Is a proper canister filter really more work?

[Roatan Reef]

Lol ...another day another let's ShYte on Cannister Filters.

I've had mine for 8 months now...and guess what....it's a breeze to clean and put new Filter media in...and I don't clean it every weekend...lulz!.

Currently, I have not cleaned my Cannister Filter for over 1.5 months....because my tank is starting to do its own thing.

I run Chemi Pure, Carbon, Filter Floss, Poly FilterPads and bio media in a 4 basket Cannister Filter...and it's been great so far. Initially I did once every 2 weeks of cleaning Cannister Filter..with weekly water changes....my tank is doing so good now, I'm waiting till next week to clean and put new Filter media in Cannister...will be 1.5 months without cleaning.

I have a 40GB tank.

Sure...if you have a massive tank or anything larger than 75-100 G....by all means do a sump.

But anything less...you will be good.

It's honestly not hard and complicated as many on R2R try to fool you to believe.


I also come from 20 years of Freshwater ...in which Cannister Filters are a game changer! ..

You see on R2R everyone wants to be like the people who brag about not doing water changes for 2 years, and they grow the best sticks and SPS.

But also, you'll notice many people complaining about cleaning Filter socks every 2 days in their sump, asking about if Roller Mats are worth it...etc..etc...


So which is it?


I'll tell you which is it..



You do you Boo! If it works...great! If not try something new.

Hell...I've seen lots of HOB filter tanks on 75 to 125 Saltwater tanks doing awesome also.

Don't let the folks here fool you.

 

[Jesus]

They are recirculating garbage cans. Unlike filter pads you can quickly remove and rinse in a HOB, or swap a sock, you have to shut the canister down, remove the layers, rinse the biofoam and what not that becomes a detritus trap, and then place it all back, and reconnect the canister. They actively dis-incentivize you to frequently clean the mechanical filter. Frequent mechanical filter cleaning is one of the easiest ways to avoid unnecessary build ups of nitrate and phosphate. Canisters are often not very good at aerating the water, and combine this with all of the decaying matter inside that may not be cleaned often, is not great for oxygen in the tank.

I've been running a very successful 55 gal frag tank with only a small canister filter no uv light, no skimmer I only clean the pads , replace the carbon and phosphate media every 3 to 4 months , my nitrates are 3 my phosphates are almost undetected the only problem I have is some green hair algea I just added some snails and a tang which should take care of it but my frags sps lps ,soft are all growing and looking great

 

[LPS Bum]

The Biomaster 850 I'm looking at has a prefilter section that is very easy to remove and clean which collects most of the gunk in the tank before it enters the main filter area, which I would only fill with biomedia.

Now, people keep saying you have to clean them often, but don't you have to clean filter socks and the protein skimmer every few days? A guy I'm watching on youtube has a very successful tank using just a Biomaster 600 (with the high PPI pre filter foam and biomedia in the main chamber), and an inline algae reactor (Tunze). He says all he does is take out the prefilter and squeeze the gunk out and put the foam back on (every 3-4 days).

The system I'm planning out includes the stronger Biomaster 850, a chaeto reactor on its own pump, and a UV sterilizer on the output on of the Biomaster that can be turned on/off as needed. The lily inlet I'm getting provides both surface skimming and pulls in water from the middle column.

If the prefilters are cleaned regularly why is this not a viable system? At least you don't have to worry about cleaning the filter socks and protein skimmer every few days...

My reef system is pretty advanced and heavily automated, but my large FOWLR is decidedly low tech.

I run it with a large canister filter and a HOB skimmer. I clean my canister once a month during my water change and empty my skimmer collection cup every 2 weeks (literally takes 1 min). I run a lot of bio media and some chemipure in the canister.

Now my nitrate and phosphate are high, but the fish don’t mind. Soft corals would probably do well in this setup, but likely not hard corals (and certainly not Acros).

Bottom line, you can certainly have a great, simple and low tech aquarium. Lots of ways to do it.

