looking for guidance or advice regarding Canister filtration. I'm currently running a 55gl all in one plug in play. Because of the lack of space all I'm running is tunze skimmer and a hang on back media reactor. I'm 3 months in the cycling "ugly" stage and want to get a jump on things before I start a mix-coral reef. I do have fish and inverts and all are fine thus far. So my question; would it be over kill if I add a canister filter to this system because I have no sump? any advice would help...
Canister filtration
- Thread starter Mad Zoas
- Start date
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MERKEY
Cronies
Over kill maybe but I would think of it as a large media reactor, instead of a filter.
We used a fluval 307 and fx6 on a 32g and 75g. We ended up gutting them and filling them with media we needed to use such as phosgaurd, carbon, chemiclean...whatever you need to.
You will need to clean it weekly but we loved our canisters for 5 years.
We just recently were lucky enough to upgrade and now love the sump.
If you can get a HOB overflow I think putting a 10 gallon or 20 long under the tank with the skimmer and reactor in it would be cleaner....maybe
We used a fluval 307 and fx6 on a 32g and 75g. We ended up gutting them and filling them with media we needed to use such as phosgaurd, carbon, chemiclean...whatever you need to.
You will need to clean it weekly but we loved our canisters for 5 years.
We just recently were lucky enough to upgrade and now love the sump.
If you can get a HOB overflow I think putting a 10 gallon or 20 long under the tank with the skimmer and reactor in it would be cleaner....maybe
Sleeping Giant
Proud Canadian Reefer
Sounds like you got a good start already, you should start a build page and people will chime in to help if needed. Lots of support here
DaddyFish
“5 percenter”
I run nothing but canisters and HOB. My best success is running two canisters in series; one as mechanical & chemical, the other completely filled with nothing but biomedia (Seachem Matrix). Since you already have AIO filtration I second the motion to add a canister solely for the purpose of added biological filtration.
Personally, I can highly recommend the Oase BioMaster Thermo 600 which will give you one integrated 300w heater, a very easy to service, removable prefilter, and you can fill all the trays with Matrix. You could step down to the BioMaster 350 but I would not go below that model. You cannot fathom just how practical, useful and convenient the removable prefilter is. Purchase the $16 Carbon Pre-Filter Foam Set, instead of whatever pre-filter foam it comes with. I've run them all in both fresh and saltwater, and the carbon foam is the absolute best balance of particulate filtration without choking at the surface.
If you want to add on a canister as cheaply as possible, something like a SunSun HW-704B can be purchased open-box for around $80, or the SunSun HW-3000 is back in stock and selling for a reasonable price of $130. Both have a 9-watt integrated UV which IMHO is nearly useless in saltwater. It will kill algae but won't touch parasites at the filter's lowest flow rate.
So the jest is...
Run your AIO setup primarily for mechanical and chemical/carbon. Add a decent canister for biological filtration and you should have a pristine system.
Personally, I can highly recommend the Oase BioMaster Thermo 600 which will give you one integrated 300w heater, a very easy to service, removable prefilter, and you can fill all the trays with Matrix. You could step down to the BioMaster 350 but I would not go below that model. You cannot fathom just how practical, useful and convenient the removable prefilter is. Purchase the $16 Carbon Pre-Filter Foam Set, instead of whatever pre-filter foam it comes with. I've run them all in both fresh and saltwater, and the carbon foam is the absolute best balance of particulate filtration without choking at the surface.
If you want to add on a canister as cheaply as possible, something like a SunSun HW-704B can be purchased open-box for around $80, or the SunSun HW-3000 is back in stock and selling for a reasonable price of $130. Both have a 9-watt integrated UV which IMHO is nearly useless in saltwater. It will kill algae but won't touch parasites at the filter's lowest flow rate.
So the jest is...
Run your AIO setup primarily for mechanical and chemical/carbon. Add a decent canister for biological filtration and you should have a pristine system.
wonroc
Well-Known Member
Filtration isnt overkill,,,,,but is it needed?
Shouldnt a skimmer be enough to get the waste out with regular water changes?
Personally i wouldnt even use the reactor with media, id stuff some cheato in it and light led.
Shouldnt a skimmer be enough to get the waste out with regular water changes?
Personally i wouldnt even use the reactor with media, id stuff some cheato in it and light led.
Another thumbs for the Oase Thermo canister filters. I have a 50 gallon pentagon that has no room for a conventional sump underneath the stand. I use a Aquamaxx 1.5 HOB skimmer in conjunction with an Oase Thermo 350. As mentioned by DaddyFish, the Oase has a built in heater and the pre-filter.
I use the Oase as a media reactor i.e. I don't use any biological media. It is where I place carbon, phosguard, purigen, Chemipure etc. I have two pre-filter foam sets so it takes 5 minutes to change out the pre-filter. The heater is removable i.e. replaceable. I also take the output of the Oase and direct it through a 25 watt Aqua UV. I've been running this Oase filter for 10 months now without a hiccup. Plus is it very quiet. I use this via a Modular Marine overflow box.
The Aquamaxx 1.5 has also been a very reliable HOB skimmer.
I use the Oase as a media reactor i.e. I don't use any biological media. It is where I place carbon, phosguard, purigen, Chemipure etc. I have two pre-filter foam sets so it takes 5 minutes to change out the pre-filter. The heater is removable i.e. replaceable. I also take the output of the Oase and direct it through a 25 watt Aqua UV. I've been running this Oase filter for 10 months now without a hiccup. Plus is it very quiet. I use this via a Modular Marine overflow box.
The Aquamaxx 1.5 has also been a very reliable HOB skimmer.
