How To Make A Bottle Gravel Filter - Shrimp Keeping

[@travishemming3783]

I almost can't keep up with all of these new and wonderful videos. I had a version of this built within 15 minutes of watching you do it. So much fun! I used a small glass vase with some decorative rocks on top and bottom, with bio balls and ceramic rings in the middle. Part of an old gravel vacuum served as the pipe, and i' did go with an airstone just because it was there. Brilliant idea, Mark!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thanks buddy :)

[@travishemming3783]

I'll probably switch the media out for lava rock when it becomes readily available again for gas grills in the spring. It'll be safer for shrimp to crawl around like you said. No store that I can find around here stocks lava rock in the winter, even though we grill outdoors year-round. I just had to build that filter...couldn't wait....so I used what I had. It was a good excuse to get another tank up and running anyway. i'll stock it with babies in a couple months when there's lots of nice bio-film and algae built up. :)

[@josephhuang5739]

Great idea, super simple to make. Thanks for the tip

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

You are very Welcome Joseph :)

[@DannysAquariums]

Looks awesome Mark! You did a great job! _Keep up the good work!_ *Thumbs up!*

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thanks Danny ,I was thinking of an Idea for subscriber videos and I thought why dont I just do a subscriber Saturday slot ? I will put your videos up on Saturday night :)

[@lisajligon]

I used a 750mL vodka bottle, cut the top off, and used a 50mL shooter (test tube style) for the interior. Just because I had them laying around. I was able to get genuine lava rock. I ran an air stone up the shooter tube for lots of tiny bubbles. My shrimp LOVE to play in and all over this filter. Thanks for the great idea. Now I don't have to worry about them getting sucked into their filtration system!

[@alexparris7769]

It makes me happy to see two nepenthes pitcher plants on either side of the screen :D

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Yeah I love them ,I wish I had a few more varieties .

[@sirdukeusa3289]

So glad you done a DIY shrimp filter, I have a piece of fine sponge at the intake of my Whisper to help the shrimp from going in. Thanks again, I think I'm becoming your biggest fan,

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I see that ,thank you Amy for the support :)

[@sirdukeusa3289]

You are very welcome

[@iLive2Ride76]

Brilliant solution mate. I will build some of these. One thing you didn't mention is that it's easy to clean and the debris caught in it will stay in the filter when you lift it out of the tank.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

its self cleaning because the shrimp can get in and out of it ,this isnt a mechanical filter its just a biological filter :)

[@CarlosDiezAquatics]

"A lovely filter" hahaha Great little filter! I love DIY projects and biological filters so this video is perfect for me hahaha thanks! :)

[@DJ_LittlePea]

I dig I dig and omg how really easy was this to create ..... you did a great job and by the looks of what you shown us ANYONE could make one of these not a problem 👍👌 saving this to my favourite playlists 👌🤗

[@MELODYMUNRO]

I might be wrong, but I think I remember reading that the longer or higher the uplift tube, the stronger the flow. What I love about this hobby is that it is the simple things that often work the best...I love matten filters.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

What I noticed with pipe length is if you have it to close to the surface you lose circulation around the tank .

[@spoiledsushi7400]

Hi Mark, I just subscribed and wanted to say hello and say I love your videos and information! I had aquariums since I was in 4th grade and eventually had gotten into saltwater. Eventually I moved and I am sorry to say my 125 gallon tank and several others have been sitting in the dust ever since. (we're talking about 25 yrs!) I recently saw a freshwater shrimp tank at our local pet store and now I am obsessed, so I've been doing my homework and reading everything I can before I start. I'm starting small--9 gallons and will follow as much advice as I can get. I have been 'binge' watching your videos and have a lot more to view and now there's not enough time in the day to sit in front of the computer! So much has changed over the years especially filtration, so everything is new again! Thank you for putting all this wonderful info out there, I am definitely a big fan!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thats what I am here for Jan and thank you for subscribing:)

[@sirdukeusa3289]

What are the white things on the tank sides at 10:39? Love, love the diy filter

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

floating at the surface ? it Styrofoam I use it to float things .

[@shrimpsociety7057]

Great DIY filter. I have a suggestion and it is put some sponge in the front of the media to keep the media from catching food and keep the shrimp and babies out.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

This is just a biological filter,its designed so that if there is a power out the shrimp wont get trapped inside if they climb down the pipe...they can crawl all the way through this all of the time .

