Cannister Filter FOWLR setup question

[Saratj1]

I have a Rena XP4 cannister filter on my 47g column tank that is currently a fish only with live rock that I'm going to go to reef when the tank gets more mature and I get further into the hobby.
M y question is should I fill the baskets with live rock rubble in the cannister filter or use bio balls or both or ? other stuff. The cannister filter has 4 decent sized baskets for filter media. I currently have the first (top) filled with cut to size cloth-like material, the 2nd is filled with bio media that are small round stones (came with an ehiem cannister filter), the third is filled with bio balls, and the fourth is filled with black plastic sponge type filter media.

Any tips for adjusting my filter media to better suit my tanks needs?
I have plenty of room for media in this cannister lol.

 

[carey]

When i was running a canister on my 55g I was using just biomedia and ocassionally carbon or gfo. With a canister you really have to be up on the cleaning of it or it will affect your water parameters. I don't think you want the bioballs in there, too many places to capture particles. The filter pad is a good idea too, it can catch some larger pieces of debris before they hit the other trays.

 

[MDChurch]

I am running a rena xp3 on my 20gal. long, I keep foam pad in bottom, bag of chemipure elite also in bottom, middle basket gfo, top basket full of filter floss to catch fines missed elsewhere. I do water changes 2 times per week and on the 2nd change of the week everything in the canister gets rinsed off in water that I have taken out of the tank. Seems to workout great.