canister filters and problems?

[Fishdude1984]

i am thinking about changing my 20gallon fresh water in to a salt FOWLR, i would like to save a few bucks and use as much of the stuff i already have, so i have an Eheim 2213 canister that i was thinking about using, what possible problems are there? will it turn in to a nitrate factory? i know the flow is low(116gph) so i will ad a PH or two.
if it would be fine to use what kind of media should i use in it? it will be a FOWLR but down the road i would like to start adding a few beginner corals but down the road i suppose i may start upgrading equipment. so what kinda problems do you all think i may have with this set up?

 

[BurntOutReefer]

If you keep it clean (at least once a week)...you are ok...OR...just run carbon in it and get rid off all the sponges and rings/biocrap...
sorry...just read...fowlr...you are okee dokee to run it as it is...but change out the media...run carbon and maybe Nitrex or PhosBan....
have fun
IMO

 

[Fishdude1984]

so should i run it withOUT the media? just carbon and phosban?

 

[Fishdude1984]

bump...

 

[stevebla]

Canister filters

Canister filters

I like canister filters! They work very well. if you don't clean them every couple of weeks they might contribute to nitrates. I have run one on my 55g with 30g sump refuigum for 16 months and don't have nitrates. Live rock and deep sand bed and water changes seem to work well. I think properly used and maintained canisters remove a lot of crud from your system. I would run the bio media especially for fish only. I also stuff a filter chamber with filter fiber and throw it away every couple of weeks. It gets pretty nasty I would rather this stuff be in the trash than the sump.

 

[pjf]

The Reef Chemistry forum had a similar thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1120178). The recommendation was to place mainly granular activated carbon (GAC) in the canister with 1 tablespoon of granular ferric oxide (GFO) for every 20 gallons of water. The water should flow through the GAC first to remove dissolved organic compounds (DOC) before reaching the GFO layer. More GAC is used otherwise the GAC will not last as long as the GFO, which can last 8 weeks.

Your slow flow rate is fine. A faster flow may cause the GFO to disintegrate into dust. I only use a 79gph Eheim 1046 pump for my MRC FMC-415 reactor. I separate the GAC from the GFO with a sponge pad but that may not be necessary.

The GAC and GFO that are currently the “in” things are:
• Norit ROX 0.8 (http://www.twopartsolution.com/inde...ath=38&zenid=02565ca4ef394f8a07eb6cd4dcfdcf4e)
• Warner Marine PHOSaR-HC (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...roduct_Code=WM-PHOSAR-HC&Category_Code=warner)

You may consider a cheap protein skimmer. The Typhoon is reputedly the best HOB skimmer for under $70 (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13910&prodid=27166&catid=115).