Canister Filter

[CPINKLEY21]

I HAVE A 30 GAL. W/ LIVE ROCK (NOT SURE ON LBS.) AND A CC BED. I'M A STILL NEW TO SALT WATER SO I HAVE BEEN RUNNING A CANISTER FILTER, WHAT DO I NEED TO REMOVE FROM THE FILTER? SHOULD I ONLY USE CARBON IN THE FILTER? NITRATES ARE FIND RIGHT NOW, I JUST DON'T WANT THEM TO GET HIGH.

IF I ONLY RUN CARBON IN THE CANISTER FILTER, AND RUN MY SKIMMER TOO IS THAT ALL I NEED, FOR FILTERING?

 

[sing4lts]

TTT...Same question here. I have a 90 gallon, with a Fuval 403.
About 100 lbs live rock, and a 1 1/2" live sand bed. I also have and undergravel filter being pushed with 4 Penquin powerheads. I've been running this setup for about 3 months now. Livestock is as follows:

30 small blueleg hermits
25 varoius snails
1 coral banded shrimp
2 emerald crabs
1 Yellow tang
1 Green Chromis (picking up 4 more tonight after work)
3 Yellow tailed Damsels
1 Clown fish
1 Green Brittle Star
1 Sea cucumber
1 Longhorn Boxfish (cowfish)
3 very nice button polyp frags (about 70 stems on each frag)
1 Bubble Coral (about the size of a fist)

Lighting: Auqualight Lunar 48"...really nice unit. It really brought the corals to life (as well as caused a messy brown algea bloom, but that is now under control thanks to my cleanup crew)

Right now the water parameters seem to be doing great

Temp 79-82...I need to find a way to stablize this...damn Texas weather!

SG 1.023...I will be attempting to raise this to 1.026 after doing a lot of research on the forum here.

PH 8.2
Amonnia none
Nitrite none
Nitrate 25ish...need to get this down. Haven't tested in a couple of days.

My entire house is equiped with an RO system. I bathe in the stuff. LOL!

What media should I be using in the cannister, and or is the cannister even usable. ( I assume so, cause it's working great so far, with no losses other than a copper banded butterfly who wouldn't eat)???????????

I kinda jumped right in. I've had 75 gal chiclid tank for about 7 years. Just wanted to try something new. All of my current filtration equipment are leftovers from that tank.

Thanks,

Matt...total noob to reef setups.

 

[Infern0]

That's all I've been using for a while now. Routine cleaning of the canister will be required to keep the bacteria down. I also have a ton of liverock though, so, you'd have to be more specific on lbs. I have a 125 with 200+ lbs, so my canister is almost not needed...I just run it for stuff kicked off the rocks everynow and then.

 

[sing4lts]

I'm not running a skimmer at all. I have been looking at the larger of the Red Sea Prizm skimmer. I think it's good to 125 gals???, and it hangs on the back. I'm not too sure, if this is something that I shoud pic up. Will it help with my nitrates?

 

[mailoo]

sing4lts

get the skimmer... it will help with everything.

 

[sing4lts]

Mailoo...thanks, Any suggestions on which one to purchase for my setup. I do intend on stocking pretty heavily with assorted corals. I'm just about done adding fish. Maybe7-8 more fish is all.

 

[Infern0]

Yeah, skimmer is a must, and soon for you I'd say. Filtration as I said is kinda up to you. As long as you don't have bacteria factories, like sponges in your canister.

I use a SeaClone 150 as a skimmer....most will say is one of the worst out there, but it works. Gotta tweak it a bit more often than others. One of the cheaper ones on the market too. Aqua C is highly regarded, but also has the highest price tag. You'll be fine either way you lean.

 

[mailoo]

I have a 225g that used to have arowana in it.
It had a canister nicely plumbed into it.
I have been cycling my tank with Live Sand and Fuly Cured live rock and the canister is still attached.... BUT this weekend it GOES. Everyone i talk to says they are no good, so i am moving it to my 200G Fresh.

I am installing an overflow box, as my tank is undrilled and unmovable (and full of water) considering one from lifereef.
http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html

and i have a Kent Marine skimmer... about the best i could buy here in Thailand... and from my short test of it, its super easy to setup/install/adjust

Still thrashing about with my thoughts on a sump... think i am going to make one out of plastic containers.

 

[sing4lts]

No sponges??? Opps!!!! I guess I'll get rid of those tonight, when I get home. What should I put in their place? Perhaps more carbon???? That would help with the nitrates correct? They had been around 10ppm, but I just recently added the majority of those fish, and let's not forget the algea bloom that I recently encountered. I think those were major contributors to the slight rise in nitrates. I'll do another test tonight when I get home, and see how they are looking.

Mailoo, I'd be real curious to hear the reasonings, as to why these folks are telling you to get rid of the canister. This really discourages me. My tank seems to be doing great with the filter (even with the foam). I could see how someone could make a good arguement for you to invest in an overflow/fuge type system with 225 gallon tank, but I'm only running a 90gal. Can you point me to some of the threads where people are suggesting that you get rid of the cannister? I'd really like to see what negatives things people are saying about them. Thanks.

 

[IslandCrow]

I, personally, am a big fan of my canister filter. I run carbon in it most of the time and occasionally use a micron filter for water polishing (it really does make a noticable difference in clarity). I don't know if carbon will actually lower nitrates, but I did finally get my nitrates down to undetectable levels after I started using carbon in my canister filter. It could have been purely coincidence, though.

 

[jmack]

Currently I have a 120 gal on 2x fluval 404's...I run carbon, polyfilter, micron filter and nitrate sponge..plus some live rock rubble in both of them.

 

[sing4lts]

jmack...it sounds like your media very similar to what I'm running. I'm going to leave it as is, and add the skimmer. Hell, if nothing else, it's great for flow.

 

[Sk8r]

carbon is a very good idea: it, as I recall, will remove ammonia, plus toxins from softies, etc. Any time you have a generally unhappy tank, carbon and partial water change is a good idea.

BUT carbon that has depleted can become a nitrate site too, so don't forget it's in there. Get a schedule for changing it and stick to it. A logbook can help in this, plus results of tests, changes made, new things, new fish, new inverts. Observing trends that predict an impending problem can head off the problem. Carbon is a good part of that routine.

 

[jmack]

I agree it definitely needs regular attention..but as long as you do the maintenance I think this setup works fine.

 

[mikebrowning]

dosen't carbon remove stuff from the water that is needed by the corals?

 

[mailoo]

It's funny... no-one would give me much more information than "nitrate factory" but at every turn when someone would ask me "what sort of filtration you got" i would say canister and they would say "get rid of it, get your tank drilled and install a sump, maybe you can keep the canister to run carbon..."

I guess its the mosterous size of my tank... i was going to use the outlet from the canister to fill the sump... but i realise now i would have had next to no flow though my sump doing it that way.

I am in the process of ordering lifereef double overflow box and will be attaching it to a 90g glass tank turned into a sump.

The canister is gone and the levels in the tank stay the same.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7700510#post7700510 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sing4lts

Mailoo, I'd be real curious to hear the reasonings, as to why these folks are telling you to get rid of the canister. This really discourages me. My tank seems to be doing great with the filter (even with the foam). I could see how someone could make a good arguement for you to invest in an overflow/fuge type system with 225 gallon tank, but I'm only running a 90gal. Can you point me to some of the threads where people are suggesting that you get rid of the cannister? I'd really like to see what negatives things people are saying about them. Thanks.