Another update: I did this project in September of 2022. First issue i had out the gate like some comments mention is the original gamma seal is not great. I bought 275 o-rings, some silcone grease and 1 inch thick teflon tape and made a 2nd video showing a lot more details how to fix the leaks i experienced. The biggest issue comes when the pump is off and the pressure builds up in the bucket. Wrapping teflon tape around top of bucket before putting gamma seal on seems to help it stay on under pressure. I havent had it pop off but others i heard have. I also feel like Lowe's buckets are thicker than some or just seem more durable. There might be even better options but i used Lowe's. Then i used 2 (275 o-rings) i got off amazon on the threaded lid of the gamma seal. I also wrapped the threads with the teflon pretty good, at least double wrapped. Then i used a silcone grease on the all over the orings. The silcone i found out last week is pretty important step. Since Sept. 2022 until now Feb 8th 2024 i have had very little issues and a the cleanest turtle tank in the 15 years of owning a turtle. The issue i did face last week though was cause by an oversight of my own. When cleaning the filter last time i noticed an o ring kinda stretched out but then rechecking it was fitting fine. I knew it was odd but just cleaned it and when on. Well to make a long story shorter, it was sticking between the lid pieces and pulling away from making a good seal. We had a crazy storm last week and power when out for 8 hours, which we were lucky ones, and as soon as it did the bucket leaked like a solid stream of water. My girl notice it after a few gallons leaked out and unplugged everything and cut off valvles like i explained because i was at work. The issue was the silcone was dried up or just rubbed off from the bi monthly cleanings. I reapplied silcone and notice a smoother fit when i tightened the lid. I ran the pump for a few minutes, then unplugged it and waited 5 minutes. No leaks. So I am pretty sure i solved the issue. If i were to design this build better i would figure out how to put the pump and canister above the tank and in some sort of tray that could direct water back to tank if there is any issues. If i had same problem as last week happen in middle of night it could drain my whole tank on living room floor. So might try to think of a better fail safe soon. Besides the few issues though this thing works great and i clean it every 2 months with my one red earred slider in a 120 gallon tank.
I was gonna make another video showing the process of cleaning the filter. First time I cleaned the filter everything went well until I restarted the pump. No water would flow through outlet. For some reason the water wouldn't pull into the bucket with the suction of the pump. I tried a few things,(fill the bucket partially with water, turn pump on with the valves shut, siphon from where pump connected.) What finally worked was siphoning from the outlet. Not sure why it worked, but it did. The second time I cleaned the filter I did not drain bucket. I just closed valves and turned off pump. This time restart went well. So I learned not to drain bucket. It's a little tougher to handle full bucket but not worth fighting the restart. Cleaning is super easy. After a month on the turtle tank it really doesn't build up too much gunk. The tank stays pretty clean as well. Some brown algae growth but it cleans off pretty easy. It's been 3 months since I built this filter setup and I couldn't be happier. The worst part was figuring out how to properly seal the lid and to get it restarted after cleaning. The best part is tank has good water recirculation, stays clean of turtle waste and green algae, the pump is super quiet, it's easy to clean.
Yeah, to be honest when I started the project I didn't realize it was over 6 years old. The thing is it was the best tutorial for what I was planning. So far it's the best filter I have used in the past 13 years of owning the turtle. Thanks for the help with your videos. I really enjoy what you do.
Smear Vaseline around that gamma seal lid. Helps slow down the leaks a bit, but likely won't fix it entirely. Gamma seal lid works great until the filter media began to silt up, and the back pressure would overcome the seal. Use the same setup on my ponds where leaks don't matter so much, but unfortunately, I've never been able to get the leaks to stop entirely. Best of luck.
Lowes has much cheaper lava rocks for future reference; some preppers and beekeepers have suggested checking the bucket molding seals and sanding them down evenly, as they seem to cause an uneven seal under the seal and along the treads;
Thanks, if I have anymore issues with leaking I will try sanding the molding. Also thanks for the advice about cheaper rocks too. I was hoping the whole build would have been a little cheaper.
I'm gonna get spendy and use a yetti bucket to send a "rich dad that vacations in mexico but still gets called el cheapo vibe" then use gamma seal on top of "marine locktite", next I'll put a beefy red seal on the threads of the gamma lock. Hopefully no air will get in since it respects the yetti swag.
The seals were the toughest part to figure out. The seals that came with the gamma lid just didn't work alone. In my part 2 video I show more what I did to stop the leaking completely. Basically had to wrap the bucket with thick Teflon tape before gamma lid. Then some tape around gamma lid inner threads. Then add two after market seals I got on Amazon. Finally just tighten the lid as tight as possible. I haven't had any leaks since I did all that. The hardest part of filter cleaning now is just removing and replacing the lid, lol.
