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Custom Nano Filter Design / Material Question

Hi all,
dean said:
£10 each I’m sure they will sell well
Click to expand...
I must admit I spent some of yesterday afternoon, when I should have been working, looking at water-tight, stainless steel, food storage containers. I couldn't help noticing that some of them had <"ADA Superjet style clips to hold the lids on">..........which made me wonder how difficult it would be to drill them? and put on some the nice fittings that @NayrP has sourced?

You would <"still need an external pump">, but not necessarily an Iwaki one.

cheers Darrel
 
dw1305 said:
Hi all,

I must admit I spent some of yesterday afternoon, when I should have been working, looking at water-tight, stainless steel, food storage containers. I couldn't help noticing that some of them had <"ADA Superjet style clips to hold the lids on">..........which made me wonder how difficult it would be to drill them? and put on some the nice fittings that @NayrP has sourced?

You would <"still need an external pump">, but not necessarily an Iwaki one.

cheers Darrel
Click to expand...

Stainless is fairly tough and can snag a bit when drilled. For me, it's more the thin wall section that makes adding water tight connectors difficult, to existing storage vessels. The thin wall section means you won't be able to tap a thread, like in a thicker machined housing, as in NayrP's project. Some online guides use the pipe fitting to tap the thread, but that will only last so long. The cylindrical faces also make it difficult to get a seal, using o-rings or seals with a backnut. Hence why the nice looking ADA ones are all welded pipe fittings. The best option would be use a container with a nice big flat lid, then you have the room and the flat surface to drill through holes secure the pipe fittings with a backnut. Might not be elegant, but would get the job done. Assuming you can have an inlet/outlet in the lid and still get the desired flow, probably not.
 
With some thought it may not be too difficult to put both inlet and outlet connectors on the top* of the filter like the vast majority of externals on the market. Actually, even placing just one on the side like the ADA and Eheim Classic would make things a bit easier. There are other solutions though like bonding thick material to the container for fittings. If it’s on the inside you’d never see it.

* I actually think this is a much more elegant solution anyway.
 
Hi all,
It was just idle speculation really. The only thing I don't like about the Eheim Classics is the plastic canister body. I've found that, while they are otherwise fairly indestructible, they break if you drop them from a great height when they are full of water and media.
noodlesuk said:
The cylindrical faces also make it difficult to get a seal, using o-rings or seals with a backnut. Hence why the nice looking ADA ones are all welded pipe fittings.
Click to expand...
I wondered if that was the major issue.
noodlesuk said:
The best option would be use a container with a nice big flat lid, then you have the room and the flat surface to drill through holes secure the pipe fittings with a backnut.
Click to expand...
I think there may be some of those.

I like the ADA Superjet / Eheim Classic design, with the input at the bottom and outlet at the top, but it isn't essential.

cheers Darrel
 
The inlet pipe could enter the top of the canister and go down to the bottom. This is pretty much what most modern external filters do anyway. They use “tubes” built into the media trays to do it but that’s not the only way I’m sure.
 
Looking good!
I was wondering how you’re going to balance the CO2 injection? If it’s set too high, even slightly, won’t it eventually fill up most of the canister with CO2?
 
Hey guys. Thanks for all of the great feedback! I am really happy with the way it turned out! All parts were machined from solid 316 stainless steel. I am looking forward to getting the new pump mounted and the CO2 hooked up so I can see how it all works out. I am adding an Oase Optimax 500 which should give me all the flow I need (it’s adjustable if it has too much) and since it has a removable impellor unlike the no-name pump I was originally looking at, maintenance should be much more comfortable.

As far as CO2 goes I am hoping that the injection rate is so low on a 20L that I won't be accumulating too much at the top before it gets absorbed by the water. I added a small plastic bend that directs the inlet flow of the water right at the top cap to help with CO2 mixing if it does start to accumulate.
 
So I finally have had time to get my nano cube up and running with the new filter. Just threw a few plants in there for now (need to figure out how I want to scape it). Also, I havent hooked up any CO2 yet but the filter seems to be running great and all of the plants are swaying lightly in the flow. Think it looks pretty sweet! I am still waiting on my glass filter inlet to replace the temporary plastic one in the pictures. Think that will help with the overall look that I am going for as well. Let me know what you guys think!IMG_20210805_062436.jpgIMG_20210805_061100.jpg
 
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Wow that's really impressive. If you are considering selling one, feel free to contact me!
I've found the Liquido Design Nano 100, but it's not as good looking as yours!
 
It's fantastic to see a project like this move from concept to finish that combines beauty and functionality in one. I'm jealous 🙂
 
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