canister filter for 20 gal

bagpiper jim · 08/15/2009, 07:08 PM

Well now that I have a new 29 gallon tank to quarantine my fish in I thought I would try a canister filter and place a HOB skimmer on it. I went to Pet Smart on Friday and picked up a Fluval 205 filter and set it up and the next morning when I got up I was missing about 10 gallons from the tank. It didn't take long for me to feel the dampness in the carpet. I had set the filter up and found no leaks from any of the seals and thought I was in great shape. Well, apparently the filter had been dropped during shipping and it cracked the canister in one of the tiny slots on the bottom next to one of the rubber foot pads. It leaked all night and made quite a mess in the room. Anyway, I took the filter back for a refund and thought I would see how all of you feel about canister filters before I go out and get another one. This is a marine tank that I plan on using for quarantine and I had heard a lot of good things about Fluval filters so thought it would be a good way to go. Are there any hobbyist out there using a Fluval 205 for a 29 gallon tank? What is your setup like? I am looking for all the advise I can get...

Thanks, Jim

pepetj · 08/15/2009, 08:59 PM

I'm a newby in SW, that said, I've been doing lots of reading lately.

It is my impression that Canister filters are mostly used in FW.

It may be that the risk of increased levels of nitrate in SW achieved by using these type of filters require somewhat unusually high frequency of maintenance routine to keep nitrates within a healthy target range.

Others with more experience should confirm/rule out my knowledge here.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

nes999 · 08/15/2009, 09:04 PM

im not going to comment weather they should be used or not but first off get the largest you can afford and personly i think eheim is the best go for eheim classic and you wont be sorry ive had my since they came out with the classic

IridescentLily · 08/15/2009, 09:24 PM

My first fowlr tank was a 55g and i used a canister filter and it worked well for me for many years. I had to make sure to be religious about cleaning it every month. If I didn't clean it that often, up, up, up the nitrates would go. I believe it's because in a fish only tank we tend to feed more, or with more abandon than a reef tank. And that extra food goes straight to the canister filter.
Like you, I also had a hob skimmer. I also had an additional hob filter in addtioan to the canister.

When i buy my new reef tank, i will go with an overflow and sump, with stand alone skimmer and other equipment. But my livestock were happy and healthy for years and years with the canister and hob.

Everyones Hero · 08/15/2009, 09:24 PM

If it's just for a quarantine tank I'd just go get a HOB bio-wheel filter & put it on your main tank a week or so before you plan on making a purchase & then put it on your quarantine tank a day or two before you add the new fish.

Unless you're medicating it I'd just use old water from your main system for the water changes in the QT tank.

mat167 · 08/15/2009, 09:27 PM

Honestly I don't think they are particularly useful for marine aquariums unless there are no other suitable alternatives (skimmers mainly). When I do use them, it is only to run some chemical filtration such as GAC or GFO. You could run it with sponges I suppose, although unless you're prepared to open the filter and clean the sponges once a week you'll probably have some NO3 buildup. Whatever you do, i would strongly advise AGAINST using the biofiltration media that comes with it. Those white ceramic noodles are wonderful for FW tanks but are miserable in SW tanks. To be perfectly honest, for a QT all you really need is a HOB with some filter floss than you can rinse out regularly. A QT shouldn't have a large bioload, so aggressive filtration isn't required. IMHO, partial water changes and a small HOB filter are enough. The skimmer you have should more than suffice.

That said, I don't particularly like fluvals. We seem to have a lot of customers with the same pieces breaking on them. Also, it seems that the replacement parts change just often enough to "encourage" you to buy the newer model. I'm trying out the marineland c-series and am impressed so far. Eheim prices have skyrocketed also, and I don't think they can justify charging THAT much for their product. While great filters, I feel like I'm being cheated by paying that much.

In a nutshell... save you $$ and spend it on some nice, flashy livestock to quarantine

Everyones Hero · 08/15/2009, 09:46 PM

Another option is something like the Marineland HOT filters. I asked a customer about his the other day & he says he loves it & he'll never use anything else.

It's pretty inclusive & has pretty good flow. Has a sponge like filter, finer filter, & an area for carbon. I think they run around $100.

BurntOutReefer · 08/15/2009, 11:36 PM

That Fluval is a good filter...regardless of impressions, that will work fine for you ....just keep good husbandry on you tank....keep to good cleaning schedule on the firter

ddinox64 · 08/16/2009, 12:07 PM

You'll fine with a cannister. I added rock rubble to mine seeing it's pourous and will make use of all the surface area. Seemed to work for 9 months before going to a 90g.

Look at my gallery to see my 30g using a cannister filter.

Everyones Hero · 08/16/2009, 01:25 PM

Are you going to keep the QT tank up at all times or are you going to break it down after the fish are out of QT? If you're going to break it down you'll have to drain the canister filter otherwise the water will get stagnant.

