How to Build Your Own Power Filters From PVC Pipe

Any extra filtration you can add to your aquarium will help improve water quality and the health of the fish. Building your own filters can be very simple or very complex depending on your design. Most of the time, however, building a filter out of materials like PVC pipe is fairly easy and you can customize the design based on the purpose of the filter. A powerful form of filter you can make with PVC is called a "reaction tube." This device forces water up through loosely packed media and allows for greater use of certain filter media.

Things You'll Need

  • One 1-foot long, wide diameter PVC pipe
  • Two flat-end caps for the wide pipe
  • Flexible vinyl tubing
  • Two barbed bulkheads
  • Water pump
  • Egg-crate light diffuser
  • Coarse nylon screen
  • Granular activated carbon
  • Phosphate sponge granules
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Instructions

    • 1

      Drill holes in the PVC end caps wide enough to fit the bulkheads. The bulkhead on what will be the top of the device can be wider than the bulkhead on the bottom. This will reduce flow resistance in the tube.

    • 2

      Wrap the bulkhead threads with Teflon tape and screw them into the holes. You want the barbed side, where you will fit the vinyl tubing, to be on the outside of the caps.

    • 3

      Glue the bottom end cap to one end of the PVC pipe. Prime the inside of the cap and the outside of the pipe with the primer before adding the glue. Twist the cap a few times to make sure the glue is evenly spread around the pipe. Hold in place for about a minute.

    • 4

      Cut a circle out of the egg crate light diffuser material that can slide down the inside of the PVC pipe.

    • 5

      Cut out a similar circle from the nylon mesh screen. Glue the screen to the egg crate using aquarium-safe silicone. Let the silicone dry before proceeding.

    • 6

      Push the screen and egg crate circle to the bottom of the PVC pipe. This device will prevent the filter media from clogging the inlet of the filter.

    • 7

      Fill the PVC pipe one-third to one-half of the way with granular activated carbon and phosphate sponge granules. The carbon will help remove chemicals and other pollutants from the water. The phosphate sponge material will absorb phosphates from the water and help prevent algae growth in the aquarium.

    • 8

      Attach the second cap to the top of the PVC pipe. You will eventually need to empty out the PVC pipe and replace the carbon and phosphate sponge material. Try not gluing the cap to the PVC. If it leaks or will not stay on, you may be able to glue it and empty the material through the top bulkhead of the filter.

    • 9

      Attach the vinyl tubes to the barbed bulkheads and plug the bottom tube into a water pump. Turn on the water pump and watch the outlet at the top of the filter. If any media is being blown out of the top, reduce the flow of the pump.