Canister filter

[sheeb]

AMOSIJOY 265GPH 3-Stage Canister Filter, Ultra-Quiet External Aquarium Filter with Free Media for Large Fish Tanks and Aquariums
Is this a good canister filter? Please lmk asap!

 

[blaxsun]

For saltwater, nope. Get a HOB filter.

 

[Mikedawg]

Same, not a fan of canister filters. For same $ you could get this:

SeaChem – Large Aquarium Fish Tank Filter, Tidal 110 Gallon (400 Liters) by Sicce​

Larger capacity, better pump, easier to clean, etc.

 

[vetteguy53081]

You wont be happy with this unit and will find yourself adding additional filters or replacing this to meet your true needs. One of the most significant issues that canister filters come with is that they can be tough to clean out, which is valid with most aquariums equipment. Canister filters will collect waste and residues in time, meaning that it will need to be periodically cleaned. For reef tanks, the importance of protein skimmers can’t be emphasized enough in conjunction with canister to reduce required frequent maintenance. Canister filters are better suited to small saltwater aquariums because of their limited filter media capacity. Regular cleaning to prevent the buildup of detritus, leading to high nitrates and phosphates will allow you to have a thriving reef tank.
The more stages the unit has, the more effective it will meet biological, mechanical and chemical filtration requirements. Utilize filtration that's rated for at least 4x your tank size, using a large single or multiple canister filters. Lots of biomedia and include carbon. It's all about routine maintenance once the system gets a few months under its belt.
Despite the best efforts of companies like Fluval, the canister filter is quickly becoming a thing of the past, at least in the reef aquarium realm. With protein skimmers dominating the market, canister filters are no longer vital to have on a reef aquarium, though there are still some benefits to their use. The filter’s operation is simple. Bottom line is : You can learn how to clean a canister filter to use it for your aquarium, but it involves breaking down the components, cleaning individual parts before putting them back together again. To prevent algae growth and nitrate problems in saltwater, you’ll need to clean it often.

 

[sheeb]

You wont be happy with this unit and will find yourself adding additional filters or replacing this to meet your true needs. One of the most significant issues that canister filters come with is that they can be tough to clean out, which is valid with most aquariums equipment. Canister filters will collect waste and residues in time, meaning that it will need to be periodically cleaned. For reef tanks, the importance of protein skimmers can’t be emphasized enough in conjunction with canister to reduce required frequent maintenance. Canister filters are better suited to small saltwater aquariums because of their limited filter media capacity. Regular cleaning to prevent the buildup of detritus, leading to high nitrates and phosphates will allow you to have a thriving reef tank.
The more stages the unit has, the more effective it will meet biological, mechanical and chemical filtration requirements. Utilize filtration that's rated for at least 4x your tank size, using a large single or multiple canister filters. Lots of biomedia and include carbon. It's all about routine maintenance once the system gets a few months under its belt.
Despite the best efforts of companies like Fluval, the canister filter is quickly becoming a thing of the past, at least in the reef aquarium realm. With protein skimmers dominating the market, canister filters are no longer vital to have on a reef aquarium, though there are still some benefits to their use. The filter’s operation is simple. Bottom line is : You can learn how to clean a canister filter to use it for your aquarium, but it involves breaking down the components, cleaning individual parts before putting them back together again. To prevent algae growth and nitrate problems in saltwater, you’ll need to clean it often.

I was looking to get a canister just because it is cheaper and I'm running a 55 gal now. I don't have the time for a sump nor the space so I need some good options

 

[sheeb]

Same, not a fan of canister filters. For same $ you could get this:

SeaChem – Large Aquarium Fish Tank Filter, Tidal 110 Gallon (400 Liters) by Sicce​

Larger capacity, better pump, easier to clean, etc.

I do not have a sump though. Will this be enough? maybe down the road in 3 months ill add sump but for now, I'm trying to go sumpless

 

[vetteguy53081]

I was looking to get a canister just because it is cheaper and I'm running a 55 gal now. I don't have the time for a sump nor the space so I need some good options

Not to be harsh or opinionated but cheap in this hobby offers little results
Not too many in this hobby will will save $100 to risk losing $200 in fish and livestock
I generally say” buy the best you Cannot Afford “
I realize some us have budget restraints and with high inflation seek alternative means But you don’t want to choose filtration as the cost cutter

 

[sheeb]

Not to be harsh or opinionated but cheap in this hobby offers little results
Not too many in this hobby will will save $100 to risk losing $200 in fish and livestock
I generally say” buy the best you Cannot Afford “
I realize some us have budget restraints and with high inflation seek alternative means But you don’t want to choose filtration as the cost cutter

so what' do you think?

