Filter placement?

[BabyShark]

I’ve been out the hobby for several years and trying to get myself familiarized again.
I currently have a 3D background and one canister filter. The idea I have seen around is cutting holes in the background and placing the intake on the bottom right next to the heater and cutting another hole on the top left where the outtake will be.
Will this be good placement for flow in my 55 gallon tropical tank? I’m also considering a wavemaker, but not quite sure on the placement.
any feedback or suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[Formulator]

I would ditch the canister filter altogether and get a sump and skimmer. You would need to add an overflow box and drill the holes in the bottom. If you decide to go this route, just do some research on reef tank overflow plumbing. Canister filters are not ideal for reef keeping. People still use them if they are space constrained, but it is not very common anymore. Better off in a freshwater system.

 

[BabyShark]

I would ditch the canister filter altogether and get a sump and skimmer. You would need to add an overflow box and drill the holes in the bottom. If you decide to go this route, just do some research on reef tank overflow plumbing. Canister filters are not ideal for reef keeping. People still use them if they are space constrained, but it is not very common anymore. Better off in a freshwater system.

ah thank you for the info. I forgot to mention this is actually going to be a freshwater tank, I goes it will be fine?

 

[Roatan Reef]

I would ditch the canister filter altogether and get a sump and skimmer. You would need to add an overflow box and drill the holes in the bottom. If you decide to go this route, just do some research on reef tank overflow plumbing. Canister filters are not ideal for reef keeping. People still use them if they are space constrained, but it is not very common anymore. Better off in a freshwater system.

Wrong!!!

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I would ditch the canister filter altogether and get a sump and skimmer. You would need to add an overflow box and drill the holes in the bottom. If you decide to go this route, just do some research on reef tank overflow plumbing. Canister filters are not ideal for reef keeping. People still use them if they are space constrained, but it is not very common anymore. Better off in a freshwater system.

I disagree with that statement... just saying...
But... for the Op's tank a canister filter would not be my first choice.

 

[Roatan Reef]

ah thank you for the info. I forgot to mention this is actually going to be a freshwater tank, I goes it will be fine?

Cannister Filters are great for Freshwater,,they are also pretty good for Saltwater as well. I run CANNISTER in my 125 Freshwater and in my 40GB Saltwater Tank. My Cannister for Saltwater barely even gets that dirty, compared to my Freshwater tank.

 

[BabyShark]

The general consensus seems split. I think I will stick with the canister filter and see how it works. I made a better chart of how I plan on putting together my tank. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Formulator]

I disagree with that statement... just saying...
But... for the Op's tank a canister filter would not be my first choice.

What part do you disagree with. They are definitely not common, so you think they are the ideal filter?

Wrong!!!

That is not very helpful. What part is wrong in your opinion? I simply stated they are not ideal, not that they shouldn’t be used or won’t work. Your telling me a canister is better than other more common filtration methods?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

What part do you disagree with. They are definitely not common, so you think they are the ideal filter?

While yes, they are uncommon in the the reef keeping hobby, that does not mean that they do not have their place. Too many people jump on the bandwagon of discounting a canister filter without ever having used one. Hearsay is a problem in our hobby. "Joes brother who knew a guy that was married to the sister of that one guy that works at that one place on the corner said it didn't work for him, so that's how I know".
Is it the best filter? Depends on the application. One of my best tanks was run off of a canister filter, everything was thriving, my levels where perfect and I cleaned the glass maybe once a month. For that tank, yes, that was the best filtration. Right know the only filter I have running on my tropical 40g SPS tank is a protein skimmer that really is there for gas exchange because I will empty a half filled cup once a month. But I will never say to someone, Nah you don't need any mechanical filtration. On my LPS tank AIO, that tank is so dirty I can't get enough filtration.
Your live rock will become your biological filtration, but you can turn a canister filter into many things.
Think about your canister filter as a denitrifier or turn it into a cryptic sump...
A canister filter is just another form of a reactor chamber if applied properly.

