Do i need to run my canister?

[Saltwater newbie]

hey guys i finally got my sump for my tank its a 55 gallon sump , on a 150 gallon tank, the refrigium has 20lbs of live sand and 15 lbs of live rock. it has 3 cylinders inside that have Activated carbon,denitrate,and phosguard. i also have my 125 coralife skimmer, and a 15 watt and 8 watt uv sterlizers in it. i have two overflow boxes in the tank and two returns too the tank. it has crates inside the sump but im not sure how to put the bio balls in without them floating all around the sump so I dont have any in the sump. I have filter pads right underneath the spouts that bring water into the tank. also 165 lbs of live rock in the tank.

So my question is do I need to run my rena xp 4 canister filter? as of right now I have the canister filter still hooked up. I'll keep it hooked up if i should but its kinda of a pain to maintence and it blows micro bubbles in every 5 mins or so., also are the bioballs a must for the sump and if so any suggestions for how to set them up.

[mgamer20o0]

if its blowing bubbles the hose might be cracked putting tape on the connections would help or they are not fully on right.

[HN1]

With that much live rock, you're fine without the canister as long as the tank is cycled. The skimmer and rock should be all you need. The bio balls and filter pads can create more bad than good. Also, your skimmer may be a bit small for that system depending on the load.

[Saltwater newbie]

Hn1 could you explain how they bio balls and pads can cause problems , im fairly new to saltwater and want to make sure i dont make any big mistakes.

[Lonewolfblue]

Originally Posted by mgamer20o0

if its blowing bubbles the hose might be cracked putting tape on the connections would help or they are not fully on right.

I had a small period where my XP3 was blowing bubbles, and it wasn't in the hose or connections. Mine was in the seal around the cover where it clamps down, the seal was pulled loose. But it wasn't damaged, so I was able to use a butter knife and set the seal back in where it was supposed to be, and that took care of the bubbles.

As stated above, I also don't think you need to run it, but if you feel you do, what about running it in the sump rather than the tank itself? Just use it as added mechanical filtering where the water comes into the sump from the tank.

[HN1]

Originally Posted by Saltwater newbie

Hn1 could you explain how they bio balls and pads can cause problems , im fairly new to saltwater and want to make sure i dont make any big mistakes.

They are "Nitrate sponges". They trap material very well and end up up collecting the end result. Live rock and a skimmer is way much more efficient.

[Saltwater newbie]

I put new filter pads in every week, is that okay? should I just pull out the bio balls, and what is the benefit of bio balls?

[Lonewolfblue]

Well, it's not just the pads that collect all the crud. It can build up in the biomedia as well, and that's what can cause the nitrates to go up. You could use live rock rubble in the filter. But it needs cleaning often.