HOW TO: Build an XL aquarium canister filter with a 5 gallon bucket - 1 of 2

How to build a DIY bucket filter. More commonly known as a DIY aquarium cnaister filter.
Get the ultimate DIY book ► thekingofdiy.com
Follow me ► / uarujoey
PART 2 ► goo.gl/9kTI0i
How to build a horizontal canister filter ► goo.gl/I0QJul
How to build a vertical canister filter ► goo.gl/mDkoog
DIY aquarium filter media ► goo.gl/g4nQvF
Uniseal Hole Size Chart
Uniseal for 1/2" pipe (UNISEAL-0050) = 1.25 Hole Saw
Uniseal for 3/4" pipe (UNISEAL-0075) = 1.25 Hole Saw
Uniseal for 1" pipe (UNISEAL-0100) = 1.75 Hole Saw
Uniseal for 1.25" pipe (UNISEAL-0125) = 2.00 Hole Saw
Uniseal for 1.5" pipe (UNISEAL-0150) = 2.50 Hole Saw
Uniseal for 2" pipe (UNISEAL-0200) = 3.00 Hole Saw
Uniseal for 3" pipe (UNISEAL-0300) = 4.00 Hole Saw
thekingofdiy

[@ellisrothwell1227]

I live in Zimbabwe and here we don't get a large verity of fish or freshwater plants. But thanks to your DIY videos, you have really helped with maintaining my tanks through 12 hour power cuts so thanks. Please keep doing these videos.

[@crimescene3448]

Hello felo Zimbo, saw your comment and could not keep quiet . Hope you are well

[@thekingofdiy]

PART 2 ► goo.gl/9kTI0i Follow me ► facebook.com/uarujoey

[@bang10snyndn27]

I wanna see it finished!! Great idea in a very cheap DIY build

[@jackmckeon8459]

what is the most valued and if sold, the fish are expensive

[@jackmckeon8459]

what is the most valued discus?

[@mitchellcottam3151]

Yes please do show us how to build one fully.

[@jackmckeon8459]

What is the most valued discus?

[@thekingofdiy]

PART 2 ► goo.gl/9kTI0i

[@91792gypsy]

The king of DIY ไ

[@eclipsed2008]

Huge fan of all your videos. My wife, my children and I, have and do still enjoy watching your videos all the time. I just had to say thank you. Your builds have allowed me to have tanks and fish I otherwise could never have been able to afford or keep. Please keep up the great work. I have built stands and filters from your videos and have had great success with all of my projects because of your videos.

[@sdushdiu]

Joey - please expand on this with a detailed step by step build!!! A complete line of large affordable DIY tank accessories would be MOST useful!!!!!

[@mooremartin703]

I made one for my daughter's turtle tank and it works great. Thanks for this helpful video

[@hightechredneck3]

Home depot sells the gamma seal lid in the paint section with other 5 gallon and 3 gallon buckets. Just picked two up today and going to be building two of these filters tomorrow 😊

[@blessingofficial9625]

Love your channel I'm just getting back into aquariums my mom always had an aquarium that I maintained but now it's all my own you have helped me tremendously and have increased my knowledge and my love of the hobby.

[@DennisFrancispublishing]

I finally got your book and am working on reclaiming a 145-gallon tank. Thank you for inspiring me to finish my long time project.

[@acjupp83]

Love it. I made something very similar but was built more like a sump that was gravity fed. Pump in bucket water overflowed from tank to bucket then pumped back up. No gamma seal needed. Top job mate! 👍👍

[@MauriceMccomie]

I love it. It makes sense to me, & the light diffuser as baffles. Awesome. Quick, easy & cheap. Thanks Joey.

[@Teazars]

Maurice Aquariums

[@edgargranados9738]

Finish it looks like it’s perfection at its finest great video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@timmlombardo9267]

I've already made one of these and so now I see what I might've done wrong......thanks and I will be updating my filter! Filtration is my favorite part of the hobby.

[@natewharton357]

I'd love to see the finished product as well. been wondering about the pump to use, especially if using inline equipment like heaters or uv sterilizers. love your channel, thank you for your hard work and dedication!

