So today I was going through my old man's scrap pile to see if any thing was salvageable... And found a fully functional hot tub pump filter and heater unit. And a lightbulb hit me... I could turn it into a filter for my tank... What do you guys think? Says safe for use on fresh or salt water units
converting a spa filter/pump unit for use on my fish tank
- Thread starter Stramn
- Start date
I don't see why it wouldn't be safe.. I'd be sure to really clean it out though if you do plan on using it.. But i'd say go for it, annnnnd post results! 
Check the inside. Just because it's 'pool safe' for fresh or salt doesn't mean it's 'fish safe'. Some of the older pool pumps used brass pins on the inside, which will leach copper into a saltwater set up. Been there, done that.
Hayward are good pumps - so as long as it's running and in good shape, go for it. How big of a tank are you looking to run. That pump will move a LOT of water.
For the other stuff (filter and heater) I'd just scrap it. The heater won't be accurate enough for the stability you want in a tank, and the filter will be so small it's more trouble to clean than it's worth.
Hayward are good pumps - so as long as it's running and in good shape, go for it. How big of a tank are you looking to run. That pump will move a LOT of water.
For the other stuff (filter and heater) I'd just scrap it. The heater won't be accurate enough for the stability you want in a tank, and the filter will be so small it's more trouble to clean than it's worth.
I don't know what size tank you are going to put this filter on but I think you might find the spa pump way too big and have way too much flow for most aquariums. I would suspect the electricity to run that pump full time would also be a wallet killer.
I am running a DE pool filter on my 110g tank with a 1/8hp pump. This is working very well even though the filter was designed for a 2hp pump.
I would suspect the cartridge filter on that unit would make a very nice mechanical filter for a fish tank.
I would be a little worried about the thermostat on a spa heater not having a fine enough resolution to run the heater on an aquarium. I would be worried about many degrees of temperature fluctuation when using a spa heater. I think you also might have to contend with 220v wiring.
I am running a DE pool filter on my 110g tank with a 1/8hp pump. This is working very well even though the filter was designed for a 2hp pump.
I would suspect the cartridge filter on that unit would make a very nice mechanical filter for a fish tank.
I would be a little worried about the thermostat on a spa heater not having a fine enough resolution to run the heater on an aquarium. I would be worried about many degrees of temperature fluctuation when using a spa heater. I think you also might have to contend with 220v wiring.
Well all things considered. On the inside of the wire box are the instructions for conversion to 120V aka 110V. I am not going to use the heater.
The canister filter is 2 gallons, accepts a standard pool filter. then around the pool filter I would use Ceramic rings.. also on the return side of the filter I am going add an additional chamber filled with carbon bags. I'll be running this system on a standard 90g aquarium with a wraparound ungravel pvc spray bar
also there are not any pins on the inside of the filter.and i'm not sure about the pump itself. I will be using this on a freshwater system.
The canister filter is 2 gallons, accepts a standard pool filter. then around the pool filter I would use Ceramic rings.. also on the return side of the filter I am going add an additional chamber filled with carbon bags. I'll be running this system on a standard 90g aquarium with a wraparound ungravel pvc spray bar
also there are not any pins on the inside of the filter.and i'm not sure about the pump itself. I will be using this on a freshwater system.
Have you considered the amount of electricity that the pump will use? It could be very expensive to run that pump 24/7.
it has 2 power modes. though i i'm not sure how much power it draws in each mode. I may have to get the model number off it an look it up. I'm considering setting it up and not running it 24/7. The whole unit can be placed on a timer and I already have 2 filters on the tank. So realistically i could have it on a timer running 8 to 10 hours a day to power filter the water while my other canisters handle the brunt of the filtering the rest of the day. I'm also considering hooking the unit to a multi-tank sump system so it can filter all of my tanks 24/7. I think it would be cheaper on elec than 4 canister filters, 4 hobs, 6 powerheads.
What is the HP rating on the pump? Many pumps will dissipate their running heat into the liquid they are pumping. That is why aquarium pumps are magnetic drive. The magnet drive decouples the impeller from the motor shaft isolating the heat transfer into the liquid being pumped. You could end up with a lot of heat going into your aquarium water using that spa pump.
If you do try the spa pump you will want a very big perforated inlet cover to disperse the intake flow over a large area and minimize the localized intake pressure. i.e. to keep your fish from being suctioned to the intake.
Pool filter cartridges seem like they are a lot less expensive than cartridges for aquarium cartridge filters like NuClear and Ocean Clear. The 2 gallon filter housing you have there is generally kind of pricey (I checked them out at one time and found the filter housing prohibitively expensive). I would definitely give it a try. I just think the pump is too big though. If the really cheap pool filter cartridges don't work you might want to try one of higher quality (price) before giving up altogether.
My house came with a pool I no longer use. The $$$ for running the 2hp pool pump (Sand filter) for just 8 hours a day was a lot!
With my 1/8hp pump I have enough power to blast all the sand off the bottom of my 110g tank. A 2hp pump will probably completely cycle your tank in a few minutes. That is a LOT of flow! Hook up the pump and run it in a 5 gallon bucket before you invest too many resources into getting to work on your aquarium.
Edit: Oh yeah, a 2hp pool/spa pump isn't very quiet!
Edit 2: Put the pump on Craigs list for $100 and use the money to buy a good aquarium pump... if your dad is game. Hayward pumps aren't cheap... but they will sell a lot quicker at spring time.
If you do try the spa pump you will want a very big perforated inlet cover to disperse the intake flow over a large area and minimize the localized intake pressure. i.e. to keep your fish from being suctioned to the intake.
Pool filter cartridges seem like they are a lot less expensive than cartridges for aquarium cartridge filters like NuClear and Ocean Clear. The 2 gallon filter housing you have there is generally kind of pricey (I checked them out at one time and found the filter housing prohibitively expensive). I would definitely give it a try. I just think the pump is too big though. If the really cheap pool filter cartridges don't work you might want to try one of higher quality (price) before giving up altogether.
My house came with a pool I no longer use. The $$$ for running the 2hp pool pump (Sand filter) for just 8 hours a day was a lot!
With my 1/8hp pump I have enough power to blast all the sand off the bottom of my 110g tank. A 2hp pump will probably completely cycle your tank in a few minutes. That is a LOT of flow! Hook up the pump and run it in a 5 gallon bucket before you invest too many resources into getting to work on your aquarium.
Edit: Oh yeah, a 2hp pool/spa pump isn't very quiet!
Edit 2: Put the pump on Craigs list for $100 and use the money to buy a good aquarium pump... if your dad is game. Hayward pumps aren't cheap... but they will sell a lot quicker at spring time.
i dont' know if it is the 2hp pump or not yet... and as for an inlet for it i was thinking pvc (capped) with a bunch of 1/16 inch slots cut in the bottom 3" of it, and small 1/8" holes drilled up and down its entire lenth length. what i really want is the cycles through the filter.