okay, I have this filter. I have had trouble keeping my nitrates down. You have to clean the sponges and replace/clean material in the canister whether bioballs or other. This is kind of a pain to do and messy. The nitrates have stressed my yellow tangs a bit. No losses.
However, I recently came across the berlin system and it is cheaper and better than the canister filter. I have been told with a 30 or 40 gallon tank underneath the tank, some pvc, a few other pieces, about $150 for a pump you can create your own. I am just getting into this so I really don't know much more than that. Also you need LR. Apparently, there is no way to mess up this way of filtering and the only downside is the cost of LR. Also with the canister filter, you can get some wierd bacteria growing. I have a thread that says berlin system. Not much response yet. But I would do your homework and think twice before buying this canister filter. Even if budget is your reason, the berlin method is still better because it isn't expensive. I hope others respond to this thread. I would be interested to hear what they say.
