HOB or Canister Filter for 60G

Sleeping Giant · Mar 23, 2022

Hoodstream said:
Going to look into the skimmer now. Appreciate it.

It's great

Wasabiroot · Mar 23, 2022

On the flipside, a small canister filter would be fine for say, running carbon. I personally don't like the sight of HOB filters, and I would think the salt creep with a HOB filter would also be a minor annoyance. But I agree that in general they'd be a better choice. There are some new models (the Tidal series) that are getting great reviews.

Hoodstream · Mar 23, 2022

Think I’m going to go with a FX4 and a smaller Aquaclear, and a skimmer. Don’t know if a UV will make or break it. But so far I like the idea of running two, and with a black backing to hide all the wires and everything I think it’s as best as it’ll get without setting up a sump.

nereefpat · Mar 23, 2022

Do you have rock and powerheads/wavemakers?

If so, I would skip using any filters, unless you can find a decent hang on tank skimmer.

Vaundey · Mar 23, 2022

nereefpat said:
Do you have rock and powerheads/wavemakers?

If so, I would skip using any filters, unless you can find a decent hang on tank skimmer.

Would you kindly elaborate on this a bit more? I am intrigued by this option, is running a tank with no mechanical filtration feasible long term? I love minimalist approaches that simplify the hobby and save people money, lowering the barrier for entry two-fold. But it seems like water clarity would always be an issue, and having no way to concentrate the debris that needs to be removed would make maintenance more challenging.

nereefpat · Mar 23, 2022

Vaundey said:
Would you kindly elaborate on this a bit more? I am intrigued by this option, is running a tank with no mechanical filtration feasible long term?

Sure. I ran my first personal reef, a sump-less standard 90 gallon, with no mechanical filtration from roughly 2005-2012. Just powerheads, hang on tank Coralife skimmer, and live rock.

My current 125 + 40 breeder sump has been running since 2012. It doesn't have any mechanical filtration other than the output bubble trapping sponge on the skimmer. Just rock, flow, skimmer.

Vaundey said:
But it seems like water clarity would always be an issue, and having no way to concentrate the debris that needs to be removed would make maintenance more challenging.

I don't seem to have an issue with water clarity. I can see six feet from one end to the other pretty clearly.

I don't believe most reef keepers really use 'filters'. A certain percentage do run filter socks/roller mats.

Ricox · Mar 23, 2022

I would use the hob I think it is a better option for filtration and it would be more upgradeable later on. Also it would probably be cheaper?

cloak · Mar 23, 2022

I would just get the biggest Aquaclear HOB filter you can find and call it a day. Very easy to maintain, you can run all kinds of media in it and these things last forever IME.
A canister filter can work too though, but like mentioned above you might be working a little harder to achieve the same results. GL.

Hoodstream · Mar 23, 2022

cloak said:
I would just get the biggest Aquaclear HOB filter you can find and call it a day. Very easy to maintain, you can run all kinds of media in it and these things last forever IME.
A canister filter can work too though, but like mentioned above you might be working a little harder to achieve the same results. GL.

I have the Aquaclear 70 rn and it’s a champion all I have in it is Bioballs, a small piece of rock, carbon packet, and filter floss. Working like a charm right now.

bstodds15 · Apr 25, 2022

Vaundey said:
You can certainly achieve the same results with a HOB as a canister, but people who claim that canisters are a massive pain probably haven't used the newest generation of products. I run a Fluval 107 with an inline heater and skimmer attachment, and it takes maybe 5-10 very hassle and mess-free minutes to maintenance, which only needs to happen once every 3-4 weeks unless you are overfeeding an overstocked tank (which most people are).

I will admit that an HOB is easier to access and maintain generally, but know that the HOB option is always noisier and usually uglier.

What inline heater do you run on your Fluval 107?

sfin52 · Apr 25, 2022

blaxsun said:
Get the HOB. Canister filters are a freshwater relic. The maintenance and upkeep on them alone is a reason not to use them. My order of preference:

* External sump
* HOB filtration
* Internal sump (AIO)
* Nothing
* Canister filter