Cannister filters for saltwater

jahel318

jahel318

Reefing newb
I've gone through two Cascade 700 canister filters within less than 2 years. They have each ended up leaking heavily by the 10th month of use. The warranty is horrible also. It's a 3yr warranty but you are resposible for the shipping both ways which ends up being over $50. Why not buy a new one at that shipping price?

I have a 44 gal. fish only tank (saltwater). Can anyone suggest a reliable cannister/brand I can use?
 
You are going to find out quickly that most members will recommend you ditch the canister anyhow.

Look into some HOB (hang on the back) sumps.

Do you have live rock in the tank?

These days we let nature do the filtering by putting over one pound of LR (live rock) per gallon of tank in the aquarium. Then we pump the water into a sump (and refuge in some cases) and back into the tank. We keep some kind of fast growing plant life in the sump to be harvested for removal of toxins. You will be hearing more about this from other forum members.
 
U should definitely stop using canister filters. U can build a sump/refugium for pretty cheap. Also make sure u have plenty of live rock and a strong skimmer.
 
+1 Everyone

Canister filters are freshwater technology that doesn't translate very well to saltwater. A good protein skimmer with plenty of live rock is really the best filtration system you can have, plus its cheaper and easier to deal with in the long run.
 
I don't have live rock at this point. Just fish with live sand. I was hoping to not have anything hanging off the tank. The other problem is my shelf space below the tank has very limited space for a sump. Maybe a custom built sump? I've seen several DIY sump videos on Youtube and they are horrible. They don't take baby steps and show every little detail for us who are taking beginning baby steps in this hobby.
 
I have 2 clowns, 1 flame, and 3 damsels, several hermits and tonga snails. I've been running the tank for 22 months and haven't had any issues except for the leaks in the filter systems.
 
We understand you are fish only, but LR is so much better of a way to go.

The sump can be most any size.. and it can be of something that will fit your space.. the shape and method is numerous .. to whatever fits. The main idea is to have an overflow.. you have been doing that to run a canister.. and tank of some shape that can house cheato to grow with a strong cheap light. That way algae nutriments are consumed in the sump and less in the tank.

Then you stop buying filter media.. and let nature do what it does best.

There are plenty of members on here who can take you through at baby steps. Some forum members use containers they got at wallymart for their sumps.

Will a 10 gallon tank fit in the cabinet?

Those are frequently given away at garage sales or nearly given away. One pet shop chain sometimes has aquarium tanks on sale for $1 per gallon during promotions.

How was the water moved into and out of your canister?

Pictures will help loads... we really WANT to help... we enjoy it.

Look around in the DIY section to see what you can find about home made sumps here in this forum. Here is the link: ...... Do It Yourself (DIY)
 
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Any rock you have in the tank will become live over time, so if you didn't add any live rock to your tank, that isn't a big deal. But it is important to have the rocks in there, that is where the majority of the bacteria will live that process the fish wastes and its important because it give each fish a place to establish a territory. None of the fish we put in our tanks are open ocean dwellers, they all stay near the rocks and reefs.
 
All good advice from everyone here. While it would be great to have a skimmer, if you are hesitant to set up a sump or to have a HOB skimmer, you can have a tank without one...in fact, you didn't have one anyway. The good thing about the skimmer is that i takes a lot of the poop and uneaten food out of the water column before they break down into ammonia/nitrites/nitrates.

But again, it's not a necessity in this hobby. Just make sure you have enough powerheads for water flow, live sand, AND live rock. Plus do regular water changes.

You can use any strong container for a sump. Some people use rubbermaid tubs. I, myself, use a large pond liner tub (only because I have lots of room for it). Anything big enough to fit under your tank while holding all your equipment would work.
 
Would this fit? 10 Gal Sump Kit 20"x10"x12" Custom Protein Skimmer Sump Aquarium Filter | eBay

$T2eC16JHJFoE9nh6m-9rBQhqgmd6+w%7E%7E60_57.JPG
 
jahel318 said:
so the chamber where the filter sleeve comes in/before the sponge is where I would put my sand/live rock?
Click to expand...

Is where you "could" put live rock.. the bulk of the live rock goes in the display tank and is arranged to look like reef. But, many hobbyist add more LR in the sump because, the more the better. The chamber on the right would be where the return pump lives. Mostly the chamber with the sock has cheato growing in it. As it grows you harvest it as a way to remove contaminants. So we tend to hang a cheap clip on light there with a full spectrum screwey-worm bulb.
 
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The primary means of filtration in ANY saltwater setup is the bacteria contained in live rock and or live sand. Pretty much any tutorial or book will tell you that a saltwater tank needs 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon. Not only is this important for filtration purposes, it is also important to the fish, it gives them some place to go when they feel uneasy, as well as a place to sleep once its lights out.

I would ditch the canister filter entirely, and look into getting some rock for that tank
 
If you are concerned about getting unwanted pests in with a live rock purchase, you can use dry rock instead and it will become live in your tank eventually. That's what I did for my seahorse tank. Plus the dry rock is much less expensive.
 
I have a large fake rock decor with caves that's been in my tank since I first set it up 22 months ago. Do you think that has become live even though its fake?

If I get dry rock, would I have to "seed" it with real live rock for it to become "live"?
 
I don't know about your fake decor being live....maybe someone could answer that for you. As far as "seeding" the dry rock, no, you don't have to. I just added it to my new tank and added fish food every day to cycle it. I also put two quarter size pieces of gravel from the Reef store that had purple coralline algae on it in the tank. I did rub the coralline on the dry rock in several places and I now have it growing on my rock. I don't really know if that's why the coralline grew but, I have it and I like it.
Being that your tank is cycled, I don't think you need to do anything but put the dry rock into your tank. Please let another forum member comment on this before you do it, though. I would hate to give you the wrong information.
 

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