# DIY water polisher



## insta (Jan 27, 2010)

I picked up an under-sink filter cartridge to try and fashion a water polisher. It's about 9" long x 2" diameter hihi. I found two rubber corks that perfectly plugged each end. I drilled a hole in one cork large enough to shove the output of a powerhead into. The powerhead is firing into the inside of the cartridge, and it *does not work*. The powerhead does not have enough pressure to push the water through.

So, can you guys check me on this? If I combine this beefy pump with this filter housing, and appropriate fittings, will the pump properly shove water through the filter like I'm thinking it should?


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## boink (Nov 27, 2006)

Im thinking you will clog the filter pretty fast.


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## insta (Jan 27, 2010)

That's the point. I have normal mechanical filtration (and a bamboo shrimp). This is to filter greenwater. Replacement 5 micron filters are relatively cheap.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Not really sure on the application here. A Shurflo demand pump is what I use to transfer water from my RO tank to the aquariums but never checked the duty cycle of the motor. (continuous or cycled run/rest time for the motor) 

If you use it in cycles trapping organics I would think the trapped material would go foul between uses.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

I had a tank filtered by a set of these filters. Mounted under the tank. With an on/off ball valve it was a breeze to maintain. I used a mag 7 with mine. What micron size are you using? Maybe go a step up. I used the carbon cartridges, along with the prefilter sediment and fine ones.


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## insta (Jan 27, 2010)

You're also using a 60W pump. I'm using a little Penguin 550, which has about 2 feet of head on it instead of the 10+ the Mag7 has. I don't know how many PSI it takes to make the filter flow, but I'm guessing it's more than I have. I'm using a 5 micron, the next size up at the local hardware store was a "sediment" filter, with no clearly defined micron size.

*sigh* I'm about to just get a Vortex and call it done.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Be careful with the vortex. They seem to be very hit or miss. Many people really have bad experiences with them. Seems recent quality might be down. For the money, a magnum 350 with micron cartridge or the HOT magnum with micron cartridge makes for a pretty good micron filter. You can even make it better by wrapping the sleeve with filter floss. 

I really liked my filter setup, but do not use it any longer since that tank is gone. 5 Micron is really, really small. HD and Lowes sell 20-30 micron size filters that you might be able to use. The sediment filters are dirt cheap too. Check walmart as well.


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## insta (Jan 27, 2010)

Will a 20 micron filter get greenwater?


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## nokturnalkid (Apr 3, 2007)

I think a 1 or 0.5 micron filter would be better for greenwater. The smaller the number the smaller particles it traps. I diy one of these housings with a mj 1200 and worked out just fine. I only used it after rescaping to get those floating particles. I used the 0.5 once for gw and it worked. Had to do it over a couple days and change the filters a couple times.


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## nokturnalkid (Apr 3, 2007)

I think a 1 or 0.5 micron filter would be better for greenwater. The smaller the number the smaller particles it traps. I diy one of these housings with a mj 1200 and worked out just fine. I only used it after rescaping to get those floating particles. I used the 0.5 once for gw and it worked. Had to do it over a couple days and change the filters a couple times.


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## redman88 (Dec 12, 2008)

might be cheaper to go UV for green water


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## insta (Jan 27, 2010)

That's what I did. it was for a feeder tank, so it sees very fluctuating ammonia levels and potentially ich. I guess a UV thingy will do the same.

Problem was it's not as gadgety since I already have UV stuff


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## Barristan (Sep 13, 2003)

I've done something similar in a fish only tank a few times to clean up green water. I took a string wound 1 micron filter I found at Walmart and fitted it onto the input to a powerhead and plugged up the other end and dumped it in the tank. A few hours later, clean tank. 

Be careful removing it later or you will dump all the green back into your tank.


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## insta (Jan 27, 2010)

So the problem was that I was trying to blow water from the inside-out of the filter, rather than draw it from the outside-in?


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## Barristan (Sep 13, 2003)

Filter on the input worked for me.


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## trackhazard (Aug 24, 2006)

Might want to take a look at this as it looks like it is similar to what you are doing:

http://cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=159698&sid=bfa94fa5cd1559e687ad1a52a97c5d08

-Charlie


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## stewardwildcat (Feb 24, 2010)

How did this end up working out? Pics? What was the inner diameter on the filter? I want to dabble a little in this but haven't had the chance to go to the store and check out all of the filters. It also seems most manufacturers will not post that statistic either.


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## angel4hire (Jun 26, 2010)

*Micron Filter*

For those who want to know how real-world trials turned out on a Micron Filter like this, here you go.

First, get the Maxi-Jet 1200 Powerhead, the intake tube is just about the perfect size for this application. Remember the filter will go on the intake of the powerhead. With this, you will need to removed the air from the filters to get the maximum flow possible. To do this just attach/unattach filter assembly to the powerhead several time until the bubble decrease and the water flow increases. 

Second is the micron filter, for which I recommend 2 types. There is the sediment filter from Walmart (super cheap 2 pack) that works well for general water cloudiness. For for green water applications Lowes and Home Depot sell the whole house filtration cartridges that you will need. (not too expensive) The 5 micron filter is fine for green water most of the time, however it will not get it all out. Go with the .5-1 size without the carbon (unless you so desire). 

You will also need a 3/4" rubber plug (or cork) to cap one end of the filter. Now there is an alternative to this. The cut off tops a bottoms of most standard 16-20 oz. water/soda bottles will fit snugly over the filters. The cap end fit perfectly to the intake tube of the powerhead. If you just the the plug-one-end method then you may need a little plumbers tape to tighten the seal from the powerhead intake tube to the filter.

This quick DIY Micron Filters work amazingly great to clean up the water. For greenwater applications you will need the change the filter once a day for 4 days to really scrub out that algae. For sediment applications, you can use the plus and a power sprayed or garden hose to "reverse" flow most of the sediment from the filter and then reuse.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Diatomaceous earth filters work very well with green water, and you don't have to replace a filter element every hour to do the job. You can either buy a filter intended for that use, or jury rig a Magnum HOT filter to use DE. 

I have used LFS flocculating compounds to get rid of green water - those cause the microscopic particles of algae to clump together so a regular filter removes them. Unfortunately, if you don't also correct the problem that led to the green water it just comes right back.


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## nokturnalkid (Apr 3, 2007)

If you have the whole housing, you can easily plumb it and have a diy portable hob water polisher.


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