How to make your own underwater aquarium filter

Water filtration is one way to keep your aquarium clean, there are a wide variety of filters for this, but a simple filter can be made at home, which will do the job just as well.

Step №1. The following materials will be needed for the filter: a dish sponge or other dense porous material (make sure you use a new material that has not been used before in everyday life), fine mesh (for example, a woman’s stocking), half a plastic bottle (for example, 0.5 or 1.5 liters), standard aquarium underwater pump (preferably with adjustable power), activated carbon (from a pet store, do not use pharmacy activated carbon tablets), air hose (must be the right size for the injector pump).

Step №2. Get an aquarium underwater pump and pick up a bottle under it, it should fully fit into it. Make sure that there is free space for coal and a sponge.

Step №3. At the bottom of the bottle (already cut off) pour activated charcoal.

Step №4. Wrap the pump inlet valve (the one where the water is sucked in) with a fine mesh. Women’s nylon stocking is an excellent material, it has a small cell and does not decompose in water.

Step №5. Immerse the wrapped inlet valve in activated carbon.

Step №6. Put a tube on the outlet valve (the one where the water comes out). The length of the tube can be any, but it is not recommended to make it too long, 8-10 cm is enough.

Step №7. Sponge cut into pieces (do not make them too small) and place in a bottle. The sponge layer must be made dense enough so that the pump is well fixed. Lift the resulting structure by the hose, if the pump starts to fall out, make an additional seal.

Step №8. Wrap the resulting structure with an elastic band, rope or other material. This action will increase strength, in addition, you can hang the filter inside the aquarium on some hook for them. For example, hardware stores sell bathroom hooks with silicone suction cups. The filter can also be placed on the ground.

Step №9. Place the filter in an inconspicuous place and plug it in. The sponge will perform mechanical filtration, and the activated carbon will perform chemical filtration. After a couple of months, or when the water flow is significantly weakened, the sponge and charcoal should be replaced.