@@sikoticjaux I'll do a video of my build. I'm considering making a "lid wrench" too. I did a ton of research and am happy to tell the filter companies to get lost. Even my Oase biomaster has a bad seal. If you want it done right...
You better be home when there's no electricity. To turn those things off. the bucket will leak. and flood your house. The bucket oring is not that good. I try to use a one-way valve. but it will only work on the output side. It works really good though.
I had the same problem I use silicone but sitl it suck air from outside until I use car windshield glue it's much more stiff than silicone. I also use 30 zip tights to firmly attach lid to the bucket so It won't explode like first time I fill it. And that's it now I enjoy filtration it gave me. My pomp is actually a sunsun 303a canister filter filled with sponges and some activated carbon after that I have bucket with lava just like this. I have 200 litters tank its 50 somthing galons but I might have couple fish to many so god filtration is nesesery
i built this based of Joeys video too and had the same issue with the o ring on the lid, mine would leak if i ever shut the pump off. Did you ever come up with a solution?
Yeah, I made a follow video that explains it better but pretty much I had to buy o-rings off Amazon, and 1 inch wide thread sealing tape. I wrapped top of bucket with white thread tape a few times before putting on gamma seal, then wrapped the threads on removable part of gamma seal. Then added two of the o-rings I bought on Amazon to the threaded part of the gamma seal. Also I found out later some silicon grease on the o-rings is also necessary so they don't pinch when tightening down the lid. After that I don't have any issues just add some grease every few cleanings.
I mean if you're not great at videos maybe you shouldn't do one this is excruciating and I'm 3 mins in. If I'm not a great athlete I'm not trying out for football js
Maybe I should make it a 30 second reel. I was trying to be detailed and build it at same time doing a video based on another video build. I'd like to think I helped someone with the idea and maybe inspired a better build. Mine is still going strong almost 2 years later. Btw how could anyone be good at anything if you aren't brave enough to suck in the beginning? You think football players are born great? Just wondering the point of your negative comment.
Another update: I did this project in September of 2022. First issue i had out the gate like some comments mention is the original gamma seal is not great. I bought 275 o-rings, some silcone grease and 1 inch thick teflon tape and made a 2nd video showing a lot more details how to fix the leaks i experienced. The biggest issue comes when the pump is off and the pressure builds up in the bucket. Wrapping teflon tape around top of bucket before putting gamma seal on seems to help it stay on under pressure. I havent had it pop off but others i heard have. I also feel like Lowe's buckets are thicker than some or just seem more durable. There might be even better options but i used Lowe's. Then i used 2 (275 o-rings) i got off amazon on the threaded lid of the gamma seal. I also wrapped the threads with the teflon pretty good, at least double wrapped. Then i used a silcone grease on the all over the orings.
The silcone i found out last week is pretty important step. Since Sept. 2022 until now Feb 8th 2024 i have had very little issues and a the cleanest turtle tank in the 15 years of owning a turtle. The issue i did face last week though was cause by an oversight of my own. When cleaning the filter last time i noticed an o ring kinda stretched out but then rechecking it was fitting fine. I knew it was odd but just cleaned it and when on. Well to make a long story shorter, it was sticking between the lid pieces and pulling away from making a good seal. We had a crazy storm last week and power when out for 8 hours, which we were lucky ones, and as soon as it did the bucket leaked like a solid stream of water. My girl notice it after a few gallons leaked out and unplugged everything and cut off valvles like i explained because i was at work. The issue was the silcone was dried up or just rubbed off from the bi monthly cleanings. I reapplied silcone and notice a smoother fit when i tightened the lid. I ran the pump for a few minutes, then unplugged it and waited 5 minutes. No leaks. So I am pretty sure i solved the issue.
If i were to design this build better i would figure out how to put the pump and canister above the tank and in some sort of tray that could direct water back to tank if there is any issues. If i had same problem as last week happen in middle of night it could drain my whole tank on living room floor. So might try to think of a better fail safe soon. Besides the few issues though this thing works great and i clean it every 2 months with my one red earred slider in a 120 gallon tank.
I was gonna make another video showing the process of cleaning the filter. First time I cleaned the filter everything went well until I restarted the pump. No water would flow through outlet. For some reason the water wouldn't pull into the bucket with the suction of the pump. I tried a few things,(fill the bucket partially with water, turn pump on with the valves shut, siphon from where pump connected.) What finally worked was siphoning from the outlet. Not sure why it worked, but it did. The second time I cleaned the filter I did not drain bucket. I just closed valves and turned off pump. This time restart went well. So I learned not to drain bucket. It's a little tougher to handle full bucket but not worth fighting the restart.