 

[GARRIGA]

I've been running a very successful 55 gal frag tank with only a small canister filter no uv light, no skimmer I only clean the pads , replace the carbon and phosphate media every 3 to 4 months , my nitrates are 3 my phosphates are almost undetected the only problem I have is some green hair algea I just added some snails and a tang which should take care of it but my frags sps lps ,soft are all growing and looking great

Bet most claiming not to use a canister have never used a canister. Kept my nitrates under 20 ppm in the 90s. Fish only but was heavily stocked. No clue on phosphates as I didn’t know to test for them then. No algae either but lights sucked and why it was not converted to reef. Was still saving up for VHO and no CUC other than a single red legged hermit who after molting was taken by my snowflake and still no algae. Canister was never cleaned and only opened to replace carbon if water started to yellow. Sometimes best not to disturb and let nature do its thing. Was a slow flow Eheim and as it clogged probably employed denitrification what I’m guessing

 

[Damion123]

Simplicity.

Every one always has an opinion. And everyone thinks their opinion is the right one. They say if you get 10 surgeons in a room trying to solve a problem, you will end up with 11 opinions. I think the tank you got looks super clean. Looking at just a clear box with no pipes or drains in it looks sweet. I think you should just go for it with the canister filter. But just accept that you will have some stuff hanging in the tank. Even if you had a reef ready tank you would still end up with cords for power heads and stuff in the tank.

 

[jmatt]

OP, don't give up. I have run reef tanks on a Fluval 300 canister back in the day. Three chambers: floss, activated carbon and bio-pellets of some sort. Worked fine.

One of the problems in noobs like us asking questions here is that you're taking to guys who have been in the hobby for years and years and invested tons of money and time in complicated high-end gear. That's not an issue -- but understand they view everything from that perspective.

Do it. You're so close. And apparently your options for not doing it are limited re: resale value. And how many people here can say they have a tank with four viewable sides without a hob filter or even an entire panels blacked out?

Okay, so you're gonna have to clean the glass siphon. Big deal. I'm sure you knew going into this there would be regular maintenance.

Do it.

 

[Roatan Reef]

Bet most claiming not to use a canister have never used a canister. Kept my nitrates under 20 ppm in the 90s. Fish only but was heavily stocked. No clue on phosphates as I didn’t know to test for them then. No algae either but lights sucked and why it was not converted to reef. Was still saving up for VHO and no CUC other than a single red legged hermit who after molting was taken by my snowflake and still no algae. Canister was never cleaned and only opened to replace carbon if water started to yellow. Sometimes best not to disturb and let nature do its thing. Was a slow flow Eheim and as it clogged probably employed denitrification what I’m guessing

Yep....my tank is doing its thing now...I was planning on cleaning Cannister Filter this week before we go on vacation, (yes have house sitter) but just tonight...wife and i looked at Tank...and it was Crystal Clear...so, I'll only do a water change, and leave Cannister Filter alone. Maybe clean it in a week or so after we get back.

I have 2 big wavemakers, 2 Sicce Nanos in a 40B, SPS, LPS, Fish, Snails, Starfish, Urchin, Shrimps etc...and tank is awesome now.

Haven't cleaned Cannister in 2 months, and tank is awesome...so why mess around with greatness??

The old heads here are probably thinking about Cannister Filters from 20 years ago...new Cannister Filters ain't ya grandpa's Cannister Filters!

And even when I wait 2-3 months to clean Cannister Filter, it's hardly even dirty, except for the Filter Floss I run..it's amazingly clean.

Nor the same with my Freshwater Tanks...when I skip 3 months...it's all mud and muck!

 

[sesbalders]

Had one for nearly 2 years. Absolute PITA! Never again

 

[Aquariumaddictuk]

The Biomaster 850 I'm looking at has a prefilter section that is very easy to remove and clean which collects most of the gunk in the tank before it enters the main filter area, which I would only fill with biomedia.