[@royalcitizen6101]

The Videos are flowing this week! Love it!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I had a build up of older videos that were going to become irrelevant because If I keep them to long they dont show my setup now if you know what I mean ,they are old new videos :D

[@royalcitizen6101]

Fair enough, how long was it before your channel hit 100 subscribers? If you don't mind me asking?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

It was months ,I know for sure people that have bigger channels get preference in ranking because KZbin knows they are not spam ,you just have to keep at it my friend ,post regularly and people will come:)

[@georgehliston]

Marks Shrimp Tanks hi mark as wondering if a bamboo shrimp would be ok in a cherry shrimp tank , thanks

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Yes they are safe ,I will get some for my tanks I think ..they look awesome :)

[@RuachEden]

Good stuff, Mark! Thanks for sharing

[@bennettbennettsb]

I totally use this idea and it works great

[@leannestafford6746]

Great video. its the simplest diy filter ive ever seen. will need to try it myself. :)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thank you Yanny :)

[@111steveo111]

Love the look of this filter. I have already created a bottle filter but it is the kind where you drill holes in neck, lid and bottom and then invert it, fill it with media and it has a sponge over the lid where water is drawn up. The problem is that it looks awful suckered to the side of the tank and yours looks more natural, plus shrimp can use it as a playground?. Just need to find a new bottle and some pipe now, many thanks and keep up the good work.

[@111steveo111]

As this video is over a year old, what are your feelings on this. Was it successful, any improvements? I have seen newer videos but they are big filters and I only have a 20L tank so am looking for a small filter.

[@pabloskioslacsed1226]

simple but very useful. thank you so much.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thank you Pablo Descalso :)

[@jacksonjoey5648]

Ya dig ya dig..👍👍i can dig it bro...dope vid

[@kc-noice2083]

love the cheap diy projects thanks

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Its part of the hobby I love :)

[@johnbearsfishroom8444]

I am going to build this! Cool!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Cheers John :)

[@FishmanEricRussell]

Nice! I love innovative DIY

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thank you Fishman :)

[@MrMeen]

Great video. Thanks Mark. would you say that just a foam filter is not enough? I understood that foam filters do both mechanical and biological.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Foam is ok but I think it lack the surface area compared to alphagrog and lava rock ,anyways I think its always a good idea to have more than one filter type in a tank .

[@jeanpierreragequit1726]

a very great idea !!

[@СашаСашевич]

Great video Mark хорошо получилось )

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Cheers:)

[@ethanrussell1940]

Hey Mark, great diy filter. Do you reckon you could put a bag of peat moss in the bottom as I've been having trouble with ph and wanna lower it and peat seems to be the only natural way of lowering it? Am tossing up between this and HOB filter, so if I can use peat in it I will definitely go for this and save a few bucks.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

You Know Ethan I played around trying to get what you are talking about working for such along time and I constantly had deaths in the tank , PH is something that has to be done before shrimp go into a tank if you get what I mean .

[@ethanrussell1940]

Hey Mark, my tank is currently still cycling, so I figured now would be the best time to sort out ph so is it possible or should I just stick it to the HOB. Also, thanks, you have been a big help to me in getting my tank cycling and ready for shrimps.

[@leahrandt5459]

Mark, I love the way this looks, so natural! could you plant anubis on the rock? if I set up a second one of these to act as the mechanical filter, what would you recommend putting in it? Thanks :)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

You probably could put anubis in it but the idea with this open type of filter is the shrimp can go into the thing and out as they like :)

[@Gwyntog-21]

Great filter mark _👍🏽

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thank you :)

[@Red_Pilled_Woman]

Love it! Looks so good.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thanks buddy :)

[@scottgesling6043]

Hey Mark do you need to have a flow to create biological filtration? I just don't have extra air pumps around and wanted to add some bio filtration for my goldfish. Thanks

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I would imagine so Scott :)

[@shrimpssnails7260]

Great video, love the filter

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thank you ,I thought I would update you on something,a few people were saying I copied The King of Diy Light idea ..but my LED video was on KZbin 2 weeks before his :D and anyway I got the idea from you I am not claiming to be the king of anything I was just sharing an idea :)

