In this video I show you how to make a DIY Aquarium filter out of a bucket and a lid. We use a simple gallon bucket with a couple of bulkheads. Then we use a Cobalt MJ-1200 powerhead to supply the canister. The bucket itself is filled with bioballs and will be full of bacteria to process lots of waste for koi ponds, goldfish tanks, African cichlids, even Oscars
PARTS LIST:
Never Clog Airstone: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/never-clog-air-stone
1 inch Bulkhead: https://geni.us/ze3xP7 on Amazon (commissions earned)
Cobalt MJ-1200 Powerhead: https://geni.us/5sgT on Amazon (commissions earned)
PVC Cutters: https://geni.us/N3NJR8 on Amazon (commissions earned)
Bio Balls: https://geni.us/PzDMo on Amazon (commissions earned)
(As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, and commissions may be earned from the links above.)
0:00 – Intro
0:28 – Supplies you need
1:01 – Making a DIY aquarium bucket filter
18:18 – Setting up the filter
#Aquariumfilter #Fishtank #Aquarium
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hello there , can u put a hole on the side for water to come out instead of bottom I got a outdoor koi pond
Hole saws will almost always catch. RUN THE SAW IN REVERSE .. 🙃drilling thru plastic it tends to cut just as quick and wont be a wrist breaker.
I am planning to build one of these for my turtle tank. What filter media (besides the bio balls) is used? How is it placed in the bucket?
As old as this is, I haven't found a better bucket filter. The only changes I made was instead of buying expensive bulkheads I bought conduit terminals both female and male (@homedepot) bought the o rings at harbor freight. Now I only have a 35 gallon pond and a 175gph powerhead transformed to a pump and I had an elbow at the bottom the stream nearly shot halfway across the pond (36inches) so I "corked it with coarse sponge and it actually pressurized it but my lid wasn't too good. Then my dumbass didn't level the platform (2 cinder blocks on the outside) and with about 1/4 the bucket hanging it fell. Once all that was sorted out (I leveled the platform and took the elbow off) it provides great aeration but my water is still green. For media I use polyfill and lava rock. I'll update if the water ever clears up.
Oh yea even with diy "bulkheads" none of the connections leak unless you pressurize, even the bottom one I thought I would need cement or silicone, it does great w/o anything but the o ring, I think the reason my top connection leaked under pressure was the hole is pretty much the same size. Also find the elbow barb that can thread, I got the straight one and my hose kinks unless I can find a way to "clamp" a loop.
Overall the best DIY bucket filter, the others I've seen have you build spray bars for the channeling, this method works great at making sure all the media gets used.
Tried doing this but those mj1200 power heads are impossible to find everywhere I look they are out of stock did they stop making them or something?
Do you have these instructions in writing somewhere? Love this and want to try.
honest question can the bottom bulkhead go on the side or does it have to go on the bottom?
You should do aquaponics in these bucket filters. Just cut some holes in the top, shove plants in, & let the roots clean your water.
So this can’t go under my 125gallon? Might look funny in the living room.
When I did this the water comes out of the top where the snaps on . How do I stop that?
this looks like just the trick for my turtles. I mean thats a lot of water that this bucket is cleaning.
Just goes to show that we fishkeepers don't really need to spend a lot of money buying expensive canister filters to optimize our filtration systems and also add more water volume per tank to maximize amount of fish per grow out tanks…ingenious!
What size bucket would you need for 500l tub and do you need alot of media or does it depend on the fish
can i use the bucket filter on a 150 gallon stock tank outside? I have a snapping turtle and the canister filters are constantly struggling because of leaves and overall muck. This seems like the perfect solution. Just not sure about the pump
I am overloaded with guppy fry. This might act as a giant pooper scooper!
This guy builds a filter bucket but ahows nothing of any sort of materials that he uses to actually filter out the dirt.
Why not simply let the water drain into the top of the bucket and it the bottom?
That way you can use cheap filter cloth to trap the solid debris before it goes through the biological media. Plus it's easy to remove and replace.
nice video! could you pls let me know where to buy fish tank in your video? or how to build it?
Hey guys for a fancy one of these just us some big clay cobra looking fixtures ! Clay bowl bamboo run off
Frustrated just trying to find the list of ALL the supplies needed. :/ Only seeing a partial list and the link only repeats the same video?
I bought a 800gph pump. Can I run a dual 5gal bucket filter using one pump.
Building this right now for my breeder outside tank 😛 thank you so much for these videos!!!!!!
I wanted to make this and add bucket lids as a separation for the different filter media's but they were previously used to store garlic in 10 litre buckets, so now they have a strong garlicky smell and I was wondering if it would be safe for my fish.
what would be the max water temp i could have with shiners and creek chubs before i would have to refrigerate the water?
Five gallon bucket is an ideal size and works well inside, but what are people doing for outdoor use since these buckets aren't UV resistant. They get brittle in the direct Florida sun and i don't want to have to rebuild every year. Thanks
Do you leave the media in the little bags? I like my media able to move around so I made a small blocker around the opening out the outlet of the water.
