To cannister or not to cannister...

[HoCkEyGmC]

some of you may know that i am starting an aggressive 55g tank. and that i am using the "outdated" HANDY reef thing. its an updated version of this: The One, the Only, HANDY Coral Reef!
now i wouldnt be asking this if i was just doin a normal fowlr, but im doing the aggressive style with a few "messy eaters". (full stock list: snowflake eel, fuzzy dwarf lion, 1-2 ysm clowns, and a coral beauty). i am planning on getting a bunch of lr and two #3 koriala pumps at opposite ends of the tank hopefully pointing at the lr. so yeah, im really not sure what im going to do about the rest of the filtration so im lookin for other opinions. or even if its not a cannister any other type of filtration reccomended would be appreciated. (sump is out of the question at this point). and if you suggest a cannister, what type.
Thanks evry1 soooo much! without you guys i would be wayyyyyy lost in this hobby and have killed many creatures.
Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CaptainAhab]

Canister ... and let the branding wars begin.....

Big fan of Fluval here. You can get a 404 on ebay for $85 shipped (older model but you can't beat the price). Super quiet work horse. I have 2. One on my FW for filtration, one on my SW (with LR) for flow and media

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

thanks captin! i was leaning towards getting a 404 or 403, and for around double the price, wooowww. thanks! still looking for more opinions!
Thanks!

 

[melosu58]

Not canister. Skimmer and LR is all you need for proper filtration. I guess if you want extra filtration or need to use carbon then it would be OK. Not disagreeing with the captain. He brings up some good points.

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

thanks! i was just wondering if a skimmer wouldnt be good enough for the potential larger chunks of food left behind by the lion or eel. any specific cheaper brands? i know you get what you pay for in skimmers but i dont have a whole lot of spare cash on my hands at the moment. the only thing that is making this project possible has been spare cash and time. and a lot of help from my dad. lr could be a problem but i recently recieved a rather hefty gift certificate to live aquaria so im good there. im thinking some of the foundation and some of the fiji fancy branch. also on a random note, does anybody know if i can use a live aquaria gift certificate at f&s or vise versa?
Thanks a bundle!

 

[Innovator]

I'm on the fence. Your aggressive tank isn't necessarily overbearing so with regular maintenance and water changes a proper protein skimmer with live rock would do the trick. I do like being able to add additional water flow and chemical media/filter pads in a canister even if they do annoy the heck out of me. Go to an lfs or mainstream retail store and look at your canister options so you know what you like/dislike about each. Pay close attention to how easy it would be for you to maintenance (this goes a long way).

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

my lfs is limited to fluval sadly and pet stores are limited to power filters. sadly. i have a lack of variety. im pretty much limited to what i see online at the moment. any good hob skimmers that you would reccomend? hopefully something on the cheaper side. i know my criteria for this is bad but thats why im here not tryn to do all this on my own =].
thanks!

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

well ive been looking at a few protine skimmers and i wanna see what u guys think about these cuz i havnt been getting much feedback on models. the vsi jet (cheapo i kno but im a noob to skimmers so i want any opinions.) or the prizm skimmer? (under rated for gallons but just wonderin) opinions?

 

[Copepod]

I just bought the H.O.T Magnum from F&S basically to run carbon....easy to use, but you have to dump the carbon in...couldn't fit the bag of Chemi-pure in whole..but it is a good little basic filter.

I have the Aqua C Remora Skimmer and the CPR Backpak 2R...the Remora gets a lot more skim.

Hope this helps.


Curly

The old standby Emperor 280 is a super filter...and you can put different stuff in their cartridges...I still use mine when it wants to work..

 

[roka64]

I have a fluvial 304 on my 55 and a fluvial FX5 on my 125.....no skimmers for me.

 

[CaptainAhab]

Octopus skimmer... great value, great product. Swear by em

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

well as of rite now, canister leads in the polls. canister is also leading in my mind at the moment aswell. if there was a good protine skimmer that was under $100 id be on it but $100 is the absolute max at the moment. i have money put aside for everything but the extra filtration. sorry to all of those that think otherwise but without another suggestion the 404 off of ebay is my best option for mt price range.
Thinks for all of the imput and for now my mind is still open to new ideas.
Thanks!

 

[nanoluvr]

canisters are no bueno for saltwater...they don't allow enough oxygen into the water because they are enclosed. canisters are best for freshwater in my opinion.

 

[roka64]

I think they work great. Like James says, they are great for adding media and additional flow. Remember, the O2 exchange happens as the surface in SW, due to water ripple.

 

[nanoluvr]

Yes...the O2 exchange does happen at the surface, and only at the surface...my problem is, do you think that's enough time for proper oxygenation? that short, ripply drop down into the tank?

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

thats not going to be the only flow for the whole tank if thats what you mean? im also contemplating using a small hob (along with the cannister) devoted to purigen. it came with the tank so why not rite?
thanks!

 

[brutus]

canister filters are great for mechanical ...you already have the live rock for bio and looks good too.

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

ok so now the plans are the fluval 404 and the hob w/ purigen. sound ok?

 

[melosu58]

I know several SW folks that have them. I dont have one but like I said I know many that do.

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

and i just now realize that its spelled "canister"...