[@migueltanimoto5672]

Really this homemade canister filter is a great filter that offers the same as the EHEIM 2262 or the Fluval FX6 with the difference that the total cost of this homemade canister is $ 135US including the external pump compared to $ 449US for the EHEIM or $ 340US from the Fluval. It is very important to take into account something that was missing to mention in the video about the construction of the homemade canister. Great care must be taken to seal with silicone and clamps all parts of the filter. It is also important to seal the edge of the Gamma seal. Another great external pump for this homemade canister is the Orlushy DC 5000 which can be purchased on Amazon for $ 79 US. Which must also be sealed at the joints with silicone and clamps to prevent leaks. The MOST IMPORTANT PART is two 12V Plastic Solenoid Valves at the entrance and exit from the canister filter in order to prevent flooding your home in a blackout.

[@aquaescapeartist4915]

The king of DIY has done it again! Thanks bro!

[@rohit3597]

its a wonderful project ...but can u help me with the pump that will be used ...and also a little more on the media and where can i find lava rock online pices around 3-4 inch as in India its not redly available ....and also like to know how the set-up will be

[@yaeloe33]

What is that material put on top of the 4 pvc pipes inside the bucket?

[@KBHfinanceguy]

This filter saved my Butterkoeri's life. Thanks, Joey!

[@sledneckDragon]

I built this for my juvinile yellow belly slider tank and it works amazing. Smell locked in the bucket, tank stays clean for twice as long. The syphon suction and flow from the pump work together to keep all the big debris out of the tank way better than using the pump for suction. Thanks!

[@AndyP126]

I would love to see you finish it at some point.

[@royalspin]

Love your diy stuff and your channel in general . Been a fan for awhile but just subbed.

[@johnm4875]

Eagerly awaiting Part 2

[@1214Nunez]

great idea.. love to watch all the diy ideas. but like everyone says i wana see the finished product.. keep up the good work.

[@jorgehall8959]

Love your videos, Im not very good at manual stuff like this but I love them, and would love to see you finish this. You make everything look so easy I might actually try something one of these days AND i have 3 buckets just like those :D

[@glxbt1987]

Definitely want to see this finished!!

[@ronniebaetiong2195]

good job!! huge help specially if the budget is small for big tank. thank u

[@adamadi6291]

you always come with good ideas.

[@SevernRunAquatics]

Finish the job Joey!

[@MrBriansaul1212]

Hi I'm in california and I enjoy your videos..would love to see more homemade stuff for big tanks... I started breading tilapia and have them in a IBC tank ...anyway keep up the good work greetings from california

[@karelkraan2846]

Hi Joe, I like the XL canister idea and would like to see you finish project.

[@abelc5155]

Thanks for all the experience👍👍

[@marksparks420]

yes i would like to see it finished! what size tank would that filter be used on?

[@stephen6242]

Yes! Please tell more! Also, I would like to know about water pumps!

[@jcribbs5819]

awesome... now onward to part 2.. thank you!!!

[@AquaStudent]

looks good. I think it'll take a little more engineering on the inlet/outlet pipes so that you can disengage them. If you just hard-plumb them in then you won't be able to rotate the top. It'd probably just take putting a union in one each piece so not difficult at all. Nice project Joey. Looking forward to this "big" project

[@jess60901]

+AquaStudent Remember: You can never have too many Unions or 45 degree Elbows in--any--plumbing project...

[@paulfletcher8296]

hi Joy I did the extra large canister filter I'm having a problem with it leaking how can I solve that problem do you have any suggestions

[@Xavier_915]

Cool idea!!! What would be the max amount of gallons this could filter efficiently?

[@joeljaipersaud]

Around 200 gallons

[@haitham.mohamed]

Excellent . Thank you . We want you to finish the project !

[@mr.dpfaquariums4560]

Personally I would like to see you finish this XL filter because I would like to build 2 for my 120 gal cichlid tanks as add on filtration....PLEASE :)

[@rajeshhanda123456789]

Finish the project Joey . Great Vids and I'm looking forward to the completion of this one.