Now, people keep saying you have to clean them often, but don't you have to clean filter socks and the protein skimmer every few days? A guy I'm watching on youtube has a very successful tank using just a Biomaster 600 (with the high PPI pre filter foam and biomedia in the main chamber), and an inline algae reactor (Tunze). He says all he does is take out the prefilter and squeeze the gunk out and put the foam back on (every 3-4 days).

The system I'm planning out includes the stronger Biomaster 850, a chaeto reactor on its own pump, and a UV sterilizer on the output on of the Biomaster that can be turned on/off as needed. The lily inlet I'm getting provides both surface skimming and pulls in water from the middle column.

If the prefilters are cleaned regularly why is this not a viable system? At least you don't have to worry about cleaning the filter socks and protein skimmer every few days...

I haven't run one of these personally but cannister filters won't give you the customised experience of a sump.you will want to run carbon or GFO depending on nutrient levels & slotting small bags into the cannister isn't ideal.it also restricts efficiency over a fluidised reactor but I have heard great reviews from people using this filter in freshwater so it may well work for you.you will need to crack it open to add media though which may become a chore

 

[flyingscampi]

I had a cannister filter on my first tank and I cleaned it once a month, it took about an hour.

On my current tank, I clean the sump once a month which also takes an hour. The sump only has a refugium which I don't touch except to occasionally remove some macroalgae, and a coarse sponge in the baffle for the pump chamber. It has no skimmer or sock.

The biggest problem with a cannister filter is that you have no method of nutrient control that a refugium or skimmer provides. Your only option with a cannister filter is to change water. If it's a small tank then that won't be a problem.

 

[GARRIGA]

Yep....my tank is doing its thing now...I was planning on cleaning Cannister Filter this week before we go on vacation, (yes have house sitter) but just tonight...wife and i looked at Tank...and it was Crystal Clear...so, I'll only do a water change, and leave Cannister Filter alone. Maybe clean it in a week or so after we get back.

I have 2 big wavemakers, 2 Sicce Nanos in a 40B, SPS, LPS, Fish, Snails, Starfish, Urchin, Shrimps etc...and tank is awesome now.

Haven't cleaned Cannister in 2 months, and tank is awesome...so why mess around with greatness??

The old heads here are probably thinking about Cannister Filters from 20 years ago...new Cannister Filters ain't ya grandpa's Cannister Filters!

And even when I wait 2-3 months to clean Cannister Filter, it's hardly even dirty, except for the Filter Floss I run..it's amazingly clean.

Nor the same with my Freshwater Tanks...when I skip 3 months...it's all mud and muck!

Consider running the canister without floss or constantly being changed items such as GAC. Can attach an additional canister to handle those functions, run one in series or run a HOB. Leave the main canister to run different size gravel such as matrix (pumice) with a final sponge filter coarse enough not to easily clog but fine enough to prevent internals from exiting to avoid damaging the pump. Carbon dosing or ATS/Fuge can resolve nitrates and phosphates along with lanthanum chloride to fine tune phosphates, if needed. Filter can go six months plus without needing to be opened. 1x turnover good enough. Biological benefits from extended contact time. Wave makers best for tank flow. Actual filtration gets more efficient the slower it goes. WC can be delegated to removing unknowns and replenish some of the lost trace and minor but still need supplements because WC alone won't restore those items. I labor to enjoy my box of life and not for the sake of labor.

 

[jft]

Running Eheim 2217 on Multuple tanks, including reefs, Over 20 years NO problems. Not for everyone bUT this Canister is reliable and easy enough to service. Lasts Forever because tried and true. All aquariums require SERVICE . IF you don t do it then you will have issues. I use sumps too. But I love upflow of these canisters and Lots of chemical media and Biomedia space. All in your Perspective. good luck.

