Woodson Build - Part 12

For this part i will show how i built the mechanical filter that will go in the first chamber of of my sump.

First i acquired some egg-crate, also known as filter dividing plates and can sometime be found in the Pond/Koi section of your LFS. It is relatively cheap, with a sheet A3 size costing about £6.

I ideally wanted to use a bandsaw to cut the egg-crate to size but try as i might could not find an available one.

So i improvised, by using my work bench and a large saw.

First i clamped the egg-crate in the bench, at the desired length…

Then, holding the saw flat against the bench and doing very gentle and brisk sweeps, slowly worked through the plastic. I found it a good idea to use one hand on the other end of the blade to keep it flat against the bench…

I cut two pieces. One will be the bass that filter floss will sit on, the other will be an end plate.

I made some feet from a few pieces of PVC pipe, these will suspend the base off the glass giving and open void in the bottom. If i sat the egg-crate on the base of the sump it would effectively block the gap under the bubble trap…

I added a few holes into the pipe pieces to ensure a bit of flow in and out of them…

At first i tried to glue the pipe pieces to the egg-crate, but it turns out it is strange material to try and stick stuff too! Neither super glue or solvent glue did anything to make a decent bond!

So i drilled a few extra holes and “stitched” them onto the egg-crate using cable ties…

This gave them a very firm and reassuring attachment! If you do the same, ensure they are the full plastic cable ties and do not have the metal grips that some have.

Next i attached the end piece in the same way…

A few adjustments with the multi tool to the corners to ensure they were not encroaching on the silicone joints and time for a test fit…

I will sit some floss in this area to catch any solid waste, which can then just be pulled out and thrown away, i prefer this method instead of having to constantly clean filter socks.

The area in front of the end plate will be the location of the Refugium pump, so it receives water that hasn't yet passed by the reactors or the skimmer.