John Martinez

Have you given green terrors a look? Plentiful as juvies and can get quite beautiful.

This is a dang good question. Pulling rock wool off my plants is tedious as heck, I'd love to just plop them in and be done!

Regarding BDBS, I've seen pics of rust on aquariums after use. It's not a terribly big deal but this stuff is an industrial product and isn't geared toward keeping creatures alive. If a container of oil or cleaning fluid busted nearby it, the store may not see that as a big deal, livestock definitely will not tolerate that tho. I've seen this specific example at a hardware store where cleaning fluid was leaking into pool filter sand. I would say my biggest tip is to be creative. I know I warned against BDBS for not being geared toward aquarium use, but a lot of stuff generally doesn't have to be to be aquarium specific to be used. Examples being if you want a sump, it doesn't have to be an aquarium. You can use a tub, or heck even a bucket. If you use a tub, make sure it can handle the water pushing against the edges. Water is HEAVY, 20 gallons is 160 pounds. Sometimes DIY isn't the cheapest method, however DIY can often get you exactly what you need and customization options-that can often save money down the road. Filtration with a bucket filter is cheap enough, upgrading is even cheaper as often you can oversize your pump from the beginning and simply dial it up, or replace a pump which is way cheaper than getting a whole new canister filter. More on creativity is opening your mind to what you actually need. Get a big tank, but do you go canister or sump? Sump is a fraction of the cost, but provides so much more. You can have it serve as your grow out tank for fry and plants, you can separate bit from your tank and use it as a ready to go hospital or quarantine tank. You can even use it to keep live food if you let snails run wild. A canister is a glorified mechanical filter and media holder. The sump can mechanically filter, bio filter, and so much more. Also, forgot-it can take the evap losses instead of your main tank. Hell it can even make money for you when you stick plant trimmings or fry to grow out and sell. I don't go with baffles and compartments but keep it wide open.

Does water level make a difference here? I'm curious because I've had a power outage with my HOB and it restarted fine. When I do water changes however the filter drains itself and I have to manually prime it again. I'm thinking if your water level is high enough maybe it won't drain.

If you're talking about the gamma lid buckets, yes I can use those. I was tempted based on Joey's canister build, however there were a LOT of comments mentioning leaks. Also, actual latches to make it easy to open, I'm not a fan of the twisting being I'm going to want to have PVC going in from the top. I'm envisioning a bucket similar to the fluval fx6, minus the pump, extras, and price.

Mine is really simple, yet so difficult to find: A sturdy rigid latching plastic canister, with rubber/silicone gasket. That's it! I challenge anyone to find one between 1 and 5 gallons. I've been dying to make a DIY canister filter, but the container is a total bear to find. I almost went with a $30 tote from home depot that was 15 or 20 gallons, but I didn't have confidence in the seal.

Might be a dumb question, but is it possible to keep a live culture going with these? I have only one tank currently and am not sure I can use up all the BBS. I see the suggestion to freeze leftovers but I'm curious if how long these can live, or if I can do anything to extend their lifespan. Thanks.