Should I get rid of my canister filters?

Y

YankeeJeff

Premium Member
I have a 38G tank with 46lbs of live rock, 35ibs. of "nature's ocean 'bio-activ live aragonite' reef substrate" and a prizm skimmer. I also have a HOB mechanical filter that came with the tank and a fluval 205 canister filter...

Should I get rid of my canister filters (or maybe just one) to avoid the possibility of nitrate build-up?

FYI, I don't know if the following factors into any of this...I also have a 9watt turbo twist 3x UV sterilizer attached to a Maxi-jet 600 and a penguin 550 for water movement.

My nitrate hovers around 25ppm. What is annoying me is that I keep having to wipe the glass of the algae build-up about every 2 to 3 days. I have 4 big turbo snails, 2 hermit crabs, 1 mystery snail :-) and a CBS - is this enough? and again - should I get rid of the canister filters?

Thanks,
Jeff
 
from what i read here, u don't really need a canister filter for reef tank unless u'd like to put active carbon and add more flow to the system. since i don't have a sump, i'm using one just for the above purposes. and IME it does act as a nitrate storage center when using sponge kind of filter media in it
 
just tale out everthing except maybe purigin or pura chem they work well and you get the extra flow also.
 
a canister if fine, just make sure you clean/change the sponge type filter/floss every couple of days. if you do that it will work well to keep the column clean and will not add nitrates to the water.
 
Thanks. I was thinking of getting rid of the HOB filter and keeping an eye on the parameters for a while. If all goes well, I'd then build up the courage to remove the fluval.

Zann - I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean. I'm a newbie.
 
if it is not in you to clean it every couple days, then my advice would be to ditch the filters.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10288472#post10288472 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by YankeeJeff
Scarter - wow, every couple of days is a lot considering I have 2 filters.
Click to expand...
 
pls correct me if i'm wrong. i think what Zann said is to remove everything in the canister filter (ie. an empty compartment) and only put chemical filtration media in it. this way u don't have to worry about trapping detritus thus no need to clean often, while still providing extra filtration and flow to the system
 
I was not following zanns advice. most of the media in a canister will not trap ditritus, only the filter floss and the sponges will.
 
Thanks - this is all great advice, I think I'll remove the detritus traps and keep the flow. Been reading good things about Purigen as well. Nice.
 
One last thing (I think), should I make these changes slowly or does it not matter b/c of the live rock? My plan is to get rid of the HOB tomorrow, wait a couple of weeks, then remove the detritus traps from the Fluval and put in the Purigen. Not sure if I can have carbon media and Purigen in the canister at the same time -or if that even makes sense. Must research :reading:
 
Personally I would keep the floss (detritus traps) and just clean/change them often. If your Fluval doesn't trap the detritus it will just end up somewhere else. Mechanical filtration (floss) is the best method IMO, it just isn't very convenient.
 
Keep in mind, dead carbon makes a GREAT bio filter. (that's not a good thing in a reef system.) Bio filters are GREAT at breaking down protein and amonia into nitrates. (that's not a good thing in a reef system.)

If you do decide to run chemical filtration, floss, or spnge in the hang on, you still have to clean and replace them often to avoid starting a nice nitrate factory. With proper use and maint, HOB are not bad. But if you are just starting in the hobby (obsession), i would recommend against them until you get used to the other things that require maint and are more important for the system.


my 2 pennies.
 
Digging up an older thread but guys, not sure why canisters have gotten a bad rap. I love mine, easy to clean, just easy overall. I could understand nitrate build up if people only messed with them once a month or few months. I personally use a fluval 205 for my 10G nano. I have always done the following...

- Once a week I take out the filter portion and totally clean it in sink
- Only use carbon, floss, purigen or other NO BIOBALLS OR SIMILAR ITEMS. I change them every 2 weeks.
- Wash out the canister totally and whipe down

I am always suprised at how much crap that little canister catches even though my tank is beatiful and clean "thanks to the 205!" I do have a lot of flow in the tank so pretty much anything that can float get pushed around by water current ends up in the filter.
 
The cannisters are great for occasional use, cleaning up water, but they strip out pods and other microlife, which is why I wince at the thought of using one---I tend the 'invisibles' of my tank pretty assiduously, and feed phyto and whatnot to keep the water productive of no-see-ums that my fish and corals both like.

For some tanks, however, particularly the FOWLR type and fish-onlies, they're really helpful---they do take a disciplined person who knows the value of a schedule for maintenance, but I'd never diss them, for that application. And there is NO substitute for a powerful cannister with a 1 micron filter if your nephew has just treated your tank to sugarcoated Cheerios. Having that filter on hand can save your life/tank if you have kids or unruly guests.
 
Hi

I am also running a canister (ehiem) I am using the Ehiem mech (ceramic ring ) that came with it. Does that need to be clean with salt water?

thanks
 
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