 

[Formulator]

While yes, they are uncommon in the the reef keeping hobby, that does not mean that they do not have their place. Too many people jump on the bandwagon of discounting a canister filter without ever having used one. Hearsay is a problem in our hobby. "Joes brother who knew a guy that was married to the sister of that one guy that works at that one place on the corner said it didn't work for him, so that's how I know".
Is it the best filter? Depends on the application. One of my best tanks was run off of a canister filter, everything was thriving, my levels where perfect and I cleaned the glass maybe once a month. For that tank, yes, that was the best filtration. Right know the only filter I have running on my tropical 40g SPS tank is a protein skimmer that really is there for gas exchange because I will empty a half filled cup once a month. But I will never say to someone, Nah you don't need any mechanical filtration. On my LPS tank AIO, that tank is so dirty I can't get enough filtration.
Your live rock will become your biological filtration, but you can turn a canister filter into many things.
Think about your canister filter as a denitrifier or turn it into a cryptic sump...
A canister filter is just another form of a reactor chamber if applied properly.

I agree with everything you said, but for a new reefer if they have the space and the financial means, wouldn’t you recommend a sump and skimmer before a canister filter if they knew nothing about either one?

 

[Formulator]

The general consensus seems split. I think I will stick with the canister filter and see how it works. I made a better chart of how I plan on putting together my tank. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

I like that you will have the overflow box and drill the bottom so if you decide you want a sump later, you can still use the existing holes.

Regarding the ongoing debate, which I didn’t intend to start, I never meant to say canister filters are not a viable option. Just that they are not typically the first choice for a reef tank setup. If you are not familiar with a sump setup and the flexibility it provides, it would be worthwhile for you to read up on them. I suspect if you stick around the hobby for a while you will wish you had one…

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I agree with everything you said, but for a new reefer if they have the space and the financial means, wouldn’t you recommend a sump and skimmer before a canister filter if they knew nothing about either one?

That is a tough one to answer. Given space and means, gut answer would be yes. But a new reefer can get overwhelmed quickly. So my brain will want to say KISS and help them get their feet wet, get them interested. From there, the process of thinking to create solutions to problems comes into play. "Teach a person to fish, etc."
How many posts do we see on here " my parameters are all good, I have all the right gear, but my corals are dying". Many do not know what their gear does, or when it should be online or off. Someone or an LFS recommend it, so they have it.
Oh, man I am on a soapbox now. Don't mean to be. I apologize to the OP @BabyShark.
People learn from their mistakes, understanding concepts and experiences. That will, in itself lead to success.
Stepping down now...

 

[Roatan Reef]

That is a tough one to answer. Given space and means, gut answer would be yes. But a new reefer can get overwhelmed quickly. So my brain will want to say KISS and help them get their feet wet, get them interested. From there, the process of thinking to create solutions to problems comes into play. "Teach a person to fish, etc."
How many posts do we see on here " my parameters are all good, I have all the right gear, but my corals are dying". Many do not know what their gear does, or when it should be online or off. Someone or an LFS recommend it, so they have it.
Oh, man I am on a soapbox now. Don't mean to be. I apologize to the OP @BabyShark.
People learn from their mistakes, understanding concepts and experiences. That will, in itself lead to success.
Stepping down now...

What part do you disagree with. They are definitely not common, so you think they are the ideal filter?

That is not very helpful. What part is wrong in your opinion? I simply stated they are not ideal, not that they shouldn’t be used or won’t work. Your telling me a canister is better than other more common filtration methods?

While yes, they are uncommon in the the reef keeping hobby, that does not mean that they do not have their place. Too many people jump on the bandwagon of discounting a canister filter without ever having used one. Hearsay is a problem in our hobby. "Joes brother who knew a guy that was married to the sister of that one guy that works at that one place on the corner said it didn't work for him, so that's how I know".
Is it the best filter? Depends on the application. One of my best tanks was run off of a canister filter, everything was thriving, my levels where perfect and I cleaned the glass maybe once a month. For that tank, yes, that was the best filtration. Right know the only filter I have running on my tropical 40g SPS tank is a protein skimmer that really is there for gas exchange because I will empty a half filled cup once a month. But I will never say to someone, Nah you don't need any mechanical filtration. On my LPS tank AIO, that tank is so dirty I can't get enough filtration.
Your live rock will become your biological filtration, but you can turn a canister filter into many things.
Think about your canister filter as a denitrifier or turn it into a cryptic sump...
A canister filter is just another form of a reactor chamber if applied properly.