08/15/2009, 07:08 PM	#1
bagpiper jim Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Fresno, Ca Posts: 69	canister filter for 20 gal Well now that I have a new 29 gallon tank to quarantine my fish in I thought I would try a canister filter and place a HOB skimmer on it. I went to Pet Smart on Friday and picked up a Fluval 205 filter and set it up and the next morning when I got up I was missing about 10 gallons from the tank. It didn't take long for me to feel the dampness in the carpet. I had set the filter up and found no leaks from any of the seals and thought I was in great shape. Well, apparently the filter had been dropped during shipping and it cracked the canister in one of the tiny slots on the bottom next to one of the rubber foot pads. It leaked all night and made quite a mess in the room. Anyway, I took the filter back for a refund and thought I would see how all of you feel about canister filters before I go out and get another one. This is a marine tank that I plan on using for quarantine and I had heard a lot of good things about Fluval filters so thought it would be a good way to go. Are there any hobbyist out there using a Fluval 205 for a 29 gallon tank? What is your setup like? I am looking for all the advise I can get... Thanks, Jim __________________ -90 Gal tank with overflow. -2 Hydor Koralia 4 powerheads. -75 gpd RO/DI and auto top off at sump. Vertex IN-100 skimmer. Finnex 48" MH 150WX2 + T5 HO 54WX2 Current Tank Info: 90 gal. reef

08/15/2009, 09:24 PM	#4
IridescentLily Editor-Reefkeeping mag Join Date: May 2008 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Posts: 3,858 Blog Entries: 5	My first fowlr tank was a 55g and i used a canister filter and it worked well for me for many years. I had to make sure to be religious about cleaning it every month. If I didn't clean it that often, up, up, up the nitrates would go. I believe it's because in a fish only tank we tend to feed more, or with more abandon than a reef tank. And that extra food goes straight to the canister filter. Like you, I also had a hob skimmer. I also had an additional hob filter in addtioan to the canister. When i buy my new reef tank, i will go with an overflow and sump, with stand alone skimmer and other equipment. But my livestock were happy and healthy for years and years with the canister and hob. __________________ ~April Editor-Reefkeeping Magazine

08/15/2009, 08:59 PM	#2
pepetj Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Santo Domingo Posts: 55	I'm a newby in SW, that said, I've been doing lots of reading lately. It is my impression that Canister filters are mostly used in FW. It may be that the risk of increased levels of nitrate in SW achieved by using these type of filters require somewhat unusually high frequency of maintenance routine to keep nitrates within a healthy target range. Others with more experience should confirm/rule out my knowledge here. Pepetj Santo Domingo

08/15/2009, 09:04 PM	#3
nes999 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 72	im not going to comment weather they should be used or not but first off get the largest you can afford and personly i think eheim is the best go for eheim classic and you wont be sorry ive had my since they came out with the classic

08/15/2009, 09:24 PM	#5
Everyones Hero Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Leonardtown, MD Posts: 1,154	If it's just for a quarantine tank I'd just go get a HOB bio-wheel filter & put it on your main tank a week or so before you plan on making a purchase & then put it on your quarantine tank a day or two before you add the new fish. Unless you're medicating it I'd just use old water from your main system for the water changes in the QT tank.

08/15/2009, 09:27 PM	#6
mat167 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Montreal, South-Shore Posts: 473	Honestly I don't think they are particularly useful for marine aquariums unless there are no other suitable alternatives (skimmers mainly). When I do use them, it is only to run some chemical filtration such as GAC or GFO. You could run it with sponges I suppose, although unless you're prepared to open the filter and clean the sponges once a week you'll probably have some NO3 buildup. Whatever you do, i would strongly advise AGAINST using the biofiltration media that comes with it. Those white ceramic noodles are wonderful for FW tanks but are miserable in SW tanks. To be perfectly honest, for a QT all you really need is a HOB with some filter floss than you can rinse out regularly. A QT shouldn't have a large bioload, so aggressive filtration isn't required. IMHO, partial water changes and a small HOB filter are enough. The skimmer you have should more than suffice. That said, I don't particularly like fluvals. We seem to have a lot of customers with the same pieces breaking on them. Also, it seems that the replacement parts change just often enough to "encourage" you to buy the newer model. I'm trying out the marineland c-series and am impressed so far. Eheim prices have skyrocketed also, and I don't think they can justify charging THAT much for their product. While great filters, I feel like I'm being cheated by paying that much. In a nutshell... save you $$ and spend it on some nice, flashy livestock to quarantine

08/15/2009, 09:46 PM	#7
Everyones Hero Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Leonardtown, MD Posts: 1,154	Another option is something like the Marineland HOT filters. I asked a customer about his the other day & he says he loves it & he'll never use anything else. It's pretty inclusive & has pretty good flow. Has a sponge like filter, finer filter, & an area for carbon. I think they run around $100.

08/15/2009, 11:36 PM	#8
BurntOutReefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 4,376	That Fluval is a good filter...regardless of impressions, that will work fine for you ....just keep good husbandry on you tank....keep to good cleaning schedule on the firter

08/16/2009, 12:07 PM	#9
ddinox64 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ca. Posts: 1,327	You'll fine with a cannister. I added rock rubble to mine seeing it's pourous and will make use of all the surface area. Seemed to work for 9 months before going to a 90g. Look at my gallery to see my 30g using a cannister filter.

08/16/2009, 01:25 PM	#10
Everyones Hero Registered Member. Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Leonardtown, MD Posts: 1,154	Are you going to keep the QT tank up at all times or are you going to break it down after the fish are out of QT? If you're going to break it down you'll have to drain the canister filter otherwise the water will get stagnant.