Canister filters in a reef tank. Why not?

mach1ray

mach1ray

Reefing newb
I've read some say not to use one in my reef tank but I see some keep one in use. I have a Fluval 500 in mine with carbon, phosban and the cylinder media that comes with it. On top of all the trays I added a sheet of filtration cloth to slow down the flow and keep the water crystal clear.

I also run 4 power heads, 2 of which are coralife and have the extension piece that contain a sleeve to catch debree and in it I can put carbon or phosban. I currently put phosban in it due to my issue with red turf algae (btw, doesn't seem to phase the algae issue).

What is the reason I should not use the Fluval and in what instances is it ok for run it for a period of time? Also, are the attachments on the power head a problem too?

I just think the skimmer is not enough and don't trust sumps due to possible over flow and damage to very expensive hard wood floors (which I am still paying for after 1 year
laughing.gif
).
 
Skimmer + LR + Live sand = All the filtration you need add a good CUC from somehwere like reefcleaners.org and you should have no problems.

The Canister is a bad idea (as well as the two sleeves) because if not cleaned regularly, and were talking every few days at the least, they will collect detritus and other things that will just break down and feed the algae cycle in tanks. The canister filter would be fine if you ran it with just phosban or just carbon and no filter media to collect detritus. Even then, you would want to run it for 48 hours at a time (if trying to treat a problem probably 48 every week someone else will have a better idea) and then clean it before reuse.

The attachments do the same as above and like the canister can become nitrate factories feeding algae problems.

What do you have for a CUC and whats your entire setup consist of?
 
Not only are there possible issues with running a canister filter, Cathic's first line is all you need to know. So the real question is "why bother running a canister filter on a reef?" because if it's setup properly, you don't need one.
 
Yep, they will do the same thing. You would need to clean them almost daily since they are smaller and directly in your tank, to keep them from building up waste that will convert into nitrates. Mechanical filtration in general is a bad idea for Marine/Reef aquariums. They are to much hassle with not enough benefits to keep them. You will notice that almost every single one of our members with established tanks have no form of mechanical filtration (save maybe a sock for their sump).
 
I dont have a sump. Scared of the overflow and the potential damage. Is there such a thing as a hanging sump? What esle acn I use other than a sump?
 
my 180 is dumping into a 29 gallon high sump then into a 20 long fuge
when i kill power the water drains to about 3'' below the top of the tanks
high flow fast or slow the water level always stops 3'' from the top
100_0374.jpg
 
The biggest issue with a canister filter is that the detritus collects inside the canister and cleanup crews cannot get to it. It then becomes a chore to service and clean the canister - which leads to a lot of people not bothering to clean it regularly.

Detritus then just continues to collect and decompose, providing a constant supply of ammonia>nitrite>nitrate to the tank.
 
My biggest concern is the build of of solid waste on the rock and sand surfaces.

So far what I've gathered is the canister's build up of decomposing waste is the problem. In addition, the charcoal kills off vavluable nutrients/bacteria needed in the tank.

So if I were to get rid of the sponges and the carbon in the canister and add more of the the cylinder filter media (little cylinder rocks with hollow centers) I'd be OK with the fluval running?

Another question, is it bad to keep phosban going all the time?
 
Activated carbon just removes chemicals (from what I know). It should have a small if non existent impact on bacteria etc. If you are worried about waste building up on rocks and surfaces you dont have a good grasp on the effect of a cleanup crew (Since I see you have ordered one you can ignore my list) and sit back and wait. Those guys should handle whatever you have.

Try this something like:
70-75 Dwarf Ceriths
20-25 Ceriths
25-30 Nass Snails
30-40 Hermits
1-2 Fighting Conchs
20-30 Nerites

Something like that for a 75 you should see your problems just go away... The great thing is, you can get all that for less than $60 probably.

I see youve been taken care of in another post, hopefully you see some good results with your new CuC.
 
Last edited:
I agree with everyone else, I had a canister, then I dumped it and ran with my 50# of LR, 2" sand bed, and hang on back skimmer. Never looked back and the tank is booming
 
Cathic said:
Activated carbon just removes chemicals (from what I know). It should have a small if non existent impact on bacteria etc. If you are worried about waste building up on rocks and surfaces you dont have a good grasp on the effect of a cleanup crew (Since I see you have ordered one you can ignore my list) and sit back and wait. Those guys should handle whatever you have.

Try this something like:
70-75 Dwarf Ceriths
20-25 Ceriths
25-30 Nass Snails
30-40 Hermits
1-2 Fighting Conchs
20-30 Nerites

Something like that for a 75 you should see your problems just go away... The great thing is, you can get all that for less than $60 probably.

I see youve been taken care of in another post, hopefully you see some good results with your new CuC.
Click to expand...

Despite my order I will keep this list handy. Thanks!
 
OK, I went on to turn off the canister filter for now. I do intent to take out the sponses from it. Since charcoal does not have such a great impact, I'll use small amounts of iit for amonia reduction. I thought the canister can at the least provide more water movement to clean off the rocks.

I also removed the socks from the coralife powerhead attachments and only left some Phosban in each to keep down the spread of red turf algae.

I dropped in my shipment of reef cleaners day before yestrerday and finally I am seeing some movement. Those little critters are busy!
 
Charcoal doesn't do anything for ammonia, you shouldn't have any ammonia in a cycled tank, if you do - you have a problem.

The charcoal just removes small particles, which is why its used to polish the water or run in some emergencies for removal of some toxins
 
The conventional wisdom is never use a canister filter.

But they can do a great job of cleaning the water with phosban, charcoal, floss and other media. The problem is that they quickly become a detritus trap and then you should completely take it apart and clean it every 2 days. That will get old --fast- and most people just don't want to take the time to clean it that often. KEEP the canister for an emergency situation (rising phosphates, ammonia, crud in water, etc..) and if you DO have an emergency then hook it up for 48 hours. It could save your tank.

Also, rinse charcoal well and it will be fine.
 

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