 

[jaehyeokeom]

so what' do you think?

I have a fowlr 55 gallon tank with only canister filter running.(mine is oase biomaster 350) rated around 300 gph.
Mikeymikemike on youtube has a tank with canister filter. You should check him out. He has all corals but only lps and softies. I bought the biomaster bc it has a prefilter, which means I dont need to clean out the filter sections as much as other brand canister filters. It also has built in heater so no need to place a heater inside the display tank.

If you are going to go canister route, you must have a canister filter that is rated for high gph. The acutal gph is often half of what the comapny of that filter states. If your filter is rated for 300 gph, its actual flow rate is only 150ish, which is far less than the recommended flow rate. I still like my canister filter, but I will upgrade to either dual canister or sump later when I begin to get more corals/nems. Hope this helps!

 

[Roatan Reef]

I have an

Aqueon QuietFlow Canister Filter for up to 55G on my 40B.​

Sure everyone loves to hate CFs here, but with once every 2 weeks 10% water change, clean CF, rinse the media , add new media, its perfectly fine for me.

I run Matrix Carbon, Phosguard, Maine pure bio balls, Aquachar, Chemi Pure Blue, poly filter and poly floss. Tank is doing great so far. Experiment on your own to see what works, don't be discouraged by negatively here.

 

[Jedi1199]

I find this thread quite funny... I run my 55g reef on canister filters and find NONE of the above to be accurate!!! Parrots!!

The actual unit you propose, I have no personal experience with, but based on the description, I would say that it will be insufficient for your 55g system.

I personally run my tank with 2 canisters. 1 is a Fluval FX6 and the other is an older Rena XP3. I alternate weekly cleaning between the 2.

There are plenty of examples here on the forum that run canisters and have beautiful and successful reef tanks. It just takes a bit of work.

I would recommend that you do add a skimmer of some kind. Either a HoB type or, like mine, a HoB overflow into a 10g tank that houses a larger skimmer than a HoB will allow.

 

[Spare time]

Canister filters promote bad care-taking as they are a pain to clean each week. Hanjg on back filters get the same job done. You don't need all of the "biological filtration" of a canister. They often become a recirculating garbarge can as no one wants to rinse/swap out the mechanical filter frequently (ideally every couple of days to a week). All a filter needs to do is capture detritus, and possible hold things like carbon. A simple HOB filter can do that, and requires FAR less to keep clean.

 

[Roatan Reef]

Canister filters promote bad care-taking as they are a pain to clean each week. Hanjg on back filters get the same job done. You don't need all of the "biological filtration" of a canister. They often become a recirculating garbarge can as no one wants to rinse/swap out the mechanical filter frequently (ideally every couple of days to a week). All a filter needs to do is capture detritus, and possible hold things like carbon. A simple HOB filter can do that, and requires FAR less to keep clean.

That is simply not true. I love all the garbage can takes and how awful and terrible it is to clean a CF...when nothing more could be further from the truth!

 

[Jedi1199]

Canister filters promote bad care-taking as they are a pain to clean each week. Hanjg on back filters get the same job done. You don't need all of the "biological filtration" of a canister. They often become a recirculating garbarge can as no one wants to rinse/swap out the mechanical filter frequently (ideally every couple of days to a week). All a filter needs to do is capture detritus, and possible hold things like carbon. A simple HOB filter can do that, and requires FAR less to keep clean.

Hogwash!!!

This post is so far from true it is ridiculous!

Hang on Back filters are FAR inferior to canisters. They are so far behind the curve they are not even on the same track.

A quality canister, needs to be cleaned about every other week. I run 2 because I have a very heavy bioload (16 fish and over 100 corals) I clean one each week.

HOB filters require either prefab cartridges or some other media that needs cleaning every couple days. HOB filters are loud and unsightly. They are also far more prone to failure than a canister and to top it off.. they just flat do not do as good of a job.

Canister filters are exceptional at mechanical filtration. The biological filtration is done by the rocks and other porous surfaces in the tank itself. NO hang on back filter can duplicate that. Canisters also allow for a much larger range of chemical filtration than any HOB could hope to achieve.

As I stated above, the ONLY thing you will really want to add to your system if you run a canister, is a good skimmer of some kind. Skimmers pull out a ton of dissolved gunk that escapes even the best mechanical filters around.