Canister Filters? Will too much Filtration turn into a bad thing?

smorrical24

New Member
I am a new hobbyist and have done a lot of research. My husband surprised me with a 30 Gal fish tank and stand and we are using it for our first saltwater fish tank. I currently have a power filter that hangs on the back of the tank it is doing a pretty good job now I know I will have to upgrade to a canister filter. Foster and Smiths website has this Canister filter with UV sanitizer for $108 and it can filter a tank up to 100 gal. If I used this filter for my little 30 gal is that too much of a good thing? I will eventually upgrade to a bigger tank the more comfortable I get with this hobby. Let me know what you guys think!

Savannah
 

flower

Well-Known Member

Welcome to the site!
I use caniste filters, I can keep LPS and soft corals, nitrates have become a problem so SPS corals needs a better filter. The UV is a waste of your money. It kills the good critters too unless you turn it off at night, and attached to your filter you can't do that.
The larger canisters just hold more media and have larger input/output pipes..too big for your 30g unless you cut the pipes down. Going larger is always best, but no need to go that big...try a Fluval for a 60g...look into skimmers too, they pull out yuck you can't even test for.
 

smorrical24

New Member
Alright I will look into it! I have read about protien skimmer and I still dont understand exactly what they do... Maybe I have to reread those chapters is their a band you like? I currently have two false percula clownfish! It is their fourth day in their new home and they are eatting and a hoot to watch! I am closely monitoring the pH, ammonia, nitrite and Nitrate levels. In four to six weeks if all goes well I would like to add another fish. With nice filter how many fish do you think I would have in the 30 gal?
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMorrical24 http:///forum/thread/382043/canister-filters-will-too-much-filtration-turn-into-a-bad-thing#post_3331607
Alright I will look into it! I have read about protien skimmer and I still dont understand exactly what they do... Maybe I have to reread those chapters is their a band you like? I currently have two false percula clownfish! It is their fourth day in their new home and they are eatting and a hoot to watch! I am closely monitoring the pH, ammonia, nitrite and Nitrate levels. In four to six weeks if all goes well I would like to add another fish. With nice filter how many fish do you think I would have in the 30 gal?

Depends on the fish...Saltwater fish are so territorial, I wouldn't add but maybe two more small guys..a dottyback or a dwarf angel..along those lines. Stay away from damsels, they are pretty but very mean and even bite you later on, and you can't put your hand in th tank.
I have a 30g long that I plan to set up soon myself. I will keep it in my office/bedroom..the 90g reef is in my living room. The dottyback and dwarf angel are on my stock list. I have two Perc clowns in the 90g already.
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
You have to remember filtration is predicated on bio load, so you really can’t over filter a tank. A filtration system good for 100g will only filter what your 30g feeds it
 

smorrical24

New Member
Nice! a 90g reef sounds amazing! I was looking into a Sharp nosed (Toby) Blue spotted puffer fish. It says he is suitable for a fish only tank and they are moderately tempered they get 2 inches long and will be okay in a 20 gal tank. Do you think it would be a okay tank mate for the clowns?
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMorrical24 http:///forum/thread/382043/canister-filters-will-too-much-filtration-turn-into-a-bad-thing#post_3331616
Nice! a 90g reef sounds amazing! I was looking into a Sharp nosed (Toby) Blue spotted puffer fish. It says he is suitable for a fish only any and they are moderately tempered they get 2 inches long and will be okay in a 20 gal tank. Do you think it would be a okay tank mate for the clowns?

