Help me out with this Home Depot DIY Wet Dry Filter?

Question

I came accross this filter.

http://www.aquariumlife.net/projects/diy-filter/111.asp

It looks cost effective but im wondering how long the potscrubbers would hold up after long use. (This would be for a saltwater tank so im thinking the potscrubbers dont stand a chance) If I have to replace them 3 or 4 times a year bioballs would quickly be the more cost effective.

Im not dead set on this setup so im looking for some home depot ideas that can be completly different from the posted setup. I have a few homedeopt giftcards that need spending.

If you know of a way to condence a wet/dry into a 10g tank that would be great. (for size concerns)

Anyway I need some sort of quiet pump to get that water back into the aquarium. This will be a bedroom setup so quiet is the key. Also would need to be able to hook up to manufactured tubing or pvc. (dont want a flood and I want the hookups to be purchased not made, cept for the pvc clearly you can seal that yourself)

Yes I was pretty certain potscrubbers were not the way to go. As far as glass or acrilic cutting I would feel more comfortable with plastics.

Im terrible at glass cutting and plastic can be more forgiving.

Answer 1

Flipnotik has some good advice - I'd use a different media, either bioballs or ceramic. You can also put a porous pad on the top to cut down on the noise of water going into the wet/dry chamber.

Most users only know to put the filtration system beneath the tank - it's easier to keep hidden and cuts down on the light if you use a refugium on an alternate photoperiod as part of the filtering system. Putting it above isn't always as visually pleasing or convenient, but works just as well. Even better if there's a refugium involved - and critters living in it that get caught up by the gravity return become extra fish food.

Answer 2

The serious concern about that type of DIY filter is the whole idea of using potscrubbers as filter media. For one, some potscrubbers might have a chemical added that could be harmful to fish or the materials used could be deadly. Also, there would be gaps in between potscrubbers and would not really be 100% effective in trapping dirt(unless you are thinking of them as "bioballs").

I would rather just buy peices of plexiglass or glass. Cut them (plexiglass with a wet tile cutter or sometihng similar, or cut glass using those cutting pens). And just silicone it down into place in your 10 gallon. This way, you can make sections for each filter media.

For th quiet pump part, i did a whole different idea when i made my wet/dry filter. Instead of actually bringing the water up from the sump, i made my sump sit at the top of the tank. That way the pump is inside the tank (hidden) and the water will freely drain from the sump to the tank (preventing flooding). This is an idea, but there are other ways such as insulating around the pump. Hope this helps

Answer 3

umm... im pretty sure you cant do the wet dry filter because its built off of the bacteria that grows in saltwater... so basically no and you would need a saltwater tank that has the wholes needed for the hoses pre drilled so to make simple no. Sorry.