 

[flyingscampi]

Running Eheim 2217 on Multuple tanks, including reefs, Over 20 years NO problems. Not for everyone bUT this Canister is reliable and easy enough to service. Lasts Forever because tried and true. All aquariums require SERVICE . IF you don t do it then you will have issues. I use sumps too. But I love upflow of these canisters and Lots of chemical media and Biomedia space. All in your Perspective. good luck.

I bought a 2317 for a freshwater tank in 1997. Although the heating element packed up some time ago, it is still running on a friend's tank today.

 

[sesbalders]

I had mine on a evo, I found it made the knife edge effect sooooo difficult to manage. I ended up cleaning it out every 3 days to keep any kind of control of levels whatsoever. They may be better on large volume setups but I have my doubts

 

[Sleepingtiger]

Bet most claiming not to use a canister have never used a canister. Kept my nitrates under 20 ppm in the 90s. Fish only but was heavily stocked. No clue on phosphates as I didn’t know to test for them then. No algae either but lights sucked and why it was not converted to reef. Was still saving up for VHO and no CUC other than a single red legged hermit who after molting was taken by my snowflake and still no algae. Canister was never cleaned and only opened to replace carbon if water started to yellow. Sometimes best not to disturb and let nature do its thing. Was a slow flow Eheim and as it clogged probably employed denitrification what I’m guessing

I have used from eheim to fluvals canisters. I ran 2 fx5 and 2 fx6 on my 300g. Once every two weeks, I would clean two and rotate the next two weeks. Talk about a pain. Taking it apart, cleaning the pads, the bio media, the actual canister.

I think if canister filters have a backwash valve similar to pool filters, I might reconsider.

 

[GARRIGA]

I have used from eheim to fluvals canisters. I ran 2 fx5 and 2 fx6 on my 300g. Once every two weeks, I would clean two and rotate the next two weeks. Talk about a pain. Taking it apart, cleaning the pads, the bio media, the actual canister.

I think if canister filters have a backwash valve similar to pool filters, I might reconsider.

Run the canister without floss or other high maintenance items. They will last longer. I use them strictly for biological and they don't need to be squeaky clean. Getting rid of all the mulm is getting rid of bacteria that is breaking down trapped detritus. Can run a prefilter or just run something separate for floss and GAC. My canister ran six months without maintenance. More it clogged the better it was at removing nitrates. Nature isn't clean, either.

 

[Sleepingtiger]

Run the canister without floss or other high maintenance items. They will last longer. I use them strictly for biological and they don't need to be squeaky clean. Getting rid of all the mulm is getting rid of bacteria that is breaking down trapped detritus. Can run a prefilter or just run something separate for floss and GAC. My canister ran six months without maintenance. More it clogged the better it was at removing nitrates. Nature isn't clean, either.

If you only used it as a biological filter, you can technically get away with sand and live rock and not worry about a canister filter.

 

[GARRIGA]

If you only used it as a biological filter, you can technically get away with sand and live rock and not worry about a canister filter.

Sand and live rocks require a sump and no where as efficient as a canister for equivalent space or fact I can take out that canister, if needed. I can run multiple canisters where one sump would take up space as well as eliminate overflows and worry of flooding or the noise associated with sumps. It's not for everyone but some of us rather not deal with the headaches and why my main being designed as an AIO with a closed loop system and various canisters along with Big Blue whole house filters. Going to be quieter, less chance of flooding, minimal maintenance and still allows me to hide equipment such as heaters, dose as needed and refugium in the final compartment before return to tank. It's all in the design but for someone wanting simplicity and lacking the space for a sump then canisters can solve their issues.

BTW, cleaning a canister isn't complicated. Key is shutting flow in and letting some of the water to exit before closing off effluent than shutting pump off as you know already. Makes moving the canister easier with less water weight and no spillis when opened because water internally lower. Those FX makes this even easier with the ability to fully drain, if needed. Although I grasp that can be a hassle bi-weekly tying to service floss and GAC and why adding a second smaller unit solves that problem. HOB an even better option.