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View Full Version : Make your own filters


Lady Hobbs
10-01-2006, 10:32 PM
Today to bought a large bag of the stuff used to make pillows. Not the foam but the spun polyester. I have removed my old filters and added some of this stuff.

Charcoal filters aren't really all that except for removing medication and if we continue rinsing and reusing these filters, the charcoal isn't even all that good for removing meds anymore either.

I think this might work! I had to do some adjusting as to not restrict the water flow or stop the bio-wheels but I think this polyester will hold more biological media as well as better to remove fine particles that slip past the charcoal filters.

edited to add: Today I noticed WalMarts is now carrying small bag of this polyester for $4.00 for 8 ounces. Yikes. You can get a whole big bag of it in the pillow section and cheaper.
Lady Hobbs
10-09-2006, 05:40 PM
I come back to do an update on this pillow stuffing filter stuff.
I have found out a small amount goes a long way. It about triples in size once water -logged so you have to check to make sure bio-wheels are turning as they should and water flow is not restricted.

Now I don't know as I like my once wonderful idea. Think my next great idea may be trying the sponges. I do have to say, the pillow stuffing gets and holds a whole lot of gunk. More than I think the charcoal filters do.

More great Hobbs ideas to follow.
crackatinny
11-10-2006, 10:13 AM
I have a small tank to put juvinile fish in, on it I use a small hangon 200lph filter, once the filter initialy became dirty I cleaned it, but it would only last a day or 2, what I done was cut the filter material from the frame of the filter cartridge, and poked in some of the white filter medium that is used in the old air filters into the frame.
Result, it filters better than before at a fraction of the cost replacing the cartridge
crackatinny
11-10-2006, 10:18 AM
Another idea I have read but not tried for the hangon filters is, in dressmaking there is a flat filter like material called wadding (at least in Australia it is called this), I have read that this also makes a very low cost filter replacement