Canister Filter With Bio Balls

[nathan]

Hey guys so I had this discussion with a guy today who has a salt water tank. He has a 45 gallon cube. He claims that he has taken his canister filter and removed all the filters out of it and filled with bio balls . So what do all you fine people think of this. Would this act as kind of a sump.... I'm certainly not experienced enough to know what to think about this..... he says it works great but I've got my doubts

 

[Luke.]

I just use a small filstar filter on my 40 gallon with phos media , nitrate remover and 1 black sponge and a cotton white sheet never have an issue in a year and I half and I will be the 1st to admit that I have forgotten a water change here and there and nothing gets effected !

 

[nathan]

So that's not the stock filtration system for that canister... u changed it up

 

[Luke.]

Not at all it did some with pellets I used them and they stopped doing the job so I found a better way !

 

[Luke.]

I still use the plastic holder and everything it came with i never tossed anything other then the pellets , I never had a sump

 

[nathan]

Ok good to know Luke thanks.... I've got dogs and as much as I would like to try a sump they would get into it

 

[jeffopentax]

I've got a canister on my 30g. Just seachem matrix and chemipure blue, nothing else. Still battling gha, but that's been a problem in all 3 sw tanks i've had (with and without sump)!


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[nathan]

How often do you replace the material in side your canister

 

[nathan]

With the gha I find that my sea hair is eating it like crazy.... others have advised against them but they do need to be feed supplement food because the gha doesn't have enough nutrients in it

 

[thehvacman]

I have run tanks using canister filters and no sump with very good results. You dont need a sump. Bio balls do not really offer the proper surface area to grow your bacteria on. I would use some kind of ceramic balls or rock. You can use poly filter pads and a media bag with carbon in the canister as well. Dont be afraid to customize something to work the way you want it to, good luck.

 

[Luke.]

Yup I got a cat too so no sump lol , although I'd always recoment one because it's great for a natural filter but more money sometimes .

 

[AdInfinitum]

In the past I have run many tanks with canisters filled with rock rubble. Bio balls give lots of surface area for aerobic nitrobacter (ammonia to nitrite, nitrite to nitrate) but no deep pores to create anoxic regions for nitrate digestion.

You can do it but to keep nitrates from building up you would have to do your water changes since the system would lack the capacity to complete the cycle. Of course, how clean you need your water depends on what you want to keep...

 

[AdInfinitum]

BTW...three cats, two large sumps, no issues...

 

[Luke.]

BTW...three cats, two large sumps, no issues...

Barb wire ?

 

[thehvacman]

My dog never goes near the water, but she sleeps beside it all day. I think she likes the hum of the pump, or maybe she is just watching it for me while I'm at work That being said I have also run many great tanks just using hang on the back bio wheel filters. I would save the plastic filter frames and make my own replacements with carbon and filter pad, held on with silicone. They really get expensive to buy replacement filters. You have to find a way that works and is economical, so that you will actually change the filters when they are dirty and not try pushing it because they cost alot. Your tank will be so much healthier.

 

[sunnykita]

2 hairy golden retrievers here and 2 cats as well. My sump is in the open right beside the tank, no lid, no hair and the dogs don't bother with it. You'll have much better success with a sump than you will with a canister filter. It can be done with a canister - but you need to stay on top of water changes and changing out the media in the canister. Slack off on either and your water quality will take a dive. Good luck !

 

[Sewerat]

Dogs don't like the taste of salt water anymore then we do. Don't worry about them


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