New to the saltwater side.

[GunnerHursty]

Hi all from the UK. I have been fishkeeping for a while now and have a very successful African cichlid tank. After much thought and research I have converted a spare 125ltr to saltwater running a cannister filter setup, I'm used to over filtering due to cichlids being pretty messy.
Can filter is for 450-600ltr tank and seems to be working well with the new saltwater setup while keeping a close eye on my parameters. Fully cycled and I have a few softies growing well and a nice pair of clowns, I understand there are a lot of reefers out there that cannot stand the idea of cannister setups but wanted to know what any experienced people's thoughts were on this and any advice on what to watch out for in the future as the tank matures. Also wanted to post to say that if you are unable to run a sump for whatever reason, it can be done with some research and a careful planning.

 

[blaxsun]

Make sure you rinse out the sponge filter every 5-7days (a clean spare is handy to have), replace carbon monthly and ensure you regularly test for nitrates and phosphates.

Tying in an algae reactor to the canister output is also something that can apparently reap benefits.

 

[Fredda]

As long as you stock the tank pretty low i thin k u should be ok even in the long run. If u start feeding fish and coral much there are a possibility u will run into nutrient issues.

I ran a juwel aquarium as saltwater for about 1.5 years and was working fine (without skimmer and sump), but when i started to feed corals more i ran into nutrient issues and algue growth (tank was to small for tangs also). But i had to do weekly waterchange minimum 10% and clean filterpads and rinse biomedia.

However i have seen beautiful tanks that even are stocked with lots of acropora thriving with canisterfilter, so it is very possible but think the owner have to think more about feeding and stocking then if u have sump and skimmer/refugium

 

[ErikVR]

Hi there! I'm also a Africa chiclid keeper. I love the aggressive little badstards.

 

[GunnerHursty]

Thanks for the advice guys, definitely not planning to over stock and currently very careful with feeding. Tank is looking good and staring to grow just will take some time to mature fully as you all all aware. Any further hints, tips or tricks would be helpful

 

[GunnerHursty]

Hi there! I'm also a Africa chiclid keeper. I love the aggressive little badstards.

They're funny really but yes definitely aggressive. Been bitten a few times. Have a giraffe hap as my tank boss currently and he's a big lad

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks for the advice guys, definitely not planning to over stock and currently very careful with feeding. Tank is looking good and staring to grow just will take some time to mature fully as you all all aware. Any further hints, tips or tricks would be helpful

I don't endorse canister filters because the biggest problem is lack of proper maintenance. That being said, you may get a few tips from this video (great example of a canister filter setup done right).

 

[littlefoxx]

Hi all from the UK. I have been fishkeeping for a while now and have a very successful African cichlid tank. After much thought and research I have converted a spare 125ltr to saltwater running a cannister filter setup, I'm used to over filtering due to cichlids being pretty messy.
Can filter is for 450-600ltr tank and seems to be working well with the new saltwater setup while keeping a close eye on my parameters. Fully cycled and I have a few softies growing well and a nice pair of clowns, I understand there are a lot of reefers out there that cannot stand the idea of cannister setups but wanted to know what any experienced people's thoughts were on this and any advice on what to watch out for in the future as the tank matures. Also wanted to post to say that if you are unable to run a sump for whatever reason, it can be done with some research and a careful planning.

Got a picture of your cichlids?

 

[Nano_Man]

Good luck on your saltwater journey in the 90s that’s all I ran eheim pro and a tank full of live rock which is a filter in its self . The other big thing was the Berlin method a tank full of live rock couple of power heads pointing at the rock and a skimmer that was it . I still believe in live rock been the foundation of your reef or 50/ 50 dry rock / live rock to cut costs down and bulk your aqua scape up