Thursday, April 15, 2010

Make your own aquarium filter

I've been meaning to post about this for quite a while - every month we change out our aquarium filters - and new ones cost about $14 - I know that's not a lot - but I can make a filter for less than a dollar - so being my frugal self - that's what I do - of course...

You will need:

Activated Charcoal
Quilt batting
scissors
sewing machine - or a needle and thread if you want to stitch it up by hand


This is a nasty old used filter...

...snip the outer lining away from the frame and discard that and the charcoal from inside...

...rinse well and sanitize with a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water - and rinse well again - don't use tap water if your water contains chlorine...

...measure the quilt batting to make a pocket for this frame...

...I just lay it on top of the batting fold it over and cut around it...

...stitch up 2 sides if folded or 3 if not...

...slide the frame into the pocket...

...now you'll need the activated charcoal...

...open the pocket and pour in about 1/3 cup of charcoal...

...and there you have it - a sideways picture of a finished filter...

...our filters have the little frames or carriers that they sit in - so if yours does too - just slide it in - if it's a little too snug - carefully trim away some of the batting...

...then pop them back into the filter - and enjoy your nice clean aquarium water...

5 comments:

  1. yeah, i'm going to try something like that. my filters just have the quilt batting stuck to one side...so i'll have to figure out a different method. we've got 3 tanks running - so it really is expensive.

    love, k

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  2. teresa, you're amazing! i don't have an aquarium, but i want one now just so i can follow your tutorial!

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  3. i agree. you really are amazing. good job!

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  4. So simple and so smart. Most people wouldn't even bother, but it's probably less trouble than going to the store every month

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  5. Sweet! I might have to try this for our cats' water fountain. Where do you get the activated charcoal?

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