Bad advice-->now turning it around

[Craigdillman]

After about 1month into my saltwater reef adventure I realized I probably shouldn't have been pressured into buying a canister filter for my 30 gallon reef tank.

Now 6 months later, Tanks stocked corals doing great I'm looking at the canister filter and wondering if i use it for anything good? I currently have only the Carbon running it in and the ceramic rings (took out bio balls and filter floss and sponge thing)

Is there anything i can add to it ? Live rock? or just keep using it for flow basically? Should I take out the rings?

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Are you running a protein skimmer? i would suggest losing the canister filter as a whole!
It's a detritus collector and a nitrate factory. it's a disaster waiting to happen. I would use power heads for flow and movement. I run my 20 gallon reef with just a skimmer and power heads bare bottom with halide and t5 actinic lighting, hope this helps!

[Reeferz412]

i'd just add purigen or chemi pure and replace the carbon. As long as you ritually clean the canister filter, there really isn't a problem keeping it. As long as your corals are happy, who cares what others say? I keep an hob filter with no problem.

[fishgate]

It makes a great reactor load it up with whatever media you need at the moment.

[seuadr]

i have a very similar canister (305) for my freshwater and it does a pretty good job of turnover in the tank as well as others have mentioned very very big flexibility with media. the purigen bag fits PERFECTLY in the intake and you can swap out bagged media to whatever you need.

everything i've read seems to indicate as others have mentioned, if you keep it clean, it is fine!

would also give you a nice spot to stuff an inline heater and/or a UV sterilizer.

[KeepNitReel]

A person sneezes, someone automatically says bless you. A person says canister filter, someone automatically says IT'S A NITRATE FACTORY!!! it's only a nitrate factory if you let it be one.


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[billdogg]

Originally Posted by KeepNitReel

A person sneezes, someone automatically says bless you. A person says canister filter, someone automatically says IT'S A NITRATE FACTORY!!! it's only a nitrate factory if you let it be one.


sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk 2

what he said.

I have been successfully keeping a 60g cube since 1992. It has gone through many changes over the years. It is currently a very mixed reef.

Started it with NO T12's, then DIY'd a 3bulb T12 VHO, and now LED's. (1 x AI Sol Blue - best thing I ever bought)

Added a TLF GFO reactor a couple years back.

What HAS NOT changed is the filtration. I use a fluval 405 canister filter with both sponges in place, then a bag of BRS carbon (don't waste $$$ on chemipure or anything else similar - not worth it), then LR rubble, then another bag of carbon. I also have (gasp) a marineland emperor dual biowheel filter that uses filter pads with the gray filter cartridges filled with ceramic media, and the ORIGINAL biowheels. I do sometimes take them out and swish them through used tank water, but otherwise I leave them be. I clean the canister filter when I do water changes - EVERY TIME!!!, which is about every 4 - 6 weeks.

The tank has thrived this way since I started it up.

Remember - there at least as many ways to keep a successful marine aquarium as there are people attempting to do so!

[dthorn]

Others have said it already but I run a fluval 305 on my 27g with no skimmer. I use coarse sponge and fine sponge then chemipure, rowaphos, and purigen. Have to clean it a lot, but don't even know what nitrates are with purigen. I run a lot of purigen and nitrates are always 0 even when slacking on maintenance.

Be careful though, if added suddenly all at once can have huge consequences. Same with rowaphos. Keep it clean and it is more versatile than any other piece of equipment you own. Mine serves the purpose of 3 reactors, a powerhead, increased volume, and keeps water sparkling.

And before someone else says it, maybe a sump can be just as versatile, but isn't one piece of equipment. On big tanks, canisters serve no purpose, but on smaller tanks they make way more sense and eliminate the need for extra equipment in the limited space we have. Remember all the experts calling them trash cans and nitrate factories have tanks way bigger than yours. They have sumps, refugiums, reactors, lots of powerheads or closed loops, protein skimmers, and do much less maintenance because of dosing etc. Most of these people will also tell you that hob skimmers don't work and that skimmers in general don't function well on tanks under 50 gallons.

Do what works best for you, on your system, not what the majority say to do. It can be a bit easier to just follow the majority, but that doesnt mean there's only one right way to do things. I haven't even been in this hobby a year and am already developing my own ideas and opinions on a lot of things. This is one of the big ones that is completely against the majority. You already have the canister, and would at least need a reactor, powerhead, and skimmer to replace it. Like most in this hobby, myself included, you will likely be getting a larger tank in the future. Then would be a good time to think about this again. And doubt the rings are helping anything so remove them slowly to make room for purigen. Happy reefing!

[Reeferz412]

Originally Posted by billdogg

I have been successfully keeping a 60g cube since 1992.

Ok, now put a bio wheel filter and a canister filter on a brand new and not fully matured reef and see what happens. You will have all sorts of issues because the system is not used to the buildup or has created enough bacteria to consume what is your canister and hob filter. Dont get me wrong, I use an AC110 on my current tank, I am just sayin theres a stark difference starting with those things and putting them on a mature system that can compensate for the excess nutrients.

[Craigdillman]

Hey thanks alot guys!
This is all such good ideas I had the same ideas but I kept reading and people kept saying get rid of that filter your going to run into trouble.. blah nitrate factory...so i started thinking i got to do something. I've never had trouble with it my tank is all mostly LPS corals and they are loving it open colorful growing out(will need to upgrade the 1w LEDs soon for 3w). I clean it weekly when I do water changes. So maybe all I needed was reassurance lol.

Quick question on the chemi pure or purigen what are they used or?

Thanks agian

[Craigdillman]

And yes for sure reefer, your system still has to have the live rock and bacteria to support your tank the filter can't do that for you. Live rock being the main filtration

[Michigan Mike]

I switched out my fluval canister for a AC 50 , only chemical media is used. I never had issues with the canister its just harder to remove & clean, which I did twice a year because nothing was ever in it except sponges and little pods etc.

[jerpa]

Canister filters definitely have their uses. There are many tanks, large and small, that utilize canister filters for certain purposes They are great for polishing water and can be used as media reactors. They need to be cleaned regularly but so do filter socks, sponges, sumps, refugiums, and media reactors. Detritus buildup anywhere will cause nitrates.

[MrIcky]

I used one for years without issues. Personally I like detritus collectors. That way I know exactly where to go to get rid of it. If it's not collected somewhere it's spread out everywhere.

[Reeferz412]

Originally Posted by Craigdillman

Hey thanks alot guys!
This is all such good ideas I had the same ideas but I kept reading and people kept saying get rid of that filter your going to run into trouble.. blah nitrate factory...so i started thinking i got to do something. I've never had trouble with it my tank is all mostly LPS corals and they are loving it open colorful growing out(will need to upgrade the 1w LEDs soon for 3w). I clean it weekly when I do water changes. So maybe all I needed was reassurance lol.

Quick question on the chemi pure or purigen what are they used or?

Thanks agian

Chemi pure is higher grade carbon and gfo (chemi pure elite) so it can also absorb phosphates. Purigen pretty much does the same thing except its a different substance/polymer. It absorbs ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and can work hand in hand with chemi pure if you desire. I believe purigen also darkens as it becomes exhausted and can be regenerated.