I like that you will have the overflow box and drill the bottom so if you decide you want a sump later, you can still use the existing holes.

Regarding the ongoing debate, which I didn’t intend to start, I never meant to say canister filters are not a viable option. Just that they are not typically the first choice for a reef tank setup. If you are not familiar with a sump setup and the flexibility it provides, it would be worthwhile for you to read up on them. I suspect if you stick around the hobby for a while you will wish you had one…

My point exactly @TangerineSpeedo

So many people hate on Cannisters here it's absurd, and quite honestly, most have either never used one, or when they did ...the year was 1989 or something.

For me being in Freshwater 1st for over 20 years, I can personally tell anyone how far Cannister Filters have come along. Would I use one a 225 gallon setup? Absolutely not. For a 40GB up to a 75g??? 1000% ... and you all would be surprised at how NOT DIRTY my Cannister Filter is...heck I only change filter media and clean about every 3 months.. let me just tell you all...it's hardly even dirty, compared to the ones I run on my 125 Freshwater tank, those are full of muck.

That's my overall point that you really detailed out. Sometimes people on here have to jump on bandwagons because it seems cool..but folks please don't start a diatribe on here without actual relevant experiences


And you know what??, I'm gonna unplug my Cannister Filter in another month or so for at least a week, just to see what happens ...FAFO, I suppose.

As it is I'm only doing water changes about once a month to once a month and a half

How do you Cannister haters feel about the old heads here who don't run nothing??? No sump, refugium, Cannister, HOB etc, and don't even do many water changes???

 

[Formulator]

My point exactly @TangerineSpeedo

So many people hate on Cannisters here it's absurd, and quite honestly, most have either never used one, or when they did ...the year was 1989 or something.

For me being in Freshwater 1st for over 20 years, I can personally tell anyone how far Cannister Filters have come along. Would I use one a 225 gallon setup? Absolutely not. For a 40GB up to a 75g??? 1000% ... and you all would be surprised at how NOT DIRTY my Cannister Filter is...heck I only change filter media and clean about every 3 months.. let me just tell you all...it's hardly even dirty, compared to the ones I run on my 125 Freshwater tank, those are full of muck.

That's my overall point that you really detailed out. Sometimes people on here have to jump on bandwagons because it seems cool..but folks please don't start a diatribe on here without actual relevant experiences


And you know what??, I'm gonna unplug my Cannister Filter in another month or so for at least a week, just to see what happens ...FAFO, I suppose.

As it is I'm only doing water changes about once a month to once a month and a half

How do you Cannister haters feel about the old heads here who don't run nothing??? No sump, refugium, Cannister, HOB etc, and don't even do many water changes???

I’m not a cannister hater and think I was completely misunderstood. If you re-read my first response that started all this, all I said was “not ideal” and “uncommon”. I did not say they are bad, nor did I suggest it was not a viable means of filtration. A sump offers more flexibility for additional equipment, a place for a fuge, etc, if the OP ever wanted to explore those things in the future.

You make assumptions about my age, and that I would somehow jump out of my skin if I heard about some “old heads” running minimalist systems. I admire them. They are far more experienced than the OP though.

 

[Roatan Reef]

I’m not a cannister hater and think I was completely misunderstood. If you re-read my first response that started all this, all I said was “not ideal” and “uncommon”. I did not say they are bad, nor did I suggest it was not a viable means of filtration. A sump offers more flexibility for additional equipment, a place for a fuge, etc, if the OP ever wanted to explore those things in the future.

You make assumptions about my age, and that I would somehow jump out of my skin if I heard about some “old heads” running minimalist systems. I admire them. They are far more experienced than the OP though.

I agree with you, not trying to assume age of anyone here, it's just becoming common group think to shart on Cannister Filters here, not directed to you per say, it just gets old. Like I said, a starting point 40GB to 75g, Cannister is great, would I do it for a 225g? Absolutely not. That's my point...and lol
..if you didn't already know, @Formulator I am the official legal defense team for Cannister Filters here on @REEF2REEF I literally get pm'd at leat once or twice a week about them...and I genuinely try to help newbies.

That is all!!