Can someone explain to me why canister filter works wonders for freshwater but not so much for saltwater?

[Aiptaisia anemone]

I think theyre just not popular cuz of salt creep and cleaning them is kinda hard

 

[Cichlid Dad]

For me it's not necessary in a reef tank. Your rock is the biological filtration. I don't run socks so no mechanical filtration except for a protein skimmer. My sump is a 40 breeder with just a return chamber. The rest is a refugium and the skimmer on a stand. I have clear water and everything is low tech easy maintenance. If I were to run with out a sump, I would only run a hob skimmer and refugium nothing else

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Take away a canister or hob from a FW tank and how do you filter the water? Its the only way

On a SW tank, you can add or not add it, there are so many options. Once you list the options and go through the pro's and con's of each, the canister will be low on the list. Its still viable, but there are other 'better' options.

 

[Doctorgori]

West of the Bering Sea they are called reindeer, east: Caribou. … Janitors make more $ than custodians and if canister filters are called “reactors” you can now both charge more and use for saltwater…

 

[GARRIGA]

Not all reef the same therefore some points worth noting.

Dry rock lacks the porosity of old school live rock therefore square inch for square inch the biological filtration capacity may differ and adding a canister full of pumice for example might help. Noticed I didn't mention pounds because dry rock more dense per cubic foot therefore adding more weight doesn't equate to more biological surface area.

All filters can have pre-filters added requiring less maintenance. Think of a sock for you tub.

O Rings easy enough to lube and cheap enough change as needed. Not likely going to leak more than any other equipment needing service such as that so called reef only expensive acrylic reactor.

Not all run skimmers which means added biological helps.

Nothing more efficient at capturing detritus and processing chemical waste as a well designed canister because of little to no bypass. That bag of GAC in the sump corner not likely doing much.

Although corals will filter the water, not all start with a mature tank full of waste removing inverts. Added biological helps.

Outflow can be utilized to increase flow at the surface to breakup proteins and help with gas exchange and avoid eddies that trap accumulated waste.

Next chapter... Undergravel filters

 

[everpresentnoob]

Next chapter... Undergravel filters

Wait... we can use Undergravel filters??? lol

 

[Freenow54]

I run a fluval on my 40 also a hang off the back skimmer. I cannot remember everything I put in the canister charcoal, ammonia remover,phosphate remover, obviously media. Since I cleaned and reloaded,and changed to one different thing which is what I can't remember. I have not had to clean algae off the glass in 3 months. Coralie algae is growing for the first time in about30 years

 

[McPuff]

Having done some large fish displays that were 4ft front to back a NuClear canister with the 25 micron filter and a lot of carbon really polished the water well and made the fish look like they were floating.

They ARE floating! I had to.

 

[FUNGI]

Wait... we can use Undergravel filters??? lol

I love UGF especially with a powerhead.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Wait... we can use Undergravel filters??? lol

Talk with @Paul B

 

[GARRIGA]

Adding some fuel to the fire, my intentions are to build my main on a closed loop system with canister drawing water through AIO baffles at the surface as traditionally done along with having plates on the bottom and having the bottom drilled to also draw water. Manifolds will control flow so that bottom draw is less than top unless during maintenance where I shut off the top and open wide the bottom while stirring the gravel to draw all detritus into the canisters for decomposition. Easy Peasy and less effort means for me more often done.

Post canisters filtration where detritus will fully decompose, and any chemical filtration added the flow will be diverted from underneath to one of the AIO compartments where final polish will occur with macroalgae. Occasional dosing of peroxide and ozone along with UVC to periodically sterilize a portion of the water.

To best utilize space, planning on either adding a cryptic zone to one of the canisters and/or utilizing the bottom of that sump thereby only needing to light the upper layers. Water will then return to the display via the same weir structure used to draw water. Key is simplicity, reduce maintenance and aesthetically pleasing via symmetry and eliminating all obstructions from display view. Might even restrict my coral selection to that which can handle the flow provided via the closed loop therefore only needing two external pumps to service.

All being tested once I finally erect my test tank again. Theoretically speaking, see no reason this wouldn't work and the biggest unknown being how to direct the flow to reduce the need for wavemakers. Think of a display where water empties on one side then returns in the other like how water flows on a reef vs the need for several wavemakers front to back on a long tank since going side to side means corals closets getting the bulk of the flow vs just moving water which means all occupants exposed to the same flow. Never been a fan of water sloughing around and believe this may often lead to tank seem failures. KISS

One consideration is having the baffles on each end such as a double ended peninsula where one draws and the other returns and now instead of top draw and return could add slits top, middle and bottom to better drive the flow and capture detritus along with my bottom drilled plate for ease of maintenance. Be great if I could automate the baffles to draw water from underneath at a higher flow at night thereby possibly assisting with trapping free swimming pathogen and at that time dose ozone into UVC which will help reduce pathogen load allowing immunity to build and protect as it does in nature. Reality being no matter what steps I take to isolate and inoculate new additions there's always the possibly one snail introduces that not wanted. Pound of prevention being my focus vs assuming full eradication.

I've gotten too old to clean socks or skimmer necks and life better spent observing my swimming art along with diving the local reefs and fishing them. Priorities matter.

Any and critique and suggestions welcomed. At some point I should just make this a build although still a few years out.

 

[FUNGI]

This won't work unless the canister is below water level. Canisters are gravity fed....excuse the wording, but they "blow" versus "suck"....

 

[GARRIGA]

This won't work unless the canister is below water level. Canisters are gravity fed....excuse the wording, but they "blow" versus "suck"....

Who are you responding to?

 

[FUNGI]

To you sir......
"Adding some fuel to the fire, my intentions are to build my main on a closed loop system with canister drawing water through AIO baffles at the surface........"

 

[FishTruck]

Canisters are fine... they just aren't very fun to clean out - in my opinion. And, obviously, you don't have the options to swap in and out other stuff like skimmers, heaters, carbon, GFO, refugiums, etc.. - as easily as you can with a sump.

If you have a can already... I say go for it and use it.

 

[GARRIGA]

To you sir......
"Adding some fuel to the fire, my intentions are to build my main on a closed loop system with canister drawing water through AIO baffles at the surface........"

Canisters are underneath. Baffles just how water is drawn from the display. Ran my fist canister in the 90s.

 

[FUNGI]

Canisters are fine... they just aren't very fun to clean out - in my opinion. And, obviously, you don't have the options to swap in and out other stuff like skimmers, heaters, carbon, GFO, refugiums, etc.. - as easily as you can with a sump.

If you have a can already... I say go for it and use it.

Thats true.....but just FWIW, newer canisters have built in heaters and UV's now...

 

[FishTruck]

Thats true.....but just FWIW, newer canisters have built in heaters and UV's now...

What??? Next will tell me that there is artificial intelligence and phones that can give you directions!