Homemade Filters

Killie people use a lot of small containers to raise fry. While the containers are easy to find, figuring out how to provide a filter is harder. This is what I have come up with. The pictures can be double clicked to bring up a larger version.

This picture shows all the components needed to make one filter.

Filter Floss

Large and small stiff tubing - you probably have this as the part you have cut off a sponge filter to make the lift shorter. If not, many pet shops sell the rigid tubing for a couple of dollars. You need a size that will fit into the the plastic tee, and another size that will attach to your airline..

Small plumbing plastic tees. They come in a lot of sizes. Get what will fit inside the container you need it for. You do not care what the ends are, so find the ones that are smooth on the ends instead of grooved for screwing another piece of tubing into it. The smooth ended ones are cheaper. I personally found a bunch of roughly 3/4" to 1" hole sizes at an Ace hardware store for less than 50 cents each. Most hardware stores stock these things.

My rigid tubes are roughly 2" long. Take the wider one and cut or file a hole about 1/2" from the end. Into this hole you will shove the piece of tubing that attaches to your air line. This is a closeup of one that is ready for cleaning!

Not great workmanship on my part, but the fish don't seem to mind.

Put this into the tee part of the plumbing tee. Pack it in so it will stay put with some filter floss. Then stick a piece of filter floss into the other two ends and your filter is ready to use.

Here is a filter in a 2 gallon tank, setting next to a Lee's small round filter. This will show you the size difference. And this tee filter pictured is a larger one that is in a sweater box 2/3 filled with water.

This particular 2 gallon tank has a lot of long strand spag peat moss on the right. About one more day and it will have sunk enough to be ready for a pair of peat spawners. I am finding that these filters are as efficient for me as a small sponge filter. They give an added bonus of being cleaned in seconds. Lift it up, pull out the two floss plugs (the ones not around the tubing), and stick in a new piece. I like to leave the floss around the tubing in for several cleanings to keep the good bacteria available to help seed the two new floss pieces.

I am starting to make some big ones of these filters, using large plumbing tees to replace the regular sponge filters or when I need a new filter. They are just too easy to clean, and get a good water flow. The cost difference is significant also.