Anyone using canister filters exclusively?

bguile · 01/01/2010, 10:26 AM

I have an office in my house that I'm building out and have some room, so.....I was thinking of filling it with a tank that can hold all the OTHER pretty fish that my wife and I like but can't get b/c they will EAT all of MY current little fish and shrimps.

If I do the setup I wanted it to be minimal setup, maintenance, and electrical cost. I started looking around some online websites and saw canister filters that were basically the price of a return pump and used way less energy, would avoid the need for a sump and small enough to sit under just about any stand. So they peaked my interest and I thought I'd post here to see if anyone had any feedback, recommendations, and pics (of course) of their systems using them.

I'm thinking I will only have LR maybe a few softies and non aggressives like Lionfish, Marine Betta, Butterflies..etc.

jayb12 · 01/01/2010, 10:56 AM

i ran a 75 gallon reef sucessfully for over 5 years on a a simple cannister filter and a skimmer
ide say for anything but sps your laughin.

ehim makes a great filter

lordofthereef · 01/01/2010, 11:38 AM

Unless you have a filter sitting around you have better options for a similar price. JMO.

Crush Coral · 01/01/2010, 11:43 AM

I use a Rena canister with a hot skimmer, Bermuda rogue, works great but no sps in my tank as of yet.

jbird69 · 01/01/2010, 01:15 PM

it can be done. the only contrediction it creates for your needs is that you want minimal maintanance. A canister is anything but that.

919 · 01/01/2010, 01:27 PM

I run canisters, and if I am not consistent with tearing them down once every few weeks I start to have alleagy issues.

thomasp123 · 01/01/2010, 02:36 PM

I tried to run a 75 on a canister at first and it was a disaster. It would clog up to the point of no flow at all in two weeks. So I found myself breaking it down every week. The canister held about two gallons of water so that that had to be ready as a replacement each week. it was a real pain. a sump works way better and is cheaper if you make it your self

rafa316 · 01/01/2010, 02:43 PM

here is a cool example

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1506957

bguile · 01/01/2010, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordofthereef

Unless you have a filter sitting around you have better options for a similar price. JMO.

What do you recommend and why?

bguile · 01/01/2010, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayb12

i ran a 75 gallon reef sucessfully for over 5 years on a a simple cannister filter and a skimmer
ide say for anything but sps your laughin.

ehim makes a great filter

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crush Coral

I use a Rena canister with a hot skimmer, Bermuda rogue, works great but no sps in my tank as of yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomasp123

I tried to run a 75 on a canister at first and it was a disaster. It would clog up to the point of no flow at all in two weeks. So I found myself breaking it down every week. The canister held about two gallons of water so that that had to be ready as a replacement each week. it was a real pain. a sump works way better and is cheaper if you make it your self

Thanks everyone!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rafa316

here is a cool example

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1506957

Awesome thread! Thanks for sharing.

bguile · 01/01/2010, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbird69

it can be done. the only contrediction it creates for your needs is that you want minimal maintanance. A canister is anything but that.

Can you elaborate a bit more since I've had no personal experience with canister filters.

bguile · 01/01/2010, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomasp123

I tried to run a 75 on a canister at first and it was a disaster. It would clog up to the point of no flow at all in two weeks. So I found myself breaking it down every week. The canister held about two gallons of water so that that had to be ready as a replacement each week. it was a real pain. a sump works way better and is cheaper if you make it your self

Of course making a sump was my original idea since that's what I've been doing since I started the hobby, but the thought of just connecting the canister and let it be seemed very attractive and cost effective since I saw one that also included a UV for still the same price of a noisy return pump. I also wouldn't have to do much plumbing if any at all.

01/01/2010, 10:26 AM	#1
bguile Premium Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: York PA Posts: 308	Anyone using canister filters exclusively? I have an office in my house that I'm building out and have some room, so.....I was thinking of filling it with a tank that can hold all the OTHER pretty fish that my wife and I like but can't get b/c they will EAT all of MY current little fish and shrimps. If I do the setup I wanted it to be minimal setup, maintenance, and electrical cost. I started looking around some online websites and saw canister filters that were basically the price of a return pump and used way less energy, would avoid the need for a sump and small enough to sit under just about any stand. So they peaked my interest and I thought I'd post here to see if anyone had any feedback, recommendations, and pics (of course) of their systems using them. I'm thinking I will only have LR maybe a few softies and non aggressives like Lionfish, Marine Betta, Butterflies..etc. __________________ -Bguile Current Tank Info: 210G FOWLR, 40G Reef

01/01/2010, 10:56 AM	#2
jayb12 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: niagara falls, canada Posts: 552	i ran a 75 gallon reef sucessfully for over 5 years on a a simple cannister filter and a skimmer ide say for anything but sps your laughin. ehim makes a great filter __________________ 250 gal aggressive reef tank. 24" zebra moray------- 5" emperor snapper 5" yellow tang---------- 5" purple tang 3" volitan lion----------- 12" volitan lion 5" cinnamon clowns--- 6" clown trigger 11" harliquin tusk------ 6" niger trigger various sps, lps and soft corals and one hell of a clean up crew!

01/01/2010, 11:38 AM	#3
lordofthereef One reef to rule them all Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Leominster, MA Posts: 5,299	Unless you have a filter sitting around you have better options for a similar price. JMO. __________________ "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself" ~ Josh Billings Visit My Home page for current build thread (click my user name and select "Visit LordoftheReef's Homepage" in the drop down menu!

01/01/2010, 01:15 PM	#5
jbird69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The beautiful State of Jefferson Posts: 2,751	it can be done. the only contrediction it creates for your needs is that you want minimal maintanance. A canister is anything but that. __________________ Broke Back Mountain is not a movie, its the pile of dead ninjas in Chuck Norris' back yard

01/01/2010, 02:43 PM	#8
rafa316 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 411	here is a cool example http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1506957 __________________ "if I asked the general public what they wanted they would have said they wanted a faster horse" Henry Ford Current Tank Info: 75g. - Rena xP4 Canister Filter - 65w T5 -2 inch sandbed - 60lbs live rock - 2 Ocellaris Clownfish - 1 Yellow Watchman Gobie - 6 Nassaiurs Snails - 1 Bumblebee Snail - 2 Emerald Crabs - 1 Red Legged Hermit Crab

01/01/2010, 11:43 AM	#4
Crush Coral Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Central Wisconsin Posts: 1,233	I use a Rena canister with a hot skimmer, Bermuda rogue, works great but no sps in my tank as of yet.

01/01/2010, 01:27 PM	#6
919 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 84	I run canisters, and if I am not consistent with tearing them down once every few weeks I start to have alleagy issues.

01/01/2010, 02:36 PM	#7
thomasp123 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Hadley MA Posts: 345	I tried to run a 75 on a canister at first and it was a disaster. It would clog up to the point of no flow at all in two weeks. So I found myself breaking it down every week. The canister held about two gallons of water so that that had to be ready as a replacement each week. it was a real pain. a sump works way better and is cheaper if you make it your self