Cheap 2.5g Diy fuge pics

[koolaidman]

Due to popular demand, im posting pics of the fuge i built. I didnt want to buy an expensive prebuilt one or a small hob, so i made this. The 2.5g sits on the back and is actually above my dt. I fitted 3/4" Cpvc to the filter intake to pump water in and made a siphon to pump the water out. It only cost me around 5 bucks from Home depot, plus a $20 lamp+bulb. It works pretty well, it is presently uninhabited (except ls) but ill put a strawberry container of cheato and some lr in it soon.

 

[koolaidman]

No questions or insults?

 

[devil dog]

looks good... how big is you DT? that is a small refuge

 

[renogaw]

just be cautious of overflows. if the syphon breaks on the return (or gets full of air, etc) you're looking at trouble.

 

[koolaidman]

Ya the dt is only a 20 long. Its better than just a small hob filter. I dont really know why it would overflow the siphon is just a simple u bend of pvc and if it did overflow it would only empty a small portion of the tank until the filter ran dry.

 

[itom37]

Well, I can't tell exactly how you've got the intake pump set up. If it's in some sort of overflow container in the DT, sweet. If not, then when the siphon on the return breaks, the pump will continue pumping water into the fuge but the siphon will no longer be returning water. You can see how this will quickly cause the pump to dump water down to the level of its intake (or the level of your overflow device). I think that's what renogaw was thinking.
So set us straight with a few more details of how you're combating this potential problem. I'm thinking about installing a sump with a DIY overflow and would be interested to see how others have done it.

 

[itom37]

Ok, I think I understand better how this is working after examining your picture a bit more. How is the pipe that goes into your filter set up? It looks like it extends deep into the tank. From what level does the water get drawn?

 

[flboyinohio]

Well im glad you understand this one but i dont, how does it work again? I understand the pipe and sump but how do u get the water to flow from the 20gL to the 2.5? u stick it right into the filter? I am running umm idk... an 80 gallon filter (bio wheels and ish i think a penguin) so im just curious where the pipe goes

 

[jon321]

What kind of lamp are you using out of curiosity, Ive never been able to find a cheap lamp that grows macro well and would be very interested in finding one.
Ive had similar fuges before, but I found it worked best if I had a hole drilled near the top of the fuge so the water just flowed out of the fuge by gravity. Impossible to overflow and lots of pods and stuff fall into the main tank.
Jon

 

[claymc]

I have a cheap clamp on reflector with a 100W (28W PC) 6500K bulb in mine, and my cheato is growing well. My pods love it.. just found a small starfish that hitchhiked in from somewhere..
I bought everything at Lowe's for < $15

 

[koolaidman]

i hear ya john i wanted a hole rather than a return siphon but every glass place refused to do it and i wouldnt want to try. To clear things up i am using the old hob filter instead of a powerhead. The pipe you see going over it is just an extension of the filter intake (coming from the dt.) The filter flows into the fuge and the siphon flows it back out into the dt. Yes i do know that it could overflow if the siphon messed up. However, i dont see why it would stop and whenever there is a bubble in it it has enough force to push it out. The intake is not all the way down so i can do water changes with it but if it were to overrflow there will still be maybe 2/3 of water in the dt.

 

[koolaidman]

oh yeah heres the bulb $6 at Home depot 5500k 10000hrs and its energy saving so its the equivelent of 40w but only 9w (they go up to 100w=24w tho.)

 

[itom37]

Originally Posted by koolaidman
i hear ya john i wanted a hole rather than a return siphon but every glass place refused to do it and i wouldnt want to try. To clear things up i am using the old hob filter instead of a powerhead. The pipe you see going over it is just an extension of the filter intake (coming from the dt.) The filter flows into the fuge and the siphon flows it back out into the dt. Yes i do know that it could overflow if the siphon messed up. However, i dont see why it would stop and whenever there is a bubble in it it has enough force to push it out. The intake is not all the way down so i can do water changes with it but if it were to overrflow there will still be maybe 2/3 of water in the dt.
I'd cut the intake pipe so that it's only a couple of inches in, to avoid overflow.
Other than that, cool DIY fuge!