Seahorses with canister filter setup

vsiege

Member
I was hoping to purchase a canister filter within the next to days b/c a certain store has 40% off and I need a new one.

I am going to to be putting two H. erectus in a 37 gallon setup. I want to make sure that I more than adequately cover the bio-load they will produce. Though I know I still have to do all of the regular maintenance such as water changes.

My pick was between two of the fluvals. Either the 306 or the 406.

Specs on Fluval 306:
Pump Power: 16W
Flow Rate: 303 gph
Baskets: 3 (Divided)

Specs on Fluval 406:
Pump Power: 23W
Flow Rate: 383 gph
Baskets: 4 (Divided)
Note: The flow rate is 383 but when the media is in they say that it goes down to 245. This is without adjusting the flow rate.

I am hooking up a chiller to either of these and I want to make sure I'm not going overboard with too much flow. I've seen my seahorses ride a current but that might be too much. Any thoughts of which one I should choose?
 
interesting when i first switched to sw i got rid of my canister because i read they were not used on sw set ups. but over the course of time i have seen more and more people using them. anyways i would go with the 406 the more filtration the better imo .
looking forward to following your build
 
I'm very new to the idea myself. I did not drill my 37 gallon, but already painted the background. I have a marineland penguin bio wheel 200 HOB but that won't do if I want to hook-up a chiller.

Thank you for your straight forward answer and I will certainly post my build as I start to assemble it all.

I'm looking forward to other opinions as well.
 
Canister filters can work just fine.
HOWEVER, for seahorse tanks they should be cleaned out every week to prevent bacteria beds forming in the filtered residue.
While it seems like that won't be a big problem, I, like many others, found that it was all too easy to let the clean out go every now and then, leading to longer periods between clean outs, and then all of a sudden I find flesh erosion and tails rotting off.
 
I'm not dead set on Fluval... just thought it looked about right for my needs. So far, going with the Fluval 406 seems to be good for my 37 gallon. Ultimately I will have to perform weekly maintenance on any canister I choose. I'm open to recommendations based on my tank specs, livestock and maintenance needs.
 
Last edited:
I had the fluval 406 and the impeller kept breaking. This was apparently an issue with the fluval 06 line. It was a few years ago so maybe they've improved it, but I wouldn't go with one. I would recommend eheim personally.
 
I have the 406 and it is great. I do not find the maintenance that much of a pain. I think the design allows for relatively painless removal of the canister for cleaning and replacement of the filter media in the top trey. Mine starts right back up again without any priming. I've it it for about 5 months. I also have a chiller on my setup as well.
 
Could drill a hole in that HOB filter and put in a coolworks iceprobe to lower the temp a few degrees. I'm still researching, but that's my plan for a dwarf tank with a HOB AC70 or AC110. I have an Eheim 2215 on my freshwater planted tank and don't find it that bad to remove and clean after doing it a couple of times.
 
@MTC1966:

Not yet. I converted my tank in the spring (it was a clownfish tank before) and I was waiting for the cooler weather to order my pair. Right now I have macro's and softies in it along with CUC.

This is the the tank:

macro1.jpg
 
Last edited:
@MTC1966:

Not yet. I converted my tank in the spring (it was a clownfish tank before) and I was waiting for the cooler weather to order my pair. Right now I have macro's and softies in it along with CUC.

This is the the tank:

macro1.jpg

thats sweet nice job
 
@MTC1966:

Not yet. I converted my tank in the spring (it was a clownfish tank before) and I was waiting for the cooler weather to order my pair. Right now I have macro's and softies in it along with CUC.

This is the the tank:

macro1.jpg

That's incredible. Wow. Something to aspire to.
 
I have the 406 and it is great. I do not find the maintenance that much of a pain. I think the design allows for relatively painless removal of the canister for cleaning and replacement of the filter media in the top trey. Mine starts right back up again without any priming. I've it it for about 5 months. I also have a chiller on my setup as well.

Thanks for the info. Amazing tank as well. I see you have three setups. Which one is it on?? Just wondering b/c I plan on putting it on a 37 and maybe that will be too much flow.

BTW I had codium too.... I love it... but the amphipods ate it all. I swear.

FishGrrl - Thanks, any specific model?
Eud - I researched those as well. I don't think they work well on tanks larger than 10 gallons. I am going to hook up a chiller to the new canister.
 
Thanks for the info. Amazing tank as well. I see you have three setups. Which one is it on?? Just wondering b/c I plan on putting it on a 37 and maybe that will be too much flow.

BTW I had codium too.... I love it... but the amphipods ate it all. I swear.

FishGrrl - Thanks, any specific model?
Eud - I researched those as well. I don't think they work well on tanks larger than 10 gallons. I am going to hook up a chiller to the new canister.
I have it on the 55g. I have a filstar on the nano. I have left and right returns on the nano. I manage the flow by using an "L" shaped spraybar on the left and a circulating return adapter on the right ( the end nozzle literally goes around in a circle, helping with the flow in multiple directions). I also think the filstar is very easy to maintain...very similar to the fluval. I got the filstar quite a while ago. Slightly more challenging however in that on occasion, I've got to prime it after cleaning.
I have a 50 gallon sump w/fuge and all the usual stuff (skimmer, phosban, etc) on the large tank 140g mixed reef.
 
Vseige: I do not know where you live or the room temp where you keep your tank, but I suspect you may need a full blown chiller-- at least in the summer. I am in the NE, yet I cannot keep my nano tank in the 72-74F range (even with AC in the room) without a chiller, and I have LED lighting! Since I am planning seahorses, I wanted an absolutely steady cool temp on the tank. Also, several of the macros in that tank were gathered in CT & RI from the cooler waters of the Atlantic/LI Sound.

Hope you're having fun with the planning!
 
Vseight - oops....just noticed that you are already planning a chiller....never mind, my bad for not going back to the original post!
 
CT Reefer Thanks for your response again. I have to update my signature to say I am buying a JBJ chiller - hence me opting to get a canister filter. I cannot keep my aquarium even close to that range! I haven't had a heater even plugged in for months. I have an custom LED fixture which needs to get its own glass and unfortunately it is not finished fully yet - so the aquarium glass is on top not letting it cool properly. I will def. have to get the chiller or finish the light before my horses get ordered. Chiller's are just so much money but in our case, very necessary.

Now back to the canisters:
I saw the aquatop here and was wondering if anyone had any luck with it either.

Was this the filstar you were mentioning?
 
Last edited:
CT Reefer Thanks for your response again. I have to update my signature to say I am buying a JBJ chiller - hence me opting to get a canister filter. I cannot keep my aquarium even close to that range! I haven't had a heater even plugged in for months. I have an custom LED fixture which needs to get its own glass and unfortunately it is not finished fully yet - so the aquarium glass is on top not letting it cool properly. I will def. have to get the chiller or finish the light before my horses get ordered. Chiller's are just so much money but in our case, very necessary.

Now back to the canisters:
I saw the aquatop here and was wondering if anyone had any luck with it either.

Was this the filstar you were mentioning?

Yes, thats the filstar. Don't know anything about the auquatop. The filstar is very quiet as well.
 
no need for a canister

no need for a canister

canisters arent good for seahorses to be honest, you will do better with a normal hang on the back filter since its easier to clean and has less spot for bacteria to build up... If you skip cleanings you could be asking for trouble...but if thats all you can use then you might not have a choice.

make sure you keep the temp around 72 so you lower the impact of infections.
 
Back
Top