[@GrekuAkwarystyka]

Simple and well done! if only tube was transparent he would look great :)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Yeah it would wouldnt it ,I just used what I had lying around :)

[@jlathem56]

Hey Mark. I just noticed that one of your affiliates is The Shrimp Farm in Bloomington IL. That is about an hour away from me. I'll have to see if I can get you credit for future purchases. :)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

ahhhh that awesome jlathem Thank you :)

[@jokubasjankauskas]

Wow awesome :) , gorgeos work :)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thanks buddy :)

[@hatsonhatsoff3309]

Great idea Mark! Adding that to my set up this month. Is it fine to use this type of filtration alone without the sponge filter?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

It probably is when its fully matured ,I would still run a sponge with it though .

[@hatsonhatsoff3309]

Hi mark, another question. Do i need to prepare my lava rocks in a special way before putting the diy filter inside the tank? I just started cycling 4 tanks without biozyme.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I would soak them in warm water for a few hours and thats it :)

[@hatsonhatsoff3309]

i dont have to rinse them after?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I havnt cleaned mines ever :)

[@MusingsFromTheDen]

That's nifty. 😊 I just got my Amano shrimp today, and they're happily pootling around the tank. 😊 I bought an acclimation kit and there's still some water in it but it's got no removable parts - any tips for getting the water out and drying it?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

can you blow through it ?

[@MusingsFromTheDen]

***** I'm trying! Maybe I just didn't have enough 'puff' yesterday 😁 I'll try again today, next tactic, hang it up near a radiator and try evaporating it out. 😊

[@lisat9707]

for aesthetics could you wrap the top of the pipe with somthing and attach Moss? same with the bottom or could you hide it buried behind the aqua scape?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

That would be interesting :)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Good Idea I might just try that :)

[@mikevhx5682]

Hi, the stones you use in the filter look a lot like some pond substrate wich promotes BB. I have a bag of them and its written that they release minerals. Also i tested some of it in ro water and 500grams of stones in 5l ro water raised the tds by 15 ppm is this neglactable for RCS on akadama in a 260L tank....?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I think these are inert but I am not sure I don't have this filter anymore so I cant test it .

[@nbaker01]

Hi Mark, do you think Biohome media would work well in this type of filter?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

+Nigel Baker yeah I think it would be great

[@smartyfox511gaming4]

Hey Mark, I was wondering what type of air pump you used for this.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

You can use a small one for this type ,in my room I have a central pump that can put air into 120 Tanks :)

[@smartyfox511gaming4]

Thanks, but do you have a suggested small pump? If not i'll figure it out.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Tetratec ones are good :)

[@MrShibaMX]

Hi thanks for the tip! What media is that ? What kind of gravel / stone ?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

It is alphagrog I think its a by product of glass making

[@MrShibaMX]

thank you

[@Elma0324]

Great Filter!! What type of plant is in your tanks? They look great!!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Most of them are a plant called Subwassertang ..I sell the stuff if your interested ? google subwassertang 4 sale and my video should pop up :)

[@tonyhind6992]

Fantastic.

[@donsturgiss7983]

You can also use any vegetable oil: smear it on and let it sit for a bit, then wash off with hand dishwasher soap. I just did this for a 1G test nanotank for shrimp.

[@maaz_khan_7_]

hey Mark! great video as always..just one question..is it safe for baby shrimp?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Yes ,the whole idea is to allow the Shrimp to crawl all the way in and get all the way out without getting trapped,thats why I chose large media with big gaps .

[@maaz_khan_7_]

Marks Shrimp Tanks Well that awesome then! Thanks for the build video😊

[@bosswolgast]

super bra tips. Vill dock gärna ha en länk till stenen!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

www.ebay.com/itm/232194469426?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[@bosswolgast]

Marks Shrimp Tanks tackar för snabbt svar

[@brenangallagher9569]

Your aquariums are so awesome and you're so helpful I know it It is starting to sound redundant but your info is awesome. I Over your channel and your wife's cooking channel I hope,you both do well with KZbin Mark!!! 😀😀😀😀

[@brenangallagher9569]

Love*

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thank you Brenner ,my wife is telling me not to help her but I will indirectly ,thank you for the support :)

[@KrakenKoopa]

