Can I put live rock in a canister filter?

listerofsmeg · 08/22/2012, 11:51 AM

Can I put live rock rubble in a canister filter and run it, or will it die from no light? Just seemed like a nifty idea...

KimP · 08/22/2012, 12:02 PM

Of course! It's no different than a mini sump or a reactor. The only thing that wouldn't live in there are corals or macro on the rock. I used one for years on one of my reef tanks, but as a reactor so no live rock. There was a completely different ecosystem in there that could have only benefited the reef. Diversity in a reef is a good thing. Just remember to clean it out periodically. You'll get a feel for how often it needs it.

chrisfont23 · 08/22/2012, 12:14 PM

Sure thing! No light, but no worries. You will just get a different population of live critters that way.

cloak · 08/22/2012, 12:24 PM

You can, but you'll have to clean it on a regular basis. (monthly) Take the cannister filter apart and rinse the rocks in a bucket of tank water. I think it would be easier to just put the rubble somewhere in your sump though. You'll get the same benefits from it and you won't have to fiddle with the cannister filter.

listerofsmeg · 08/23/2012, 04:41 AM

Thanks, the reason I ask is I've just got a chiller and I was thinking of running the water through the canister filter, then into the chiller and back to the main tank. I could run the filter empty, or with filter floss which I'd clean regularly, but then I thought, why not expand my filtration?

08/22/2012, 11:51 AM	#1
listerofsmeg Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 58	Can I put live rock in a canister filter? Can I put live rock rubble in a canister filter and run it, or will it die from no light? Just seemed like a nifty idea...

08/22/2012, 12:02 PM	#2
KimP Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 86	Of course! It's no different than a mini sump or a reactor. The only thing that wouldn't live in there are corals or macro on the rock. I used one for years on one of my reef tanks, but as a reactor so no live rock. There was a completely different ecosystem in there that could have only benefited the reef. Diversity in a reef is a good thing. Just remember to clean it out periodically. You'll get a feel for how often it needs it.

08/22/2012, 12:14 PM	#3
chrisfont23 Reef Monster Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Long Island Posts: 1,343	Sure thing! No light, but no worries. You will just get a different population of live critters that way.

08/22/2012, 12:24 PM	#4
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	You can, but you'll have to clean it on a regular basis. (monthly) Take the cannister filter apart and rinse the rocks in a bucket of tank water. I think it would be easier to just put the rubble somewhere in your sump though. You'll get the same benefits from it and you won't have to fiddle with the cannister filter.

08/23/2012, 04:41 AM	#5
listerofsmeg Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 58	Thanks, the reason I ask is I've just got a chiller and I was thinking of running the water through the canister filter, then into the chiller and back to the main tank. I could run the filter empty, or with filter floss which I'd clean regularly, but then I thought, why not expand my filtration?