1 Gallon Nano... advice please

[jcopp24]

I am all ears on the canister idea... if anyone has any links on DIY that would be great.

I added sand to the bottom of the tank this morning. I actually would say this is sand... the pieces are very large. My idea was one cup of this as a base... then the bermuda pink on top.

Also I did move the HOB to the rear of the tank... less unsightly as before mentioned.

I still need to address heater, light, filter.
Next to the phone on my desk for an idea of size : )

One of the two crabs I added to the tank as well

 

[sir_dudeguy]

looks cool how did that last pic turn out so blue?

Try asking in the diy forum...i bet someone ccould help make a canister for like 20 bucks or something.

 

[dystopian]

Yea, DIY forum would probably have it. The basic idea though is to find any waterproof container with at least one flat surface, dremel two holes for some bulkheads, and then connect an in-line pump to the hosing. Pretty much any container will do, the best probably being food containers, like the huge food containers from Costco (especially the pretzel ones), or PVC tubing. The only thing you'd have to worry about is if the container can handle the water pressure that's going to be flowing through it.

There's many advantages to a DIY canister. Since it's customized for your pico, it can be as small or as large as you want, especially the flow rate since you get to choose the pump. One appealing idea about a DIY canister is that if you choose a clear container, you can easily run a refugium in there with a small light pointed at the canister. You can even separate the canister into compartments with some eggcrate material.

 

[jcopp24]

Do you need a pump pulling and pump pushing?

 

[dystopian]

Nope. Just one pump to push the water from the canister bank to the tank, ie between the canister and the main tank. Just make sure it can handle the water pressure and headloss during the flow back up to the tank. This would entirely depend on where you position the canister, like next to or behind the tank, or down below the tank on the floor.

 

[dystopian]

If you don't wanna go DIY, you could always get one of these:

FilterCanister Filter

I think the dimensions were 6" diameter, 14" height.

 

[jcopp24]

So the top needs to seal correct?

I am thinking 5 gallon bucket with spill proof top? It is what I bought my first rodi water in... My only issue with this idea is because the tank is so small I cant take a whole bunch of flow.
I have room right under my desk for a 5 gallon bucket... two holes drilled in the top then tubing... if I get what you are saying... the hose taking the water out of the tank will pull naturally because of gravity... and the pressure created by the pump pushing back to the tank?

 

[dystopian]

Yep! You've got the plumbing correct! Gravity pulls water down to the canister while your pump pushes water back up. Think of it as a closed loop with a large compartment section in the middle.

You can place the two holes pretty much anywhere on the container. Any flat surface would do. It's just that most sealable containers are round with a twist-top, so it'd probably be easiest to do it from the top since it's usually the only flat surface available.

Flow is customizable to however much you'd like to put through it. Since YOU choose the return pump, just calculate how much flow you'd like in the tank and get a pump that matches that size. Just keep in mind, you'd probably need to get a pump overrated for the flow you'd like, since the pump will actually LOSE flow due to the fact that you're trying to pump back UP to the tank. Because your tank is so small, I'd recommend getting an inline pump to help alleviate any heat issues you might have.

The most important thing is to make sure the container you're using can actually HANDLE the pressure that's going to be flowing through it. I made the mistake of choosing containers that couldn't handle the pressure. After everything was set up, my first water test run ended in disaster due to the lid seal leaking.

Overall, a DIY canister is probably alot more trouble than it's worth. I love doing DIY projects just for fun, so it was a great learning experience for me, even though I ended up scrapping the project due to the container leaks.