aspects

while digging through my "aquarium stuff" storage shed, i found this old 1g (i believe) tank.



since i finished all of my other DIY projects, i decided to try something a little unconventional with this. (just my style.)

i wanted to add some small fish to this tank, but because of the size/shape/design of the tank, your "filter" options are limited to an airpump and stone or bubble wand. im sure i could have fashioned some kind of DIY UGF, but i personally do not believe in using UGF in aquariums.

so...

with no space for a small HOB or canister. it was time to get a little creative.

first thing i did was drill out the tank, and install a couple of 1/2" bulkhead fittings.



with the bulkhead fittings installed, i cut some more PVC for the external plumbing. then put together a quick DIY trickle filter to run a wet test.



everything seemed to be leak free, so it was time to get started on a filter.

the tank was going on an end table next to one of my couches, so my filter needed to be hidden behind the couch. initially i was going to do a much bigger wet/dry (upwards of 20-30gal wet/dry filter) but i couldnt find the right shaped container to fit behind my couch, so i ended up going with a 5gal wet/dry until i can find the container im looking for.

the filter is pretty basic.

bucket:


pvc "legs":


eggcrate holding tray: (to hold up the bio media)


assembled like this:



i then cut the bottom off another bucket and drilled holes in it to make a drip tray. added my mechanical media to the drip tray (in this case i used a coarse filter pad, and poy fill). then i drilled holes in the lid to acommodate the wires for the pump in the bottom of the bucket, and the overflow and return hoses.

(sorry no pics for that portion).

that was about it. i added some gravel to the bottom of the tank (mostly because the bottom was ugly), and ran the plumbing.

here i pulled back the couch so you can see the filter and plumbing. with the couch ion place, you dont see any of this.



today i went and picked up a few things for the stock and scape.

aspects

heres how it stands now.





more to come as everything gets settled in.
i still have a few more plants to add, and i will be shaping the DW as soon as its waterlogged

Regal

Looks good! I hope you'll post more pics as your plants grow in. How many GPH is your pump?

aspects

60GPH. (sorry, thought i posted the specs of the filter. guess i forgot)

the return pump is running @ 60GPH (1GPM lol) and there is a second pump running a "refiltration system" inside the filter @ 20GPH.

needless to say, this tank is extremely clean