mini. I'll keep that in mind though if it doesn't work out. (sure be nice if male betta got his act together - female (isolated of course) admires him and is in the mood. Alas, not so much as a bubble)


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