What Canister Filter for a 75 gallon ?

[mh0ward]

I have a 21gal lagoon and ran an Oase Biomaster Thermo for a while. I liked it at first. Not having the heater in the display was nice… but it eventually got way too noisy for me and I could never get it to quit “burping”. Yes, I tried tilting the canister, removing the pre-filter sponges, using silicone grease on all the seals/gaskets, etc. nothing would resolve it, so I switch to a UNS Delta canister with the adjustable ball valves. That filter has been MUCH quieter and has been easier to clean (at least for me).

 

[Evil1]

Hi what flow rate should I be looking for on a 75 gallon aquarium ? Please stay on topic I am not interested in comments like “don’t get a canister filter” or “they are so much work” just need help with flow rate. Thank you

Great filter I use on my 65 mixed reef I’d suggest the 600

 

[Idech]

I was watching BRSTv and saw the new SICCE mega filtra canister filter I was looking into those but my main concern is being quiet.

I was into freshwater for a very long time and had canister filters for 15-20 years and let me tell you, even though the Fluval 407 is one of the quietest on the market, there is no comparison with a well planned and adjusted sump with a DC return pump.

I know you’re looking for a canister, but if quiet is your goal, maybe reconsider a sump.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

I use a Fluval 207 for my 36 gallon tank. Mine is very quiet. I packed it with rock rubble and it didn't affect flow all that much. (This is still a trial for me, so I'm not recommending it necessarily, but I'm happy so far). I do wish I went with a larger model, maybe the 307, even though the 207 is sized for my tank. I'd get the biggest model that will fit where you wish to place it. You'll appreciate the extra internal volume.

 

[mcarroll]

I'm a fan of canister filters (I remember my set of Magnum 350's very fondly), but unless it's a fish only tank (not FOWLR) I really only understand using one if you're using them as big, external powerheads that add water volume to a small system. I get that – it could even help with stability when used in a small tank like that.

But reef tanks work differently than fish tanks. So in general it make a lot more sense to do them either as AIO or with a sump....a protein skimmer is really the only filtration needed. Traditional "3 stage filtration" just eats coral food – partiulate and dissolved – and makes work while really doing nothing for the reef.

 

[Bear22]

I'm a fan of canister filters (I remember my set of Magnum 350's very fondly), but unless it's a fish only tank (not FOWLR) I really only understand using one if you're using them as big, external powerheads that add water volume to a small system. I get that – it could even help with stability when used in a small tank like that.

But reef tanks work differently than fish tanks. So in general it make a lot more sense to do them either as AIO or with a sump....a protein skimmer is really the only filtration needed. Traditional "3 stage filtration" just eats coral food – partiulate and dissolved – and makes work while really doing nothing for the reef.

How does a canister filter "eat" coral food? And how does a canister filter "make" work?

 

[mcarroll]

How does a canister filter "eat" coral food? And how does a canister filter "make" work?

Detritus and dissolved nutrients are all coral/reef food.

Once the filters do their thing, they need periodic maintenance when any of the 3 stages are exhausted from removing all that reef food.

 

[Bear22]

Detritus and dissolved nutrients are all coral/reef food.

Once the filters do their thing, they need periodic maintenance when any of the 3 stages are exhausted from removing all that reef food.

Some of the most amazing show room looking SPS tanks I've ever seen were run entirely off a canister system. Amazing how that canister filter "did nothing" for those poor SPS, huh?

And what are you referring to by "3 stages"?

I NEVER clean the primary filter of my OASE nor do I clean the primary bio-media of the filter. That defeats the purpose of bacteria/biome that a properly equipped filter does for the user.

 

[mcarroll]

I already explained what I meant, but I guess it bears restating since it's fundamentals.

Reefs use detritus and dissolved nutrients as "food". Recycling these nutrients within the reef is arguably a reefs main speciality,

Filters (including canisters) are meant to remove this "food" from the water and from the tank.

Fish tanks need filters. Reefs ARE filters.

 

[Kerrius Reef]

I have an Oase on my 20 gallon Nano. I highly recommend one. It's at least as quiet as any Eheim I've ever owned. Personally, I'd go minimum 350 (or bigger) if your cabinet can accommodate it. Canister filter flows are rated without media, so cut the flow rate in half with whatever they advertise.

Just a head's up: any minute now the "I've never ran a canister filter, but I am an expert on canister filters" police are going to chime in despite your request to the contrary. These people can't help themselves.

Second, someone is also going to suggest filling the trays with live rock. My suggestion, don't. You want maximum surface area that tumbles in the trays. Oase already did this for you with their proprietary media that comes with every canister filter they sell.

I was into freshwater for a very long time and had canister filters for 15-20 years and let me tell you, even though the Fluval 407 is one of the quietest on the market, there is no comparison with a well planned and adjusted sump with a DC return pump.

I know you’re looking for a canister, but if quiet is your goal, maybe reconsider a sump.

No sump

 

[Kerrius Reef]

I have a 21gal lagoon and ran an Oase Biomaster Thermo for a while. I liked it at first. Not having the heater in the display was nice… but it eventually got way too noisy for me and I could never get it to quit “burping”. Yes, I tried tilting the canister, removing the pre-filter sponges, using silicone grease on all the seals/gaskets, etc. nothing would resolve it, so I switch to a UNS Delta canister with the adjustable ball valves. That filter has been MUCH quieter and has been easier to clean (at least for me).

Thank you for posting your experience with the oase and now the uns.

 

[schooncw]

The only canister I would consider is Eheim. Silent, no leaks; I prob have working Eheim's that are older than many on R2R. I would not run just one filter on a closed loop system.

 

[Nano_Man]

Ehiem all day long. Well built easily to usé and very reliable

 

[IceNein]

I already explained what I meant, but I guess it bears restating since it's fundamentals.

Reefs use detritus and dissolved nutrients as "food". Recycling these nutrients within the reef is arguably a reefs main speciality,

Filters (including canisters) are meant to remove this "food" from the water and from the tank.

Fish tanks need filters. Reefs ARE filters.

I'm not sure I'm buying your overly simplified logic.

Yes, it is true that fish waste and plankton (zoo and phyto) are reef food. But our "reefs" are much much more densely packed. You will see nutrient levels in a reef tank that are well above what you see in nature.

I mean, this is why people run turf scrubbers, algae reactors, and refugia. To remove unwanted waste.

In a real reef environment, the reef is situated in a bulk water flow, where fresh (salt) water from the deep ocean washes into the reef, and at the other end, more nutrient rich water is pushed away from the reef. So not all the nutrients stay there in that environment.

So this simple insistence that removing waste, because corals "eat" waste, seems overly reductive to me.

None of this is an argument for or against canister filters on my part.