Filters

[OzymandiasXP]

I have a 60 gallon tank that was set up (on the advice of my LFS) with a canister filter. The canister is starting to leak, so I'm looking for a replacement. The tank itself is tempered glass, so drilling to put in an overflow isn't an option. There's about three inches of sand and 60 pounds of live rock in the tank.

Knowing how most people feel about canisters, is it worth replacing it? Are there other options I should be considering?

 

[Green Chromis]

:fish1: There are overflow boxes you can use with a sump, as long as you can use a sump. If you have the room for a sump, I would go that route, as you can store all your hardware in their, such as Heaters if needed, a Protein Skimmer, an ATO system, etc. This way everything is hidden, and not taking up space in the main display tank. Sumps also give you a larger water capacity which is a good thing. :fish1:

 

[HumbleFish]

You could just go with a large HOB powerfilter. That would be the easiest thing to do. Seachem Tidal, Aquaclear, Bio-wheel, etc. The biggest downside is having to take it outside every few months and clean it so detritus doesn't buildup. I wouldn't recommend this for a SPS tank... but it should work fine for softies/LPS + moderate fish bioload.

 

[mcgyvr]

Are you having a nutrient problem? (excessive nitrates/phosphates?)
If not I wouldn't do anything but go without the canister..
If you are (well clearly the canister wasn't helping anyways) but we can potentially suggest better solutions to help with that..

 

[billdogg]

I ran my 60g cube for 22 years using nothing more than a canister and a dual biowheel HOB.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the use of a canister IF you keep up with cleaning it. I cleaned mine about once a month (on water change day) and found it to be a terrific place to breed pods. Inside the canister I used a prefilter sponge, then carbon, then crushed coral for additional biological filtration. I kept anemones, soft corals, and LPS corals without any real problems. It wasn't until I got the SPS itch that an upgrade became necessary. That's why I have my 120DT/40b sump today. Personally, I don't care for HOB overflows - they can be a point of failure if they lose siphon. Drilling is always the better option but since you can't, I'd just stick with what you know to work.

jm.02

 

[OzymandiasXP]

I ran my 60g cube for 22 years using nothing more than a canister and a dual biowheel HOB.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the use of a canister IF you keep up with cleaning it. I cleaned mine about once a month (on water change day) and found it to be a terrific place to breed pods. Inside the canister I used a prefilter sponge, then carbon, then crushed coral for additional biological filtration. I kept anemones, soft corals, and LPS corals without any real problems. It wasn't until I got the SPS itch that an upgrade became necessary. That's why I have my 120DT/40b sump today. Personally, I don't care for HOB overflows - they can be a point of failure if they lose siphon. Drilling is always the better option but since you can't, I'd just stick with what you know to work.

jm.02

I've been cleaning it once a month and it's been doing fine. It's a FOWLR with o nutrient problems. If it hadn't started leaking I'd still be using it. Thanks all for the insight, I'm going to give it some thought over the weekend.

 

[billdogg]

If it's leaking from the seal check the oring. Even a single grain of sand can cause a leak. If you clean it well and then lubricate it with some silicone plumbers grease it will almost certainly fix the issue. Clean it, dry it completely, then use just enough of the silicone grease to make the oring shiny. Any globs of silicone will act the same as that pesky grain of sand.

hth.