Cleaning is super easy. After a month on the turtle tank it really doesn't build up too much gunk. The tank stays pretty clean as well. Some brown algae growth but it cleans off pretty easy.
It's been 3 months since I built this filter setup and I couldn't be happier. The worst part was figuring out how to properly seal the lid and to get it restarted after cleaning.
The best part is tank has good water recirculation, stays clean of turtle waste and green algae, the pump is super quiet, it's easy to clean.
damn! this is an old project of mine huh? glad you got it working. Those seals are hit or miss!
Yeah, to be honest when I started the project I didn't realize it was over 6 years old. The thing is it was the best tutorial for what I was planning. So far it's the best filter I have used in the past 13 years of owning the turtle. Thanks for the help with your videos. I really enjoy what you do.
Smear Vaseline around that gamma seal lid. Helps slow down the leaks a bit, but likely won't fix it entirely. Gamma seal lid works great until the filter media began to silt up, and the back pressure would overcome the seal.
Use the same setup on my ponds where leaks don't matter so much, but unfortunately, I've never been able to get the leaks to stop entirely.
Best of luck.
Some say replace the gamaseal lid seal threadwith a 378 gasket and silicon the collar seal
Lowes has much cheaper lava rocks for future reference; some preppers and beekeepers have suggested checking the bucket molding seals and sanding them down evenly, as they seem to cause an uneven seal under the seal and along the treads;
Thanks, if I have anymore issues with leaking I will try sanding the molding. Also thanks for the advice about cheaper rocks too. I was hoping the whole build would have been a little cheaper.
Some replace the O-ring for 378 gasket and silicon on the gamma seal. The Oring is for the thread side
@@alecthenice8115what is “378 gasket”
I'm gonna get spendy and use a yetti bucket to send a "rich dad that vacations in mexico but still gets called el cheapo vibe" then use gamma seal on top of "marine locktite", next I'll put a beefy red seal on the threads of the gamma lock. Hopefully no air will get in since it respects the yetti swag.
The seals were the toughest part to figure out. The seals that came with the gamma lid just didn't work alone. In my part 2 video I show more what I did to stop the leaking completely. Basically had to wrap the bucket with thick Teflon tape before gamma lid. Then some tape around gamma lid inner threads. Then add two after market seals I got on Amazon. Finally just tighten the lid as tight as possible.
I haven't had any leaks since I did all that. The hardest part of filter cleaning now is just removing and replacing the lid, lol.
@@sikoticjaux I'll do a video of my build. I'm considering making a "lid wrench" too. I did a ton of research and am happy to tell the filter companies to get lost. Even my Oase biomaster has a bad seal. If you want it done right...
You better be home when there's no electricity. To turn those things off. the bucket will leak. and flood your house. The bucket oring is not that good. I try to use a one-way valve. but it will only work on the output side. It works really good though.
I had the same problem I use silicone but sitl it suck air from outside until I use car windshield glue it's much more stiff than silicone. I also use 30 zip tights to firmly attach lid to the bucket so It won't explode like first time I fill it. And that's it now I enjoy filtration it gave me. My pomp is actually a sunsun 303a canister filter filled with sponges and some activated carbon after that I have bucket with lava just like this. I have 200 litters tank its 50 somthing galons but I might have couple fish to many so god filtration is nesesery
i built this based of Joeys video too and had the same issue with the o ring on the lid, mine would leak if i ever shut the pump off. Did you ever come up with a solution?
Yeah, I made a follow video that explains it better but pretty much I had to buy o-rings off Amazon, and 1 inch wide thread sealing tape. I wrapped top of bucket with white thread tape a few times before putting on gamma seal, then wrapped the threads on removable part of gamma seal. Then added two of the o-rings I bought on Amazon to the threaded part of the gamma seal. Also I found out later some silicon grease on the o-rings is also necessary so they don't pinch when tightening down the lid. After that I don't have any issues just add some grease every few cleanings.
ur aquarium size ,pls?
I have a 120 gallon tank but only fill it about 90 gallons.
9:42 theres the kitten
I mean if you're not great at videos maybe you shouldn't do one this is excruciating and I'm 3 mins in. If I'm not a great athlete I'm not trying out for football js
Maybe I should make it a 30 second reel. I was trying to be detailed and build it at same time doing a video based on another video build. I'd like to think I helped someone with the idea and maybe inspired a better build. Mine is still going strong almost 2 years later. Btw how could anyone be good at anything if you aren't brave enough to suck in the beginning? You think football players are born great? Just wondering the point of your negative comment.