Canister Filter or Fluval Aqua Clear

[Ships]

I just nabbed a 75 gallon aquarium and stand off of Petsmarts Black Friday sale. My idea is to use it for a lionfish. But I'm curious as to whether at a 75 gallon, would it be worth getting a canister filter or just getting a Fluval Aqua Clear.

 

[NewbieReefer11]

I just nabbed a 75 gallon aquarium and stand off of Petsmarts Black Friday sale. My idea is to use it for a lionfish. But I'm curious as to whether at a 75 gallon, would it be worth getting a canister filter or just getting a Fluval Aqua Clear.

I certainly wouldn't recommend a canister filter as they are nitrate factory's unless cleaned religiously. I'm not sure what size aquaclear you are looking at but I don't think even the 110 would be enough for a fully grown lionfish.

 

[Ships]

I certainly wouldn't recommend a canister filter as they are nitrate factory's unless cleaned religiously. I'm not sure what size aquaclear you are looking at but I don't think even the 110 would be enough for a fully grown lionfish.

I was looking at the 110.

 

[Ships]

Also I wasn't talking about the lionfish that get over 1 foot. I was looking at the more medium sized species.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Canister filters are such a pain to clean I would just go with a HOB.

 

[Pntbll687]

I certainly wouldn't recommend a canister filter as they are nitrate factory's unless cleaned religiously. I'm not sure what size aquaclear you are looking at but I don't think even the 110 would be enough for a fully grown lionfish.

Not sure why people say canisters are nitrate factories?? Anything that isn't maintained properly will lend up catching detritus and lead to high nitrates.

I used a canister for two years on my first mixed reef tank, and never had issues

Op, if you are planning a lionfish, the bioload will probably be high, so I would recommend you go with a large canister or two aquaclear 110's.

 

[Ships]

Not sure why people say canisters are nitrate factories?? Anything that isn't maintained properly will lend up catching detritus and lead to high nitrates.

I used a canister for two years on my first mixed reef tank, and never had issues

Op, if you are planning a lionfish, the bioload will probably be high, so I would recommend you go with a large canister or two aquaclear 110's.

Thanks for the advice! I may just go with a canister so it will be a cleaner look.

 

[Ships]

How large of a canister would you reccomend?

 

[Homebrewer]

How large of a canister would you reccomend?

I have a Pen-Plax Cascade 1000 on a 70G softie/mixed tank. It has 3 chambers and filters from the bottom up. Bottom chamber is a coarse sponge, middle I have a fine mesh filter with a bag of chemipure blue laying on top, and top chamber I have Seachem Matrix. I change out the fine mesh pad about once a month, the chemipure about every 3-4 months. I used to have a Fluval 406, which has 4 chambers and is a good filter, but I had a repeated issue with the impeller cover breaking. The cascade impeller cover does not have this same design flaw.

FWIW, I've kept a reef tank for 13+ years on a canister and it can be done. No argument though that a sump is the better way to maintain a reef; thousands of sucessful refers can't be wrong! If I had to start over, I would absolute have a drilled tank with a sump as it opens up so many more options. However, a good HOB skimmer and a $110 canister could work, especially if you are going fish-only or plan to keep less-sensitive species.

Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Pntbll687]

How large of a canister would you reccomend?

I would go with one recommended for a tank larger than the one you have, just to be on the safe side.

If you end up going with the canister check out pond guru on YouTube, he has a whole series on setting up different filters and how to maximize efficiency.

When setting up filtration it should go through the following stages.
1. Mechanical
2. Biological
3. Chemical
You just need to know how the water floss through the canister to set it up right

 

[Ships]

I would go with one recommended for a tank larger than the one you have, just to be on the safe side.

If you end up going with the canister check out pond guru on YouTube, he has a whole series on setting up different filters and how to maximize efficiency.

When setting up filtration it should go through the following stages.
1. Mechanical
2. Biological
3. Chemical
You just need to know how the water floss through the canister to set it up right

I ended up finding a Fluval FX4 canister filter on Black Friday sale.

 

[Pntbll687]

I ended up finding a Fluval FX4 canister filter on Black Friday sale.

Nice! That's one of the best out there.

Check it the below video on how to set it up for optimal filtration.

 

[Ships]

Nice! That's one of the best out there.

Check it the below video on how to set it up for optimal filtration.

Awesome! I figured it would be a good choice and I got it for a steal! And will do! I always appreciate any help I can get.

 

[NewbieReefer11]

Awesome! I figured it would be a good choice and I got it for a steal! And will do! I always appreciate any help I can get.

When you said aquaclear or canister I though you meant a smaller cheaper one but the fx4 I think is a brilliant choice as long as you keep it well maintained. Good Luck

 

[Ships]

When you said aquaclear or canister I though you meant a smaller cheaper one but the fx4 I think is a brilliant choice as long as you keep it well maintained. Good Luck

Well I was meaning either a Aqua Clear HOB or a canister (which I was looking at the FX4) I just wanted to make sure a canister wouldn't be too much filtration.