Ashish Patel
2500 Club Member
Canister filters seem to make a great cryptic refugium
Canister Filters: Canister filters are a viable, inexpensive way to filter a reef tank. True or False?
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LPS Bum
Well-Known Member
I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I've found cleaning my large canister filter every 3 weeks takes approximately 10 min, maybe less. Good luck cleaning a big sump in 10 min or less...
LPS Bum
Well-Known Member
Why would it be trouble on a FOWLR?
I've used an large Filstar XP on my big FOWLR for 10+ years. Never once had a problem with it. Takes me 10 min or less to clean it (every 3 weeks, without fail) and replace some of the mechanical and chemical filter media. It's not light weight, but it's certainly not too heavy to lift. It self primes in a couple of min, you plug it back in, and you're good to go for 3 more weeks. No trouble at all.
fishface NJ
5000 Club Member
takes me less than 5 min now with a sump
LPS Bum
Well-Known Member
To siphon the detritus out of the bottom of an entire sump? And remove accumulated salt creep, etc? In less than 5 min? That's inhumanely quick.
I've seen many sumps that only get the socks changed out. They usually have a half inch of sludge and detritus on the bottom, and salt creep and kalkwasser everywhere. But if you can clean out your entire sump in less than 5 min, I'll have to tip my hat to you.
fishface NJ
5000 Club Member
no visible detritus in sump or salt creep. I have a 40B dt and a 40b sump with 3 socks. Running a Red Sea 200INT for tanks up to 250g
apparently even Fluval thinks the FX 6 is old tech now.
They have an advanced new model which has the removable and independently cleanable prefilter like Oase does.
that said, if an FX6 works for you, of course one should keep that......
They have an advanced new model which has the removable and independently cleanable prefilter like Oase does.
that said, if an FX6 works for you, of course one should keep that......
Other... Yes, a suitably sized cannister can handle a reef tank. But No, if you lose power for any length of time, you could wind up dumping a nasty collection of sulfides, anaerobic bacteria, etc. into your system. And, the outage could also result in the elimination of the aerobic bacteria in the cannister that you need to keep your system going...
StPatrick89
Well-Known Member
Looks like a printer lol
rustyreefer
Community Member
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I ran an FX4 and FX6 on a cichlid tank for years. They work great as long as you clean them very regularly. Otherwise they are nitrate factories. I dont remember the exact amount i paid for them but I bet I had $650 in them.
Richard1982
New Member
I currently run my 8ft mixed reef on externals it takes ten mins out your time to do maintenance cleaning ect same as it would do a sump I use one for polishing the water inline with my uv and the other for rowa carbon ect when needed there's no pros and no cons to having either apart from having a hang on skimmer I run a uprated mce600 and a heater in the aquarium the only plus in having a sump really is it has a in built surface skimmer,but every tank is different and so is every person that's the fun part as everyone has there own ideas to integrate into there systems which makes them unique.what works for one might not work for anothe,happy reefing guys
nicksreefs
Community Member
Forgot to mention… and possibly a bit controversial don’t change or clean them too often! Do of course clean and change but don’t go mad… if the tank is happy then leave it be. The water changes take care of most things
reefsaver
Active Member
I was going to add a canister filter to clear out my tank of equipment but my LFS guy convinced me out of it by telling me he had already tried something similar and that the Canister would need regular maintenance which would add to the overall work you do on the tank. He advised against it and instead suggested the AquaClear 110 anywhere online. It can be used as a hang on Sump, a refugium to sustain a population of copepods, you're adding water volume just like a canister which increases overall aquarium water chemistry parameter stability.
sfin52
So many pedestrians so little time
I would go with a canister. I use a fluval fx4 love it. Yes its maintenance but it filters more water and is more efficient than a hob. Just my opinion
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reefsaver
Active Member
If I was going to go the canister route, I would probably choose an Oase canister because they're a little more modular but other than that I quite like HOB filters because I can fill them with stuff like chaeto or repurpose them for a nano tank and sit a small skimmer inside to act as a kind of hang on sump.
ClownSchool
Well-Known Member
A canister isn’t the only solution. Mine is actually easier to clean than a sump, has chambers for granular filtration and allows my tank to sit closer to the wall with a slim HOB refugium and skimmer. In addition, my canister can be exposed without worrying about pets or children getting into it, but there are pros and cons to both. A comparable sump probably can hold an extra 2 gallons, or so. And, with the right cabinet (which I don’t have), it’s all contained and a cleaner display.
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