Great video mark, roughy many gram of rock you think you used? Going to order some of that media off eBay. Thanks.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

3-400g my friend ,I bout 4 kg of the stuff in total ,if you can find lava rock buy it instead though it meant to be better :)

[@justagirlintheworld6431]

Mark, how strong should the air pump be? I struggle with this on my sponge filters too, I never really know if it's strong enough or too strong, other that it blowing everything around. :)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Hello Nancy ,the absolute best way to do this is to feed some type of particle food so you can see them floating around in the water column,I always adjust the airflow so that those little particles travel around at about 1 inch per second ,if they dont move then you dont have enough flow ,visa versa for the opposite .

[@kalekip14]

kee on going mark we love this stuff i have those rocks spread over on my floor so it.filters a little and they love to eat off.it but never thought off this good idea. your sides of your tank are a bit dark, is that all algea? or is it a coloured side? if its algea doesnt that effect the water or is it Just good for food Just wondering good stuff mark as.always

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Its just the lights,not good enough ,its the last set I have to change out .

[@dwainkitchel1316]

simple is often best :) DIY can always save u money to spend on other things too :)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Simple and an old Idea Dwain Ive just made my version 100% shrimp safe ..by the way the subwassertang is getting through customs ,I thought I would let you know :)

[@dwainkitchel1316]

awesome! i had given up hope :) will keep my eye out for it now!!!!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I am hearing 10-12 days so that means you should see it before this Saturday ,fingers crossed :)

[@ameliatuson7398]

What pump do you use with your bio filters and your DIY ones?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

If you are talking about the pumpsthat fit the bottles?then the best one I have is the newjet400 it fits into a bottle perfectly without any diy .

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Amelia if you mean which airpump my bad ,its a v-60 heilia its a fishroom airpump.

[@ameliatuson7398]

I have a bio-foam filter but didn't buy an air pump like an idiot as the store didn't tell me to and I wasn't sure which one to get so I thought you'd know as you're very knowledgeable about shrimp :3 Thank you very much :3

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Ah now I get you , a very popular pump is the tetra tec range and they are normally pretty cheap :)

[@ameliatuson7398]

Okay, I'll try find one :3 Thank youu!

[@tinyninjafishy]

Hey Mark, In a shrimp tank with substrate when you are doing water changes, do you gravel vac the water out? Or do you just take the water out of the middle of the tank? I am always worried about crushing the shrimp or sucking up babies! Thank you!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I never gravel vac the tank ,I dont think its needed:)

[@tinyninjafishy]

Thank you!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thank you kind sir :D

[@michaelmcneil2020]

Hi Mark. Nice cheap idea for the DIYer :) On a sidenote, have you any experience with Shrimplabs Biofilm? Have been toying with trying it but unsure if its just another gimmick. Not really much info online about it. Many thanks in advance!

[@michaelmcneil2020]

Ignore this. Just got my answer from your livestream :) many thanks. Michael.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Never heard of it my friend :)

[@michaelmcneil2020]

Apparently the ShrimpLab products are quite highly rated so thought I would ask :) www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/shrimplab/821-shrimplab-biofilm-30g-0603803084415.html?search_query=biofilm&results=47

[@mammav2]

How could you add a mechanical component? Could you put floss on the top of the media? I'd like to make some for my fish tanks.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

The inherent problem with any air driven filter is that if it loses power the shrimp can climb into the thing and not be able to get back out but because my version is open the shrimp can go in and out as they please. You could add a floss layer to stop fine particle going through it but then if the power stops shrimp can climb down through the center and into the media a floss layer would trap them ..did I explain it good enough ?

[@mammav2]

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that and I imagine fry would face the same problem.

[@maiawebb6904]

Hi I've just found your channel .I'm just setting up a shrimp tank which is 25lt I was looking to purchase a fluval one I've used fluval in my other tanks would this be ok thanks Maia

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

You mean fluval filter ? yes if you can make it shrimp safe

[@maiawebb6904]

@@MarksShrimpTanks I was thinking of using something with a small mesh over the outside

[@AquariumCop]

thank you 👍

[@brucekang332]

Hi Mark First of all, thanks for the great idea. Do you think I can replace the lava rock with kitchen sponge?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Hello Bruce, I would say no because sponges are all made differently and some have stuff in them to stop mold so I personale wouldn't use a kitchen sponge in a filter.