I never had a puffer, so I really don't know. Clowns pick a corner and kind of stay there. So if the puffer likes to protect his space the clowns are not a threat. I got into saltwater tanks for the color and puffers are cool looking but kind of ugly, so they don't apeal to me..... it's a great hobby and there is enough fish in the ocean for everyone to enjoy, no matter thier tastes!
Cranberry likes scorpion fish and frog fish...they put the UG in ugly..LOL
 

smorrical24

New Member
So you guys wouldnt get a uv sanitizer if it was build in on the canister filter? If they kill the good bacteria too, then why would anyone use them?
 

foxface88

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMorrical24 http:///forum/thread/382043/canister-filters-will-too-much-filtration-turn-into-a-bad-thing#post_3331623
So you guys wouldnt get a uv sanitizer if it was build in on the canister filter? If they kill the good bacteria too, then why would anyone use them?
UV sterilizers kill the algae bacteria and are supposed to cut down on algae growth, ive heard they dont work as well as you think they would. I dont use one. Its the first time ive heard they kill good bacteria im still a noob tho so its no surprise ive never heard that... lol. I used a Rena XP2 on my 40gal. and added a sump recently and didnt hook the Rena back up to it its amazing how many small particles i can see floating around the tank without it hooked up. They really make your water crystal clear. I heard somewhere that they can add nitrates to your tank if you dont clean them everyweek. Would be intresting to find out what others have to say about that.
P.S. Welcome to the wonderful world of Saltwater aquariums!
 

foxface88

Member
Its another way to filter your tank, I made mine myself out of a smaller 10gal tank. They have a few different purposes like, add water volume, become a place to put all your heaters, canister filter, chillers, protein skimmers, etc. The water basically flows into the sump tank where its skimmed and flows across the refugium section where i have my chaeto (plant that absorbs nitrates) then is pumped back up into the DT (display tank).
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMorrical24 http:///forum/thread/382043/canister-filters-will-too-much-filtration-turn-into-a-bad-thing#post_3331636
Sorry if this is a dump question but what is a SUMP?

I have some errends to run, I will do my best to explain.
A sump is a divided tank under your stand, it holds your skimmer, heater, and anything else unsightly. water flows from the top display tank goes into one of the chambers with a skimmer. This cleans the tank water..there are usually tree baffles (dividers) inches apart, the water flows over the first, under the second and back over the third and into the next chamber. This gets out microbubbles..the next chamber as a rule holds the refugium. This chamber is a quiet place where tiny critters that are good for your tank can breed undisturbed or eaten up...as water flows over them it picks up some and trasports them through the next group of baffles leading to the return pump that sends the clean, critter friendly water back to your display tank.
It is a filter system, you can add media as needed, add new tank water for top offs, and do your water changes at ground level..I have neverhad one, I have some really nice folks on this site building me one...I can't hardly wait
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMorrical24 http:///forum/thread/382043/canister-filters-will-too-much-filtration-turn-into-a-bad-thing#post_3331642
Are you able to hide the sump tank?

Absolutely, that is the beauty of a sump tank. It goes under the wooden stand. On my 30g I have an old metal stand (2 30g stack)... I plan to make a skirt to go around it and hide the 30g sump I want under it. It is in my bedroom so I can get away with it. I don't think that would look too good in a living room.
A sump is louder than the silent running canisters, however it is easier to keep up and should lower nitrates...the reason I am switching is I want SPS corals and the canister hoards nitrates. Nitrates affect inverts and coral..fish don't care. Under 40 os okay for inverts and my canister keeps nitrates at 20 no matter what I do..
 