[@rogerendicott5550]

yea would love to see the finished product.very cool

[@__jelly]

Please finish this project! I would love to see the end product :)

[@tomk2u]

+FeatMilky diy overflow joey showed you how to build on a earlier video and then put a return pump under the lighting diffuser i reckon would work well

[@billebobeatup5262]

What!!!!??? You dont like the two holes he drilled in a bucket

[@thebear6529]

Billebobeatup lol

[@BSCavalier]

i'm really curious to see joey's take on the rest of the plumbing for this setup, including whereto place the pump and what PVC fixtures he'd include/

[@CluckinCountryHomestead]

Thanks for the idea! I made one of these last week with just a little change up. It works. I posted a video about it.

[@volponifamily7888]

Hi Joey, I know you are busy with your public aquarium, but when you have some “spare time”, please finish this video and show the multiple ways you can alter it. I’m having problems getting mine going properly. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, expertise and mistakes! Best wishes-

[@andrewbayardo8867]

Great video as always

[@johnhalbasch1519]

Love it, but I'm with most others... can't wait to see the project finished.

[@xavier3961]

Joey the Bane of the Aquarium Manufacturer

[@donteague614]

Ahh there it is! Love diy!

[@Luke.Hampton]

Finish the build! We would love to see it.

[@Cycnoches2012]

enjoyed this idea !! Please finish! Canister filters have their own pumps. will this build have an external pump? Sorry I need more help. I look forward to seeing this sometime this new year!

[@T70MkIII]

Yes, Joey - very keen to see more! Thanks for all your tips and tricks so far.

[@fishead4464]

I would love to see how you would finish this. I am already trying to figure it out by using items that I already have. thank you for all of your hard work that goes into these videos!

[@rdoehrman]

Joey, please help me i have a 120 gal tank and want to build this for my filtration! i have the bucket lid and egg sheet and am trying to figure what size pump GPH i will need and what size pvc pipeing i should use i hope i can get a reply i watch a lot of your videos and hope to do more of your DIY projects thanks!

[@Daaboo]

Uni seal, where do you get those? I'm located in Sweden....

[@plmiron]

More plz!! Very usefull for big tanks ;)

[@relanlegaspi6244]

Thanks joe 👍👍👍

[@mhilarius]

Great idea with the lids. Do you have a source for those rubber Uniseals?

[@stevens2259]

where do you buy your pumps? i cannot find them anywhere for a good price

[@kylecollins9970]

good work man love the idea

[@Benjamin-qf9gg]

Is there any benefit to a high powered submersible pumping water into the bottom of the bucket and out the top with good cemented PVC fittings and sealed with silicone versus the external pump?

[@Trumanandfriends]

Would like to see you finish it. I like the project.

[@diamondgiles3010]

love the video would like to see the finished project

[@yootoob7048]

Joey, I would like to see you complete this filter when you have time.

[@drew1up943]

loved it! would like to see it finished

[@mohamedsameh6118]

Joey can you show us an update to your fish room ? I am really interested

[@montalvoluis52]

Yes, please complete this project

[@guillaumenel9159]

do something more ! love it joey!

[@dingman29]

lets see it... we would feel better if we could see it running!

[@mattfisher401]

See my comment...

[@KMS_Bismarck_Ironblood]

Can you use the commander XL bucket for the same?

[@florinlica7554]

Hi there, but how is pump the cleaner water back in to the aquarium? Do I need to build a separate pump?

[@johnlape7385]

Joe Would this size work on 2 55 gal tanks?

[@donaldstevens5034]

I have a ​ bucket filter with a gamma seal lid and it leaks through the lid. I believe the seal in the lid can not handle the water pressure with the buckets on the floor. Is it best to elevate the buckets above the tank to weaken the pressure. Or is there something I can do to get a better seal on the lid? Or do you have any suggestions?

[@pittbully13]

Ahhh a cliffhanger! Finish it, finish it, finish it. Lol

[@Cleaner69]

What did you use to seal the lid to the bucket? Under pressure I have a leak on the threaded part of the lid.