[@brucekang332]

@@MarksShrimpTanks how about just some normal gravel? I can't seem to find lava rock anywhere.

[@brucekang332]

@@MarksShrimpTanks sorry my bad, just searched for definition of "lava rock", realised that it is very common, the aquarium near my home has tons of it. Sorry I made myself sound like a fool 😂😂 I thought lava rock was literally from the volcano

[@brucekang332]

@@MarksShrimpTanks would it be better to have the lava rock in big pieces (like the ones in your video) or do you recommend crushing them into smaller pieces

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

small around 1cm in size would be good , I would use it in most of my filters if I could get it cheaper here

[@BALONGITOON]

How do you clean the undergravel filter? It is ok not to clean it?

[@xpouii-3992]

Would this type of filter be safe for Guppies and Mystery snails as well, including fry? I love the design but my tank won't be shrimp only so I want to be extra cautious.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

You can fill it with normal gravel in that case :)

[@xpouii-3992]

Thanks!!

[@Jaydenbeam]

Would it be okay to takeout a HOB filter cartridge and replace it with a sponge?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Cant see why not :)

[@Jaydenbeam]

okay thank you just wanted to make sure. also do you have experience with Amano shrimp?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I do what would you like to know ?

[@Jaydenbeam]

Marks Shrimp Tanks in your opinion whats the easiest shrimp to breed? (To keep not sell)

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

By far the easiest is the Cherry Shrimp.

[@Gwyntog-21]

By the way mark i just signed up on your shop site under the name Neil shepherd,i will be ordering your shrimp goodies asap👍🏽

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Thank you Neil :)

[@buckibuckibucephalandra1633]

Nice!!!!!!!!!!

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Oh are you who I think you are :D

[@buckibuckibucephalandra1633]

Yup,GURU :)

[@TheASMRlogs]

How much larger would you go for say a 55 gallon?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I have just done one that holds 3kg of active substrate so there probably isnt a limit on the size you can make them.

[@equest3502]

Nice

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

nice nice baby :D

[@christofferjerklov4826]

ill add this behind my sponge-corner wall.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Awesome ,in Shrimp tanks you can never have enough filtration :)

[@tanlingfeng7424]

The pipe is connect to a pump?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Yes this is airdriven

[@Niesty-1103]

will that filter work well in a tank of fish?.😕

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I dont think so no ,all you would need to do is change the media I have in it over for plain gravel and it would work as a fish filter :)

[@saytan4798]

Do 2 liter bottles work?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

They do :)

[@alephanrmd]

So, can I use zeolite??

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Yes you can use zeolite

[@alephanrmd]

Thank you so much! Like your videos so much :)

[@alephanrmd]

Oh sorry Mark I want to ask, do I need to change the media?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

I would say no some other people might say yes because zeolite absorbs things for months and the stops absorbering ..I think its ok to stay in tanks though and bacteria will eat through what it has absorbed.

[@alephanrmd]

Thank you Mark! :)

[@FL-Man78]

It seems like you could also very easily add a layer of polyester filter fiber above the lava rock to make this a mechanical/biological filter (just like the old box filters) or add another to the tank with just filter fiber and you have yourself a mechanical filter..great video

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

It works very well the way you described it and I used to have a few of them setup up this way until one day when I had a power cut I noticed shrimp inside the filter ,they could get in but couldnt get back out ...the first time I noticed it there were a few bodies in the filter so I went with this new variation ,its a pure biological filter now ..shrimp can climb in it and out of it no problem .

[@shinucafe]

What type of rock is that?

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Its called alphagrog, I think its the left over melted sand when they make glass

[@cg_red1528]

Marks Shrimp Tanks will bio balls work

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

Yes ,I have a friend thats just made a filter with mineral balls which is a great idea :D

[@SuperlativeCatalyst]

Lol i did the same thing just messing around

[@johnnyenglish1652]

Shrimplets are gonna be sucked into the filtre I reckon.

[@MarksShrimpTanks]

oh they will thats the point ,they can just crawl straight back out again ,this is just a biological filter and all we need to happen is for water to genitally flow over the media ,I have watched shrimp in the filter cleaning it :D