Question on Canister Filter.

[Kellie]

Hey guys -- Ive been doing a lot of reading lately and have gotten the feeling that i didnt purchase a very good canister filter. (Fluval 304 - lfs recommendation) Could anyone tell me why it is for sale so much and should i look for another?? i have not had the best of luck with my lfs -- they sold me a bunch of crap 3 years ago when i set up my 30. Hopefully im not going down that road again.

Here is my setup..... I just switched from my 30gal to a 55 gal fowlr (for the moment) -- I have a sea clone biological filter(that was on my 30), my 304 canister filter, a couple phs, all the lr from my 30 (planning on getting lots more), 80 lbs of live aragonite sand (with 160 lbs of SD on the way here next week). I am actually looking to get a skimmer but am having a hard time narrowing one down -- dont know what would be best.... and i keep running into fluvals for sale. Just getting worried that there may be something that i should know about these. I dont know enough about sumps yet to go there so any information on the canister filter that i have would be great.

Thanks a bunch!

Kel

[naesco]

With live rock and sand you do not need a filter. Filters like Fluval are dated technology.
They also contribute to nitrate in your system.

[Kellie]

Thanks for the fast responce!! Is there anything i could do to it to make it more "dated" -- like remodel it????? Im just fishing. :)

Kellie

[jersey]

With that much live rock and sand you can get rid of the biological media and use it as a powerhead.

[Vilas]

As far as more "dated" - I'm not the expert here, but maybe telling you about my 55g reef might show a bit of the average setup today. Systems something like this are quite common around here.
I have 55lbs live rock, a 4" deep sand bed, and a CPR bak-pak skimmer. Not the top of the top skimmer, but it works for me. For circulation, I have 2 maxi-jet 1200 powerheads - about $20 each online.
Recently, I stupidly broke the intake pipe while cleaning the skimmer, it took 2 weeks to replace it. I noticed that the tank didn't seem to notice that it was gone.
These days, people are throwing out any kind of mechanical filtration and relying on natural methods. People will say that your mechanical filtration is a nitrate factory - this is because your filters will trap uneaten food and the like and let it sit there, whereas a deep sand bed, live rock, and algae export make more efficient use of it. That and water changes is really all you need.
You can use the cannister filter if you want, just take all of the media out of it and use it for circulation, maybe a place to run carbon if anything happens. Carbon is sometimes run on my tank in case of some dumb mistake I make, but only for short periods of time - 2-3 days.
You're in the right place for reading up. Don't waste your money on more LFS junk! People here have no financial interest in seeing you buy more unnecessary stuff.
Welcome!

[Kellie]

Thank you guys!! I will run it until my DSB is for sure established and when i am for sure that i have enough live rock. I cant remember how much i had in my 30. I just bought a remora skimmer today -- its a little loud but they said it would be for a couple of weeks. If all works out maybe by december i can take all the gunk out of the canister and use it as a power head. It sure does put out the water. :)

thanks a bunch!!!

Kel

[Chrisrush]

Where in Tx are you? I am in College Station until December, then hopefully I will be moving up to Dallas.

Chris

[Kellie]

I live in Lampasas -- about 40 min north of austin and i think about 1.5 - 2 hours from college station. its a small town so i have to drive awhile to get to a decent lfs. I guess ill be doing a lot of ordering from the internet.

how about you???

kel

[Chrisrush]

Just started to look into reef tanks. I've had a few other fresh water tanks but they were pretty boring. Just kinda looking and reading right now. I probably won't start anything until next year. What are you doing in Lampasas?

Chris

[Kellie]

I do cat scans and ultrasound. I started a 30 gal saltwater about 3 years ago and decided to move up to a 55 about 2 weeks ago. I still have a lot to learn -- i am working on my dsb and i have to collect the live rock a piece at a time because of how much they cost. I thought about driving down to that gulf place everyone talks about and bringing home some good stuff that i dont have to worry about recuring. I think the way my luck is that i would kill the live rock while i tried to cure it again. uugh. so i wont try that until i am brave enough. :)

Are you going to college there??

kel

[Chrisrush]

Yea, I graduate in December. I was thinking of going down to the coast once I start looking for LR. I have a 44+ tank but I think that I want to sell that and get a 75 or 110. But we will see. Everything is very expensive, especially the lights. Hopefully, I will be able to build most everything myself.

Chris