Does anyone use a canister filter

[magnoliarichj]

Anybody have a canister filter set up an official only with Live rock. If so what do you have in it?

[clay12340]

I assume official only is supposed to be fish only.

I run them on my fresh water tanks, but I run them really heavily towards bio media. It's kind of a question of what do need it to do for you.

If you've got enough live rock in the tank to handle the biological filtration, then adding bio media to the canister would seem kind of pointless to me.

You could run finer filter pads in it to help pull out particulates, but you'll have to open it up to clean them pretty often. Depending on the canister and location that can be a real pain.

If you've got a reason to run carbon you could run that in there.

[Allmost]

^^ well said.

and for Carbon and GFO ... there are better solutions, like a cheap phos ban reactor. much easier to change and clean too, which means it will get done ...

canister + live rock, is actually counter productive.

[magnoliarichj]

Thanks guys

[GOT_REEF]

I have a canister on my frag tank filled with media, and i run a hob skimmer :| but i also do a small water change/ vacuum the bare bottom tank every week to help export any waste.

[magnoliarichj]

So it's not taboo

[Allmost]

Originally Posted by GOT_REEF

I have a canister on my frag tank filled with media, and i run a hob skimmer :| but i also do a small water change/ vacuum the bare bottom tank every week to help export any waste.

how often do you clean the canister ?

why even have it ? what is it doing ? what kind of media ?

canisters are designed to sit lower than the tank, meaning they will collect detritus, which will rott and increase N and P. you know about this and that is why you vaccum the bottom of your tank right ?

try removing the canister, you will have alot more success.

[Allmost]

Originally Posted by magnoliarichj

So it's not taboo

its not, but it is counter productive.

[magnoliarichj]

I don't think it's counter productive to use it as a large mechanical filter if your trying to remove debris from the water column.

[Surykor]

Hi I run canister on 30g reef about half year now even with some sps frags . changin 10%water bi-weekly, sucking debri from bottom and clean filter takes about 30 min every other saturday. Running with zeolith, clearphos and carbon + mechanical filtering pads . With no idiotic bioload ( 4 fish, 1 lysmata) i have max 0,2 nitrates. Btw using dennerle turbo skimmer- floating suction to mimic overflow not a real skimmer im skimmerless but its ordered

[Allmost]

Originally Posted by magnoliarichj

I don't think it's counter productive to use it as a large mechanical filter if your trying to remove debris from the water column.

if its cleaned multiple times a week, then sure.

if not, then it is counter productive as you are not removing it, but rather trapping it.

its perfectly fine to use once in a while, then take offline and clean, but to leave it on the system .... and lets face it, noone will remove, wash, and replace a canistr filter on weekly basis, its just too much work

[Allmost]

Originally Posted by Surykor

Hi I run canister on 30g reef about half year now even with some sps frags . changin 10%water bi-weekly, sucking debri from bottom and clean filter takes about 30 min every other saturday. Running with zeolith, clearphos and carbon + mechanical filtering pads . With no idiotic bioload ( 4 fish, 1 lysmata) i have max 2ppm nitrates. Btw using dennerle turbo skimmer- floating suction to mimic overflow not a real skimmer im skimmerless but its ordered

zeolith in salt water have no properties. they remove ammonia in freshwater only.

have you tried running the GAC and GFO in an upflow phosban reactor ?

[Surykor]

When prepared in SW with high salinity about 14 days it absorbs ionts from salt as calcium etc and used in filter it changes theese ionts for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate + huge surface area is foothold for bacteria so far I know. Not tried any reactor -no space around

[Allmost]

Originally Posted by Surykor

When prepared in SW with high salinity about 14 days it absorbs ionts from salt as calcium etc and used in filter it changes theese ionts for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate + huge surface area is foothold for bacteria so far I know. Not tried any reactor -no space around

not how it works.
http://www.zeolite-products.com/medi...optiloliet.pdf

please share the source of your info.

huge surface area point is correct though.

[Surykor]

Crushed zeolite is almost dry, porous surface. . zeolite does not bind ammonia, or can not be settled by nitrifying bacteria if not soaked.
Prepare a small amount of sea salt solution having a density of about 1.04 g/cm3 (1 kg of salt per 15 liters of water) and zeolite soak for two weeks. When this process has been done a soaked zeolite absorbs accessible ions (K-Ca-Mg, etc.), which then quickly replace in the ammoniacal nitrogen (ammonia nitrite and nitrate) and the other ionts.
Source is SK forum that is kinda popular here. Together with many locals which use zeolite even for substrate mixed 1:5 with aragonite they proved its quality for reducing nitrates and phosphates in reef well maybe the ion exchange is minimal, but there is still the thing with surface area for bact. So Im sure i wont stop using it no offense :-)

[clay12340]

Originally Posted by magnoliarichj

I don't think it's counter productive to use it as a large mechanical filter if your trying to remove debris from the water column.

There are some interesting threads on here that argue that removing debris from the water column is counter productive. The basic idea behind them is that the debris doesn't effectively rot and release organics while it is suspended in the water column. It only starts doing that when it gets trapped against some surface that houses bacteria. So instead of trapping debris you should provide more flow to keep it suspended and let the tank inhabitants eat it. No idea where the truth actually lies, but it's a neat argument.

Outside of that though, I don't think a canister filter is bad at mechanical filtration. It is just costly, difficult to clean, and hard to inspect compared to something simple like filter socks or even a hang on back power filter. In my opinion the best use of a canister filter is to house biomedia with a really high surface area someplace where it won't be disturbed easily. However, unless you're running a bare bottom tank with very little rock it just likely isn't a role you need filled.

If you just want mechanical filtration and don't have a sump to stash filter socks, then try an aquaclear 110, or whatever is appropriate for your tank size. Stuff it full of super cheap mechanical media. When it starts to look dirty toss the media and refill it. It'll be far easier both to change and to tell when it needs changing than with the canister. It is also going to cost less overall and be less prone to issues IMO.

[Socals14]

I plan on using my spare canister to run carbon - only. It would only be online for relatively short time frames.