florida joe

Well-Known Member
from the web in reference to UV
Ultraviolet sterilizers and ozonizers can be valuable assets. They may hurt more than help, depending on when and how they're used. In our opinion, both types of devices are often misused or abused, sometimes to the detriment of the natural ecology and biochemical processes in aquaria.
Ultraviolet sterilizers are used to control populations of undesirable microscopic life in an aquarium. If used properly, they may reduce the chances of fish becoming infected by viruses, bacteria, and some species of protozoa. They can also help to control algae growth by destroying water borne algal spores and micro-algae. As the water passes through a UV sterilizer, it is bombarded with ultraviolet radiation at a specific wavelength (approximately 2537 angstroms) via a mercury vapor lamp which destroys genetic material in the nucleus of microorganisms.
Several factors influence how well an UV sterilizer works. One is the wattage of the lamp used in the sterilizer. Another is the amount of time that water passing through the device is exposed to radiation, called the "dwell" or "contact" time. A third factor is the "turnover" of the entire volume of water to be sterilized. Sterilizers must therefore be properly-sized for the aquarium and for the flow-rate of water passing through them.
Because the effectiveness of a sterilizer is affected by how well the UV light penetrates water in the unit, turbidity of the water is another factor affecting performance. Water passing through the UV sterilizer should be clean and clear. Many UV sterilizers use a quartz sleeve to ensure the bulb operates at the correct temperature and to protect the lamp. Ultraviolet light is a catalyst in many chemical reactions and minerals will tend to collect on the sleeve. This sleeve (or the lamp itself in non-quartz-sleeve units) must be kept clean or UV light will not penetrate the water passing through the device.
Lamp age also affects performance. The bulbs should be changed approximately every 6 to 8 months depending on the model of sterilizer and the lamp type used. Unfortunately, we have seen sterilizers used in many applications that did not apply any of these factors correctly, resulting in ineffective low levels of radiation dosage.
One fact that is also often over-looked is that the lamp inside an ultraviolet sterilizer gets quite warm during operation. We've seen over-sized UV sterilizers in use on some aquariums. While the sterilizers in these situations may have been doing their job, those aquaria not equipped with a chiller exhibited very high temperatures due to the additional heat produced by the UV sterilizer lamp(s). In nearly all of these cases, the higher water temperatures seemed to cause fish to exhibit signs of stress which led to disease factors anyway.
Another danger of using a sterilizer that is too large for a given application is that it may kill many beneficial microbes or have a negative affect on larvae of of desirable organisms, particularly in reef aquaria, which leads us to our next subject. The use of ultraviolet sterilization in reef aquaria is a controversial topic. Many opponents to the use of UV in reef tanks say that it lowers the population of marine copepods, amphipods and Mysid Crustacea as well as many other microorganisms which serve as natural foods for Cnidarians and other filter-feeding sessile invertebrates, and also contribute to the overall ecology in live coral reef aquaria. Folks in favor of UV use in reef aquaria say that the control of parasites in an environment where most medications cannot be used far outweighs the drawback that it reduces populations of desirable microorganisms.
 

d-man

Member
I'm still working on my grasp of how things work with all this, but I suggest you look into the difference between mechanical and biological filtration. If I could sum it up for the most part (not really an easy thing to do in my opinion and I'm sure some one else can to a lot better) I would say that mechanical works by tanking bad stuff out of your tank while biological works by turning bad stuff into good stuff inside your tank.
 

gemmy

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by d-man http:///forum/thread/382043/canister-filters-will-too-much-filtration-turn-into-a-bad-thing#post_3331989
I'm still working on my grasp of how things work with all this, but I suggest you look into the difference between mechanical and biological filtration. If I could sum it up for the most part (not really an easy thing to do in my opinion and I'm sure some one else can to a lot better) I would say that mechanical works by tanking bad stuff out of your tank while biological works by turning bad stuff into good stuff inside your tank.
Mechanical filtration removes particulate matter suspended in the water column. In a canister filter it is the sponge, HOB either the filter cartridge or sponge, and in other setups it is the protein skimmer. Biological filtration is the cultivation of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. The bacteria is an essential part of any aquarium whether it be fresh or salt. The bacteria helps to process
waste in the aquarium in the biological cycle. There is also chemical filtration which is what the name states adding chemicals to aid in the filtration process. Commonly, the chemical added is carbon.
 

Jesterrace

Active Member
I guess it's just me but I don't get the purpose of a canister filter. Very expensive, of all options they are the biggest pain for changing filters and the most likely of the options to have something go wrong with them (ie nasty stuff in the filter that can harm the tank). HOB aren't the most aesthetically pleasing but they are cheap and easy to swap things out of and a sump is by far the best filtration option for a saltwater tank and if you aren't comfortable making one you can buy one for about the price of a canister filter.
 
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