Canister Filter newbie Question

[Quilthug]

I've had my tank set up since May. It is a:
55 gallon glass tank I bought off a guy on Craigs List.
It came with a Marineland HOB Canister Filter with a bio-wheel.
I have 55 lbs of live rock
about 1.5" of live sand.
I just purchased a CPR HOB AeroForce Recirculating Protein Skimmer to replace the SeaClone it came with. It's just now starting to skim, it's been on for a week.

Mangrove plants in skimmer. No sump.
2 Koralia 750 gph powerheads for flow. (set to alternate)
T-5 Lighting

Fish (seem happy):
Fire Goby (2")
Maroon Clown (1.5")
Yellow Tang (2")
Hippo Tang (2")
snails, shrimp, hermits, etc. on cuc
Small sps corals, not doing well.

I'm having nitrate problems, I assume due to the canister filter. Everything else looks great, I just can't get the nitrates down. they are about 40, and I know I need to shoot for 0.

I will probably get some chaeto for the skimmer.

What would you suggest to get these down? Should I just turn the canister filter off and get rid of it? Should I replace it with something else, or is the rock/sand/Skimmer/Flow enough?

As the filter is running now, I have a sack of carbon in it, the blue spongy/foam sock on the canister is on, and the biowheel intact.

Thanks for all of your help in advance. I have learned SO much from the forum since May. My husband calls me a reef-geek now... I love the title, but I feel as if my knowledge is so minimal compared to the collection of this forum. Please enlighten me :fish1:

Cheryl

 

[Sk8r]

I'd recommend getting rid of the filter, maintaining a dsb and a rock load equal to 1 lb per gallon sand, 1 lb per gallon live rock, and considering getting a sump where you could establish a fuge, ultimately. That should carry your fish load, no problem; maybe getting some hardy stony corals, like euphyllias, or even softies like mushrooms and buttons, which themselves do a nice job at filtration; and be sure to have bristleworms. I run a 54 g reef with no filtration at all, but I do have a fuge in the sump. My corals grow nicely, even excessively, and I have no nitrate issues at all.

 

[Alysiak00]

i run a fluval 305 canister on my 45gal and have no problems, unless of course i go more than 2 weeks without a cleaning of the filter.

1) is it a hob filter or a true canister?
2) how big is it and what do you have in it
3) definitely adjust your skimmer, those need tweaked as they get dirtier

*here is what i'm running in my 305. Its a 3 chamber filter with 4 sponges
1st chamber - all live rock chunks (round rods made by fluval)
2nd chamber- two bags of chemi-pure elite (make sure its the elite!)
3rd chamber- two bags of carbon (keeps water crystal clear)

 

[Quilthug]

The exact model filter I have can be seen here:
http://www.petsolutions.com/default.aspx?ItemId=47490135&EID=PG47490135&SID=PGRAB I have a sack of carbon in it along with what is shown in the photo on the link. Cleaning this thing is a nightmare. I hate it. I hate the way it has to be taken apart, and I hate the way it goes back together. So I kinda want permission to take it off the tank.

I looked back at my journal, I have 55lbs live sand, and about 90-100 lbs rock. Should I add to the sand? I got the rock and sand from TBS.

I don't know if I have any bristleworms, if I do, I haven't seen them, but I haven't gone looking for them either. Usually once the light goes out on the tank, my light is going out too.

The stand I have isn't really big enough for any kind of a sump. The only thing I could fit would be a 10 gallon aquarium in there and then go from there, or get a pre-made sump that would the be same dimensions of a 10 gallon aquarium. (Does that make sense?) I could ask for a sump for Christmas.. maybe Santa will be generous. Any recommendations for a small area like that?

What should I do right now. If taking the filter off, should I not do anything else? How long (c)should I go without a filter/sump?

Thanks!

 

[Quilthug]

* I have one Euphyllias Torch Coral and that seems to be the only one thriving. The others have withered.

 

[mcosta528]

i dunno about canister filters at all. I use a wet/dry type filter. Did you ever see the wet dry filters that hang on the tanks? Where is you skimmer? do you have a picture of your set up?

 

[mcosta528]

oh and water change right away to get those nitrates down

 

[Quilthug]

Ok attached are some photos I took, my iphone doesn't take the greatest photos, but you'll get the idea of the set up. I did a water change, but as you can see, my anemone has planted himself at the top of the highest rock, so I can't bring the level down as much as I normally would or I risk him sucking air for a bit until I get the new water back in.

 

[Katie3G]

I too have a 55 gal (48 inch x 12 inch) which I am running with a canister filter and skimmer (Aqua C Remora). The tank has been set up since early June with 55 lbs. of live rock. After cycling, I have never had any problems with nitrate (always tests 0). I do clean the filter every week and I do a 15% water change every two weeks. How often are you cleaning the filter? If it is a hassle to clean you may be reluctant to clean it every week (I know I would be). Also, are you over feeding?

 

[mcosta528]

i dont know where your protein skimmer is... Maybe you can try a wet/dry hang on filter or consider one that you can fit a larger skimmer into. I would follow the maintenance schedule that Katie3G recommended. Can you move the rock that your anemone is on to the bottom so you can do a larger water change, and then simply move it back up to the top when your done. If you had a wet/dry filter you can do water changes in it depending on the size, instead of directly into the tank. I would ask the people on here for optional filtration methods. And clean the canister filter thoroughly asap. This mixed with daily water changes should result in a great drop in those nitrates

 

[mcosta528]

Also the mangrove may not be reducing as many nitrates as you think. Also when people have overflow type systems, it reduces the amount of film that forms on top of the water column. Do you ever get a filmy substance up top?

 

[Alysiak00]

okay i see lots of problems.

-that tank should not be next to a window. this will be an algae factory later on
-the tank is still fairly new, it takes a while to get fully cycled. not just the few week nitrate cycle
-how often did you add your fish (one a week, one a month, all at once?)
-definitely sounds like overfeeding.

 

[potterjon]

You have my permission to take it off the tank. jk
How do you have mangroves in the skimmer?
I would listen to Alysiak00 about the cleaning of it every two weeks, you may just have a lot of detritus built up in there. I would also check how much you are feeding and your water change schedule. The more food/fish/waste, the more nitrates. Maybe consider replacing that bio wheel every once in awhile also, just don't change everything out at once.

 

[Fishtastic]

Need to feed less and clean better...
Canisters rock, don't care what anyone else says about it, they work well.
My nitrates never go above 15-20 unless I don't do a wc for a good month. I have no LR, no dsb, and 7 fish in a 55.

 

[Sk8r]

MOving a tank is no easy thing: putting blackout curtains on the windows would be easier, re the algae situation: you can get them at Penny's, a heavy, rubberized fabric with a magnetic closure: you have to have them special-ordered. On the other hand, you could also just black out the back of the tank.

Cannisters do nicely for a fish-only, but are a good deal of work compared to a live-rock/sandbed filtration, which is no work (ie, never cleaned) once established. We used to run marine tanks back in the 70's with a simpler filter than a cannister, and when cannisters and biowheels came along, they were a good thing. The problem of them with corals is the up-and-down of the chemistry between 'clean' and 'needs cleaning.' They remain an excellent solution for some people, particularly in apartments. Also, mushroom/button polyp tanks do very nicely with them: these corals don't mind the up and down of nutrient in the water. They are just that extra amount of work to keep them clean.

 

[Percula9]

Feed every other day. Remove the biowheel and do a 50% water change. If the nitrates are high, phosphate is also probably high. You might want to consider vodka dosing to reduce nitrate and phosphate levels.