What canister filter to use?
 

I am setting up a 45 gallon reef tank and would like to run a canister filter, Any thoughts on what size to use, I really don't want to use a sump with this size tank. I'm going to use an Aqua-C remora HOB Skimmer and 2 power heads but I want to make sure the filter has enough power for lots of flow in and around the live rock. Rena Filstar seems to have good flow rates, but not sure what size to run.

Don't put any filter media in the canister filter long term. You could use it to polish the water and then remove or rinse out the media frequently. Leaving it in there will create a nitrate factory which corals do NOT appreciate.

Live rock rubble inside the filter is usually what people who do add a canister do, but most do not bother with a canister filter at all. Want more flow, add another HK.

dont use the aqua c remora. POS. I've got one on my 55 gal fowlr tank, has never really worked right since new. Change powerheads, played with the flow, even the guys at J and L couldn't figure it out.
I'd try a cpr bak pak or an octopus hang on . If you can step up, the deltec 300 should be way better. As far as cannister filters go, try eheim professional. I'm running professional 3 in my 55. Whisper quiet, low maintenance, easy to clean.

When you say you're going to do a reef tank, do you mean full reef with lps and sps corals? or just a fowlr with a few softies and zoa. If you're going to use a cannister filter, you can't really do full reef, as it is a nitrate factory.

I would like to strongly suggest you re-think your plans.

For one, in my opinion the Remoras aren't worth the packaging they are wrapped in. I've had two (the Remora and the Remora Pro), both of which skimmed great for about a month. After a month, no matter what fiddling I did I couldn't get them to do hardly a darn thing after. Also, if you do happen to get it skimming and it decides it is going to overflow (it happens), it will overflow onto the floor unless you drill a hole in the cup and have it drain into a bucket or something. Another thing to think of is the fact that the Remora is usually used with a MaxiJet pump that will hang down into the middle of your tank. With typical powerheads you can strategically place them so that you can't see them so obviously, but with the skimmer if you tuck it off to the side it won't be as efficient (not that a Remora is efficient to begin with). Remora also will not skim the surface of the tank where an oily residue will accumulate. Sure, you can buy the surface skimmer add-on for another $40, and it will even hide the pump, but you have to watch evaporation reeeally closely or the waterline will go too low and the pump will run dry (and thus possibly die). Plus, that's just another thing taking up quite a lot of real estate in an already sq ft challenged tank. Add to that the mess of the rest of the equipment in the tank and all of a sudden your 45 gallon tank has the effective real estate of a 30 gallon.

If you go with a sump you can get a skimmer for the same price as the Remora that is 10 times better. I'm not even exaggerating. In sump skimmers are much more effective. The only hang on skimmer I would personally consider would be a Tunze, and those will cost you more than the whole sump set up with skimmer. With a sump, the surface will always be skimmed via the overflow. All that oily residue will be filtered out by the skimmer or the medias in the sump. This will provide better gas exchange, and thus less pH issues.

Next, part of the point of a sump is to hide things. Like the ugly heater, the ugly skimmer, the ugly medias (like another Maxijet to run a GFO reactor which every reef should have imo), a filter sock, etc. The visual difference of being able to hide everything in the sump is gargantuan. Another point for a sump is that everything is soooo much easier to access than when it is stuffed into your tank.

There is no reason why the size of the tank should influence whether you want a sump or not. I have a sump for my 20 gallon tank. In fact, the smaller the tank the more important it is imo because everything you can take out of the tank and put in the sump makes more space in the tank!

Now, the canister filter. Firstly, they are a pain in the butt to clean. Messy, heavy to lug around, etc. You are not going to clean it as often as you should. You might at first, but then you won't want to because it is a pain in the butt. The trouble with not cleaning a canister filter often enough is that it will become a nitrate factory from collecting a bunch of detritus in it. If you use some bulk cut-to-size flat polyester media in a sump it will take you approximately 30 seconds to clean it including the cutting time and travel tome to the garbage can.

Another thing to think about is that the filter (or return pump if you use a sump) is not for producing "flow in and around the rock". That is the job of the powerheads. The powerheads move the water and create flow so that detritus can't settle in the tank. If detritus is carried by the flow it will be taken to the sump (or canister yeck) where it can be filtered out.

You look like a freshwater guy (by your avatar) that's setting up his first saltwater tank. If that's the case, forget everything you've learned about filtering and the nitrogen cycle in freshwater. Prepare yourself to learn a whole different way of thinking. This is the hardest part of the transition from freshwater thinking to saltwater thinking.

Soo...go for the sump! :mrgreen: Would I seriously sit here and type all this out for you if I didn't reeeeeally think you're making a poor decision? ;)

I have to agree with Myka. I am currently running 2 tanks with canister filters and it is nothing but a pain in my ass. I work on a number of aquariums with sumps and it makes a world of difference, both for the aesthetics of the display tank and also for the functionality, ease of use and efficiency of all your equipment. Having a sump gives you far greater access to your equipment, increases the total water volume of your system and allows the use of an in sump skimmer, which are hands down better than any HOB skimmer I have ever come across. If there is ANY way for you to set up a sump on your aquarium I would absolutely do it.

I started with a Rena for 6 months. Everything Myka says is true. It is a regular cleaning job PIA. The sooner you can go to a sump the better all around. More water volume means more stable parameters which is key in reefing.

you could probably find a used sump and skimmer online here cheaper or close to the same as the canister alone IMO I would go that route, you can hide so much in them that your display will be much cleaner looking with out all the wires.

I currently run a fluval 405 on my 55 gl tank. I clean the canister out every 2 weeks and change the media monthly. As of recently, I do not have any issues with algae in my display but have had issues keeping SPS - LPS and softies have done well. I'm in the process of setting up a larger tank with a sump and can say that I love not having the heaters and skimmer in the tank. I've moved my skimmer out of the 55 into the 180 sump and the 55 tank looks so much better. I also like the extra water volume to work with and not having to always work in the display tank. If you can go with a sump, definitely do it, but a canister can work, you just have to be diligent with cleaning and maintaining.

Firstly, thanks everyone who gave the advice, I guess this will be sort of FOWLER but hopefully a little more dressed up as I really don't like just LR and fish I'll have some softies and easy to keep stuff in the tank to keep it simple until I learn more, Cleaning the filter twice a month is my plan to keep the nitrate under control hopefully. Is this just wishfull thinking or am I on the right track :question:

I use to run a fluval g6 on a 55 gallon and I washed the filter every 2 days.