Coldnorthtoy
New member
I got an AquaClear 20 to replace my silly little Elite sponge filter, but based on specs its minimum flow is 124 litres per hour - a bit too much for my 20 gallon tank with about 46 litres of water in it. Based on the research I've done, what I really want is about 92 litres per hour, or 2 tank turnovers per hour.
Obviously the splashy-splash isn't good either, creating too much water movement for an axolotl, and too much noise for my wife - and I'm truly not sure which is worse.
This was done in two phases:
Phase 1: Stop the Splashy-Splash
I'd read that people were using filter sponge tied by fishing line to the fliter, so I went out in search of a sponge. After a wander through my local pet store, I found the perfect solution:
Sitting sideways, it's the perfect width. It has a li'l channel to fit in the U1, which also works great for 'catching' the outflow from the AC20. I tried fishing line, but instead decided to use two air hose suction cups and about 4" of air hose, and I just jammed the foam between the air hose and the AC20 outlet, like so:
The actual outflow becomes a single, pencil-sized stream that barely disturbs the water. I already had the hose and the clips, and the filter cost me $2.46 plus tax (CAD). It's also whisper-silent, since most of the filter's noise comes from the splashy-splash.
Phase B: Intake Away
In an effort to better filter the tank, and in the name of coolness, I decided to do something like this, so I picked up a 5' piece of 1/2" cpvc, two elbows and some 5/8" vinyl hose - I think my bill came to about $9 for all these items.
I had also removed the 'gravel stopper' screen from my aquarium siphon, since it was making my clean-ups a pain, so I thought I might be able to use that to my advantage as well.
From the CPVC pipe, I cut a piece almost as long as the tank that still fit in the tank with the elbows on either end. I also cut a small (~2.5") piece for the intake end and a longer (~7") piece for the filter end. The exact dimensions were a cut-n-test adventure, but what I ended up with was an intake that would sit about 1 1/2" above the substrate at one end, and an outlet end ready to be mated to the AC20.
By boiling the vinyl tubing, it becomes really flexible; I did that and stuck a piece about 3" long onto the filter/outlet end - this will connect the new tubing to the AC20's existing U-pipe (and it just happens to fit perfectly inside the U-pipe, too!).
I sat the 'gravel stopper' screen on the new inlet end, and it was too loose, so I cut a 1/2" piece of vinyl tubing, boiled it, and slipped it on to help fill in the gap. This wasn't enough, so I cut another piece and did the same. With two pieces of vinyl tubing on the CPVC, the screen was a perfect fit! Make sure you don't push it too far down onto the pipe, or you'll block half of the screen holes and overheat your pump. Can you guess how I figured that out? Also: don't leave too much vinyl sticking up into the U pipe - you only need about 1/2". More than that, and you can't adjust the flow, and removing the U pipe requires removing the whole bar which makes for a mighty pain the butt.
Here's a shot of the AC20 end of the getup:
And a shot of the new intake:
That done, I laid the new pipe down the back of the tank, buried it in sand, and connected the AC20 up to its new intake end. It didn't take any longer than usual to prime (I only have 8" of water in a 12" tall tank, so it takes awhile either way), and it seems to work like a charm - and with the filter 'flow control' set on about half, I'm getting 96 litres per hour of flow - almost exactly two tank changes per hour. Awesome.
Obviously the splashy-splash isn't good either, creating too much water movement for an axolotl, and too much noise for my wife - and I'm truly not sure which is worse.
This was done in two phases:
Phase 1: Stop the Splashy-Splash
I'd read that people were using filter sponge tied by fishing line to the fliter, so I went out in search of a sponge. After a wander through my local pet store, I found the perfect solution:
Sitting sideways, it's the perfect width. It has a li'l channel to fit in the U1, which also works great for 'catching' the outflow from the AC20. I tried fishing line, but instead decided to use two air hose suction cups and about 4" of air hose, and I just jammed the foam between the air hose and the AC20 outlet, like so:
The actual outflow becomes a single, pencil-sized stream that barely disturbs the water. I already had the hose and the clips, and the filter cost me $2.46 plus tax (CAD). It's also whisper-silent, since most of the filter's noise comes from the splashy-splash.
Phase B: Intake Away
In an effort to better filter the tank, and in the name of coolness, I decided to do something like this, so I picked up a 5' piece of 1/2" cpvc, two elbows and some 5/8" vinyl hose - I think my bill came to about $9 for all these items.
I had also removed the 'gravel stopper' screen from my aquarium siphon, since it was making my clean-ups a pain, so I thought I might be able to use that to my advantage as well.
From the CPVC pipe, I cut a piece almost as long as the tank that still fit in the tank with the elbows on either end. I also cut a small (~2.5") piece for the intake end and a longer (~7") piece for the filter end. The exact dimensions were a cut-n-test adventure, but what I ended up with was an intake that would sit about 1 1/2" above the substrate at one end, and an outlet end ready to be mated to the AC20.
By boiling the vinyl tubing, it becomes really flexible; I did that and stuck a piece about 3" long onto the filter/outlet end - this will connect the new tubing to the AC20's existing U-pipe (and it just happens to fit perfectly inside the U-pipe, too!).
I sat the 'gravel stopper' screen on the new inlet end, and it was too loose, so I cut a 1/2" piece of vinyl tubing, boiled it, and slipped it on to help fill in the gap. This wasn't enough, so I cut another piece and did the same. With two pieces of vinyl tubing on the CPVC, the screen was a perfect fit! Make sure you don't push it too far down onto the pipe, or you'll block half of the screen holes and overheat your pump. Can you guess how I figured that out?
Also: don't leave too much vinyl sticking up into the U pipe - you only need about 1/2". More than that, and you can't adjust the flow, and removing the U pipe requires removing the whole bar which makes for a mighty pain the butt.Here's a shot of the AC20 end of the getup:
And a shot of the new intake:
That done, I laid the new pipe down the back of the tank, buried it in sand, and connected the AC20 up to its new intake end. It didn't take any longer than usual to prime (I only have 8" of water in a 12" tall tank, so it takes awhile either way), and it seems to work like a charm - and with the filter 'flow control' set on about half, I'm getting 96 litres per hour of flow - almost exactly two tank changes per hour. Awesome.
