Changing canister filter from fresh to saltwater

[Jittabug88]

So i have a canister filterim running on a freshwater tank(still in use) im goinguse it as a pump in my new sump refugium to get water back to tank plus it's extra filtration. I was wondering what to do with the existing mediainside it. It's diy, have spounge and filter floss first then a bunch of lavarock. Should i remove it completely or rinse and reuse lava rock or just add new lava rock? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks y'all.

 

[lmforbis]

I would chuck the canister and just get a return pump. Canisters are not the best choice for a SW tank. The maintenance you need to do for SW is pretty extreme. It doesn’t add anything positive and does add a lot of negatives like high nitrates. Your live rock will provide the filtration you need. In your sump you can put a protein skimmer some macro algae and a simple return pump.

 

[Jittabug88]

That's what i figured i have a70,150,and 190 gph pump nitty in use but actually have a600 on the canister filter(the canister died and kinda diye'd it with a pump on the intake to keep it in action. Would the 190 be enough flow and turn over on a 30 gallon with a 10 gallon sump?or should i pick up a 300 or hell even possibly use the 600?i figured the 600 was over kill tho. Cause for freshwater rule of thumb is atleast 6x turnover the gallons in the tank per hour.

 

[lmforbis]

It isn’t the flow rate as much as if it can push the water that high. you will probably just need to experiment. You need to look at the flow rat at the height you need to pump it. You need to look at head height. I have a 1500 GPh return pump on my 120. I have a good sized tank with a 40 gal sump. I don’t need 1500 GPH of flow and I don’t have anything close to that because my sump os 10 feet (this is the head height) below the water line in my tank so the pump has to push against the force of gravity to get the water up to the tank. most good pumps have a table that will tell you what the flow rate at different head heights and output diameters, you may need to go to the manufacturer for this info.

I’d experiment with a bucket of water and see how well your pump pumps up to the height of the top of your water in your tank. If my memory serves me I used a 600 gph Rio pump when I had a 40 gallon with the sump below it in my stand.

 

[beaslbob]

a canister filter is designed to pump and return whater where the intake and outlet are basically at the same height. In a sump system where you're pumping to a higher level, the gallons per hour pumped to the higher level are much reduced. Best to have pump designed for sump operation.
my .02.