Canister Filter

[bignose]

I finally shut down my FW tank. I have a canister filter that I'm unsure if I need anymore. I know the protein skimmer is a primary filter but do I need to have a canister filter on a SW tank? Pros/Cons?

[Carmen]

I am sure others will chime in here but from my experience the canister was just a HUGE nitrate trap. I had mine filled with LR rubble (no media but carbon) on my 27G and it was only 3 months before I had problems with HIGH nitrates. They are aweful to clean and would need regular cleaning (like atleast weekly) to keep the nitartes down. Mine accumulated huge debris/detritus and the tubes were a pain to clean.
Just my experience but I would never do it again.
What size is your SW? If a nano perhaps a HOB would be better.

[bignose]

The is not a complete setup yet. It will be a 95G tank. I'm just going through all my equipment that I can sell/keep. It was a great filter for a FW tank so I thought I could use it SW. I not so sure of that now though.

I have a rs-135 that I'm going to use in my sump.

[JDigital]

Originally Posted by bignose

I have a rs-135 that I'm going to use in my sump.

I would scrap the canister then...

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by JDigital

I would scrap the canister then...

Agreed!

[bignose]

well I'm going to sell all my FS stuff then.

[Leah]

Hey!
I guess I am having a tough time getting my head around the no filter idea, don't
worry just trying to wean myself from this. But my question is how do you run carbon
when you don't have a sump or filter???? Confused....
________
volcano classic vaporizer

[JDigital]

Originally Posted by Leah

But my question is how do you run carbon
when you don't have a sump or filter???? Confused....

I don't see why someone would attempt a SW tank without one or the other.. I guess the only other option would be to run a Phosban (or similar) with Carbon, hanging on the tank.

[bignose]

My guess is your talking about a nano tank. I have a small nano tank with a HOB filter I put carbon in when I'm having water quality issues. Although you can run nanos without a skimmer using LR as a biofilter I have a skimmer on my tank.

[mike31154]

What type/brand of canister filter is it? I currently do not have a sump, nor phos/carbon reactors etc. so I use my Rena XP3 canister with empty baskets for a little extra water volume and flow. I also throw a bag of carbon & GFO into it from time to time. Yes it needs cleaning, but so do most skimmers and sumps at some point. The XP3 is simple to disconnect & clean since it's just a single compartment with square baskets that have a fairly open screen pattern. A while back I replaced the XP3 top/motor with an XP2 since either will fit the container. This was to reduce flow a little to allow the GFO bag more contact time for phosphate removal.

I have no personal experience with Fluval canisters, but the models I've seen appear to have a complex chamber system which could be a pain to clean as stated by others in the thread. As I said, the Rena is pretty simple to clean. When I started the tank I ran it with all the manufacturer's recommended media since I didn't know any better. Once I heard about the nitrate trap business I took everything out but even after running it empty for some time could not detect any reduction in nitrates. Nitrates finally dropped in my system after I added a ball of chaeto to the DT. I'm still running the canister and the nitrates currently remain very low to undetectable. This leads me to conclude that either the chaeto was the answer or my live rock & sand bed have finally matured to the point where they can handle all the nutrients. Just my experience so far and I'm hesitant to put the blame with regard to nitrates on the canister any longer.

If your canister is relatively easy to disconnect & clean it may still be worthwile to use it for running carbon or GFO.