just a quick question about cannister filters

playa0069u

playa0069u

New member
If I were to have an eheim cannister filter, what should I put in it? I have heard of the fact that the sponges in it are "Nitrate Factories", so what should I put in it. I have heard live rock, but do I put like rubble in there or small peices? like fist size pieces. Also what elese should I put in there besides the occasional carbon.
 
If you have a FOWLR tank, one could help.
If you have a reef, it's more a question of finding a use for the one you got talked into rather than buying a new one, which I would personally not advise. They can run occasional carbon. And larger than pebbles and smaller than your palm live rock will do.
 
well it was free... I was planning on maybe even using it to power the sump if it could. So are you saying that if I used it filled with Live rock it wouldn't help? or would it still be a nitrate factory?
 
No, it would be mildly useful, and very useful in some emergencies, since I think you can put a micron filter into it for water clearing. I just hate to see anyone lay out big cash for this filter who isn't into big fish. If it's free, grab it, for sure.
 
I use canisters on a regular basis, but not continusly. I generally run carbon passively in the sump, but if I have an issue that I NEED to get the most from the carbon I will run it in a fluval canister. I also use the canister to polish water after doing maint. as well as to run phosguard or any other thing I may need to run in the tank. Ive heard the use of live rock is a little helpful but I figure LR in side a filter will surely trap pockets of detritous just like a sponge will thus leading to nitrate buildup. Just my theory, untested by me. Hope that helps some!
 
well what does everybody else think? I also thought maybe copepods would be able to live in there like in a refugium. I was wondering the same thing myself though, would it not catch detritus as well? for now I think I am going to throw a sponge or two in it for a week or so just to catch some of the crap that's in it. What does everyone else think? About the live rock that is?
 
Hard to say for sure, since you do NOT have a complete tank description in your profile, but here is what I think:

Certainly use a free canister filter if you have it â€"œ they are great for the occasional clean-up behind the rocks if you have a good paper or foam filter on a long intake hose. Perfect for cleaning up and doing water changes after the heavy week-end feed of predator tanks.

They are good for suspending activated carbon (although a slow water flow is better) â€"œ if you remove the carbon after 24 hours

Because they are enclosed, canister filters are good for moving the water around in the display.

I do NOT like them because they trap biological waste inside, where it can raise nitrates and nitrites.

They are OK for a VERY porous bio-media, like bio-balls, except that the ideal wet/dry medium is a slow trickle through the air, but SeaChem bio-stars, or something like them will also work.

BTW, I don't use mine anymore - hang on the back outbaord filters are simply much easier.
 
Well - this is JMO, but just because it's free I wouldn't put it on my system. Are you having problems to the point that you think you need more filtration? If not maybe someone else could have a better use for it - like a freshwater person. I have a freshwater tank and it has only been ran with a cannister, I have to make sure it doesn't stop because it will through my system parameters off real quick. They are a pain and you really need to ask yourself if doing it would possibly harm your livestock, to me the answer would be yes if you've not used one before. They can cause a build up of nitrates and why take the chance - just because it's free. This is JMO Playa0069u, just gives you something else to watch and it should not be necessary on a reef tank.
 
what holds the nitrates in it? it is empty at the momnent. I just figured if it had live rock in it it would be just like an aextra gallon and a half of water.? It has a low flow by the way.
 
Playa0069u, remember it is enclosed which means not a lot of oxygen. One of the reasons refuguims do so well is that they are open and are able to breathe and exchange naturally (Light and O2). With the canister, no light and no added oxygen for a natural exchange. The gunk really builds up so I at least check mine daily and clean it once a week. Whatever you put in it, be it rocks, sand, Super Porous Ceramic Media etc it will trap debris because that is why it was created. You will just have to make sure it is cleaned and maintained.

It will work as an extra filter, that is what it is and it's what we used in the 80's for freshwater and saltwater. Do you really need the extra filter because it will be extra work. But that's up to you, it is old technology and if extra filtration is needed there are better ways.

Like Acolin said, it's great to clean up the tank after heavy feedings but this is just my opinion. I'd rather have my rocks, sand and refugium be the filters. You could use it and just see what happens, you might like it and the extra time would be worth the effort.
 
Hey Playa0069u, I really didn't mean to discourage you from using it at all but it could be a potential problem down the road - K :D . I really don't like them but I've always have used one on my freshwater tank. I know how it works and what the problems are with using them. They are great for getting out nastys when you what a quick clean up. To bad you didn't have it up for sale about two weeks ago - I needed a backup, just purchased one.
 
grr. lol well if it was empty could I use it to power a refugium? or does it need the height of the tank to work. btw what is the price range on pumps for sumps and refugiums. I hav absolutely no idea.
 
Well it would depend on how much flow you need. My cannister might get the water to the tank but it wouldn't be pretty - LOL. I'm setting up a new 29 g tank now and I purchased the Quiet One 3000 that is rated for around 780 GPH and it costs me 50 bucks. My cannister only runs at around 350 GPH and it cost around 100 bucks! Mine would never keep up with my input unless I really stepped it down - which isn't a good thing to do. You need as much flow as possible (within reason). I'll also have a Quiet One 4000 (1000+ GPH) running my SCWD and it rounds 70 bucks from Fosters and Smiths. I'm also going to setup a auto top off system - that will require another pump but very small and cheap.
 
I use one of those to mix my salt in my water - LOL. All you need to do is count all the elbows, tees etc and the size of your PVC pipe taking the water from your refugium to the refugium. Also how many feet up it needs to travel. Using the calculator on RC input the type of pump and it will tell you if it would work. Hmmm MJ at less than 300 GPH - might work if you could daisy chain them together - LOL
 
well umm, I just read that a refugium's turnover rate should be 1x per hour, so should the cannister filter powering the refugium be perfect for the low flow need?
 
I've really have not thought about putting a pump on my refugium - LOL. I just have mine flow from the intake -> Refugium -> Output. I guess if you have a really big refugium then it might be necessary - so go for it. I just take the natural way out, comes in the bottom goes out the top - simple.
 
water in - water out, it needs to go somewhere right. That's the reason some people have one end higher than the other. Refugiums are very small say 20 g and to turn that over in one hour - don't need a pump to do that - it's all physics. Without a pump mine overturns many times more than 1x per hour. But if yours needs more flow than what your getting, maybe your cannister is right for you.
 
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