[@shoe2big]

did you ever come up with a solution?

[@showtime7979]

would love to see this finish 👍

[@PROBOTIX1976]

COMMENT / QUESTION... My Son & I completed the canister build more than a year ago now it works amazing, and handles a "Bio-Load" way above its "Weight Class"! I had a question for you in a relation to this build, I am currently in need of a heater for the tank I'm using this canister filter on, I found a good one on Amazon for about $50... As a fellow DIY Enthusiast, I have been contemplating the idea of using a "Beer Belt" on my Brew bucket because I kept it in the basement and as you may know to help facilitate fermentation it needs to be kept warm, some of the nicer beer belts are adjustable to specific temperatures, I'm just wondering if you've ever heard, if you have any experience with, or what your thoughts might be on using a beer belt as a tank warmer when placed on the canister filter..?

[@shreyasasodekar8465]

Can we keep canister fitler at the same level as thst of fish tank ?

[@AmitSharma-bl1ur]

Hi Joey you are always inspire me . gamma seal is unavailable in India can i use bucket lid instead of gamma seal.

[@carrasquel1978]

Yes please, I want to learn and it will benefit everybody

[@zzbudzz]

I'm very interested in seeing a finished version of this canister filter..

[@MrXxMCRxx]

This is brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@accordv6er]

Tip! Use a bucket grate (car washing supplies ) for the bottom

[@jensybaby567]

Joey, if i was to build this with a 25mm feed hose... what size pump would match that pipes maximum gravity flow ?? Thankyou

[@ayandas1567]

hello Joe , I am from India n I wanna to build a planted aquarium so what are the basic needs to start the project . please give your valuable suggestions .thnq

[@kingkato21]

I been trying to figure out how to improve the mechanical filtration to this filter. They make external prefilter that are pretty cheap that give an extra piece of mind. Rerouting the intake to a prefilter and then to the bucket seems pretty simple. The one I ordered is about 2 liters but Joey's PVC filter design would make a great prefilter.

[@ottawadigs]

hi Joey - I wonder if you know if there exists such a thing as a rotating swivel adapter for a 3/16" hose? I know they exist for garden hoses (3/4") and larger but I am stumped in finding any for 3/16" hose.

[@rjk13090]

I need to make one out of a big Rubbermaid trash can.. have you ever done that? I'm setting up a 1000gal system.

[@Felibarr]

Does anyone know what drill bit Joey is using at 2:10? Having difficulty finding something similar.

[@choasbringsorder4298]

Felibarr it's called a unitbit step bit

[@PeteOrta]

I followed this step by step by had to stop because I couldn’t find the size Step Drill Bit you used. What size did you use and where did you purchase it? I shopped all the hardware stores but the biggest I could find was a 1 3/8”. Can you help me?

[@Tom-jj4dk]

Could this be used for a 350 Gal breeding setup? Always wanted to make a large canister filter for it to save space. would the overflows have to be fully submerged to stop air from being pulled into the filter?

[@jonathansisson4274]

love watching ya. honestly your the reason i decided to try first aquarium. whats best advise for 4 baby snapping turtles filter? and just started 225 gallon plywood tank .post pic later thx

[@brianbeach2459]

nice thanks for making this video I plan to make a solar power system to power all of my aquarium systems - so I will same money on power and not have to worry about power outages.

[@josephs4212]

What kindof cheap pump could I use?

[@djay-26]

Want to make a try Which EHIEM pump will be better for this project .. or any other pump you can suggest For Inupt .

[@lisacasioce3483]

what kind of motor are you using?

[@p.6153]

Can you use bulk heads instead of uniseals

[@sebalHP]

for the top i would put a ball valve so once cleaning is need u can cut the water off

[@thisdudeisback]

will this work for a 600gph rated pump off an inflatable pool? I have a 75 gal tank.

[@ricardocedillo1606]

I'm looking for a starting point for a diy tap water filter for drinking water. I know it's very different from aquarium water filtration, but I think if you could take this project in that direction you could help a lot of people, like all of Flint, Michigan.