Canister filter

[Gail]

I don't think my canister filter is powerful enough to pull in the waste in my tank. I have a Marine land Canister filter in my 47 gallon bow front fish tank. Probably a 220, I use a polishing pad, o rings, bio balls, as well as filter foam and filter fiber in the canister. Am I overloading the canister, is there something else I should be using?

 

[Kent2991]

I don't think my canister filter is powerful enough to pull in the waste in my tank. I have a Marine land Canister filter in my 47 gallon bow front fish tank. Probably a 220, I use a polishing pad, o rings, bio balls, as well as filter foam and filter fiber in the canister. Am I overloading the canister, is there something else I should be using?

you could try a curculation pump!

 

[Gail]

I have 2 bubble disks in my tank, wouldn't that help with circulation?

 

[dalto]

A few questions:

• How do you have the intake and outtake of the filter positioned?
• How often do you clean the canister out?
• What, specifically, are you seeing to make you thing the filtration isn't working?

 

[Gail]

Intake on right side, output on left side of tank.

I clean my canister probably every 3 months, I don't have many fish in the tank, silver dollars, a few zebras and some black skirt tetras.

When I clean the tank it doesn't seem like the intake is working, but water is coming out of the outtake so it has to be working. Things floating in the water don't go into the intake.

 

[dalto]

The canister probably doesn't have enough flow to suck debris from all over the tank but anything floating nearby should be sucked in and, in theory, everything should float be eventually.

If nothing is getting sucked in at all then you probably have a flow problem with the canister itself.

Assuming the canister is working properly, what a lot of people do who want more mechanical filtration is add an secondary hob just for mechanical.

 

[TMaier]

I have lots of plants/rocks/wood in my tanks. Lots of obstacles to get stuff over to the intake. I added a 240gph circulation pump low in the tank and it moves everything over that way. I have it on a timer 4-6 hours early in the day.

 

[Kent2991]

i have a cheap circulation pump in the top corner of my tank it runs 24/7 all of the debries are kept in the water coloum until they are sucked into the intake, u could pick one up on ebay for a few dollars and mess around with ut until u find its sweet spot, just my thoughts though im not an expert lol.

 

[Gail]

WOW you guys have great advice. Thanks a million.

gail