why not canister? sand depth

[jaiden]

I've got a 54g bowfront corner I'm setting up, and I've got a couple questions:

I hear a lot of bad things about canister filters doing bio filtration here. Is that just in reference to reef tanks? Or is it really bad to have a FOWLR with a canister? Are nitrates a problem for SW fish (or shrimp, crabs, etc) or just reefs?

I'll be doing 60lb LR (hirocks, cycled with a dead shrimp) to start, and I was thinking my canister would help keep things under control until I can upgrade to a sump/fuge with LS in it...

I am thinking now that I can't do a DSB in the tank because I want blenny's which seem to be a very bad idea with DSB. Is 2" a good depth for a sand bed that will avoid a DSB crash?

As I said, I will probably add a DSB fuge eventually (before I add any coral). I'll hvae to save up for some lighting and "real" live rock before I go to a full reef anyway.

 

[Atari]

There's nothing wrong with canisters. The only reason people tend to not like them is because they need a lot of maintenance to run trouble-free. For those that don't have/want a lot of rock in their tanks, canisters can be a good alternative biofilter. If you have 1-1.5 lbs/gal of rock and good waterflow then you simply don't need one.

Remember a canister can only provide nitrification.. it won't do anything to reduce nitrates so isn't a substitute for a DSB.

In your case, I would skip the canister and buy a prefilter box for the skimmer instead. It will improve the efficiency of the skimmer and also provide a place to keep GAC when needed.

 

[jaiden]

too late

I had already bought the Eheim 2235 and a ton of their ehifsubstrat (or however that's spelled) before I started reading the forum...

With 60lb in a 54g tank (for now) should I keep the thing in the box? I could potentially sell it off... It's too big for a QT (and besides, I have a little duetto from an old FW tank I'm planning to use for a 10g QT).

 

[RocketSeason]

I have a Magnum 350 canaster which I am running Activated Carbon in.

There should be no problems with using this type of filtration. Coupled with natural Live Rock filtration and Protien Skimming, You should be well on your way to a clean, healthy tank.

Just be sure to clean your canaster often rinse your carbon, and replace it at regular intervals. so that you do not get a build up of nasty stuff which could eventually harm your fish.

2" sand bed should be fine if you plan on adding a deep one in your fuge. I have a 3" sand bed in my tank and that is usually considered the minimum.

 

[phases99]

I would save your money on the canister and buy a cheap HOB for GAC or other chemical media. Many experts say for sand bed depth you should use a 1/2" or less or more than 3". Anything in between does not help and could only hurt. If your fuge is at least 25% your main tanks volume than a DSB in there is a good alternative.

 

[seafan]

I'm a newbie, what do you think of a 50gal w/50lbs lr and a dsb, with a remora hang-on (maxi-jet1200) protein skimmer w/pre-filter.

 

[phases99]

I'm a newbie, what do you think of a 50gal w/50lbs lr and a dsb, with a remora hang-on (maxi-jet1200) protein skimmer w/pre-filter.

Sounds like a good start. Just figure out what livestock you want before deciding on the DSB.