How to Build Your Own Trickle Filters for Fish Tanks

A trickle filter is one of the easiest ways to add biological filtration to your aquarium, and making a simple and economical wet/dry filter is as easy as a trip to the hardware store. You can build a trickle filter for next to nothing that will provide sufficient filtration for a tank up to 150 gallons, or larger if you increase the bulkhead size.

Things You'll Need

• Two 5-gallon buckets One 5-gallon bucket lid Bio balls Sheet filter pad 1-inch bulkhead Drill Saw 3/16 drill bit 3/8 drill bit 1 1/4-inch hole saw

Instructions

1. Prepare the buckets. Take the first bucket and drill several holes in the bottom with the 3/8 bit to provide adequate drainage. You want to put as many holes as you can without making it so weak that it will not hold the filter media. For the second bucket, use your saw to remove the bottom 2 inches of the bucket. Do not discard since this 2 inches is what you want to keep.

2. Take the 2-inch bottom that was removed from the second bucket and repeat the drilling process as on the first bucket, this time using the 3/16 bit. This will serve as your trickle plate.

3. Use the hole saw to drill the top of the lid, and install the bulkhead directly in the center of the bucket so that the output plumbing from the aquarium can be easily connected.

4. Fill the first bucket with your bio balls or whatever biological filtration you choose. I fill up about 6 to 8 inches with media. On top of this rests your filter mat, and then in goes the trickle plate made from the bottom of the second bucket.

5. Replace the lid and connect the plumbing.

6. In some cases, the edges of the bucket will rest on the sump itself; in others, this filter will have to be elevated by something. I have used PVC slices as well as bricks in the past. As an alternate, you could drill several holes around the perimeter of the bottom of the first bucket to allow drainage that is unimpeded by it sitting on the bottom.

Tips & Warnings

• If you drill the bottom of the first bucket and not the sides, than it must be elevated. Otherwise, you run the risk of slowing water flow and experiencing overflow of either the sump of the display tank!