Canister Filter's & Reef's

[Osiris]

Topic at hand, let's discuss.......

We know that canister filter's in time do more bad then good if not properly maintained as they become a nitrate factory.

I personally wouldn't use one, maybe to clear up the water after setup or to run carbon on the system for whatever reason(meds or chemiclean)

But what if one used a canister filter and packed it with cheato with a light which have come across before has been effective on smaller tanks but would need a few of them to make a impact I imagine.

On larger tanks though, i would suffice to setup a refugium in a tank versus canisters but with Fish Only tanks, canisters properly maintained do work?

[flamingo]

My nitrates on my 30 gallon are zero, along with every other level. On top of that, I also have a seahorse that eats frozen food 4 times a day. I don't do anything fancy with it, simply a canister filter with 3/4ths biomedia, no refugium, etc. as of yet. As long as you get good flow in the tank, along with regular cleaning, I see no reason why canisters cannot be used. Great alternative to those of us who can't just go out and buy a sump, etc.

[Bear]

The only problem is that most do not see regular maintenance as being so frequent and it could cause problems if, for whatever reason, frequent cleaning is not doable. Knowing that I may miss a day of maint. here or there this sounds like a bad idea for me. It would only end up causing more problems for me.

Putting a media like carbon may be a good idea, but once again it would have to be cleaned pretty frequently.

[Fishfirst]

carbon in reef tanks isn't all that good... I run all my saltwater without carbon most of the time. Canister filters that are used as just mechanical filtration work good for reef tanks with a lot of liverock, but that means several times weekly cleaning that canister filter out.

[Bear]

Well if it requires several times a week, isn't that a lot like a filter sock?

I replace my filter sock wish a freshly washed one after each feeding, making sure to fill the old sock with the leftover food first . So wouldn't it be fine to do the same with the canister filter? Just make sure and clean it thoroughly after it has collected the crud from feedings?

[Damon]

Originally Posted by Bear

Well if it requires several times a week, isn't that a lot like a filter sock?

But a canister costs more than a sock does...............

I wouldn't use one either. For the price of a decent canister filter, you could easily build a sump. Buying a 29 or 30 gallon tank or smaller and having glass cut for it is still cheaper than a canister filter.

[Bear]

Why wouldn't u use either one? It sounds like you are saying having a sock means that you would not have a sump....which infact you need a sump to run a sock. If I am reading it wrong and you are saying that you would rather run a nice sump than a canister, than I am with you. I would just use the sock to make sure and catch the extra food so that it does not stay and rot in the water column.

[leveldrummer]

i would run carbon in it, thats it, and only with a heavy sps, or softie load, as for building a fuge, it can be done much easier and cheaper, but other than that, i dont see why not, just doesnt seem practical, as for running as a normal filter, it would be fine for a fish only, but a reef tank, it would be just too much work, if your into a lot of work and maintenance, go for it, if not, the skimmer actually pulls crud OUT of the water column.

[TheOldSalt]

Exactly. The main problem with any mechanical filter is that it needs to be kept clean, or it just acts as a handy place for things to rot.
I use canisters all the time, but usually either empty for circulation or for short-term use of chemical media.

Marty, if you can come up with a good design for a canister which makes a good cheeto chamber, namely having it's own light, a slow flow, and keeps the cheeto securely inside it, then you may well have a highly marketable product. LOTS of folks would love the benefits of algal filtration with the convenience of a canister.